The F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.

The first F16 took to the skies late in 1976, delivery to combat squadrons followed in January 1979. The Falcon was one of the first to use the now standard fly-by-wire control system whereby no direct mechanical link is provided, instead the pilot’s controls comunicate with F16 ‘s electronics which in turn move the aircraft’s flying surfaces

Royal Jordanian Receives Two New Airbus A330’s

Two new airbus A330-200 were delivered to Royal Jordanian last May 25th. The planes will be dedicated to serve the airline’s long- and medium-range routes to the Far East and London. Royal Jordanian President/CEO Hussein Dabbas said that it was a new revolutionary way of introducing the airline to it’s modern changes. He mentioned that the Airbus A330s that join RJ’s 31-plane fleet were acquired because of the delay in the delivery of the 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which will start joining the fleet in 2013. The B787s were scheduled to join the airline at the beginning of 2011.

Dabbas also pointed out that last year Royal Jordanian concluded its short- and medium-haul fleet modernization program, having introduced 19 newly manufactured aircraft: 12 Airbus aircraft of the A320 family, and seven Embraer 195 and 175. Royal Jordanian will also acquire a new Embraer 175 in the last quarter of this year. By the end of 2010, RJ will start renewing its Airbus A340s operating on long flights.

“The new A330’s will be luxurious” Hussein Dabbas said as he wants comfort for his passengers and he said that “ All Crown and Economy seats each passenger can watch there favorite program on a personal in-seat screen.”

The first flight of these aircraft will depart for London on June 1 and the second will depart the next day for Kuala Lumpur , thus resuming a three-weekly service to the Malaysian capital.

-Airbus News

African Airlines Investments Gets Five BAE 146

African Airlines Investments of South Africa has acquired five BAE 146 regional jetliners from BAE Systems. It will be used on its growing aircraft leasing operations across sub-Saharan Africa.

Two of the aircraft are BAE 146-200s with the remaining aircraft being the bigger Series 300. These five aircraft are additional to two other BAe 146-200s that are currently operated by the company for customers in Gabon and other African countries. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by mid-July.

Pieter Louw, Director of African Airlines Investments said that they believe they have a unique business model to help the industry expand. “In addition to our home market, we are spreading our wings across sub-Saharan Africa and its islands and the market for both charter operations and turnkey operations is expanding. We believe that the BAE 146 is the ideal aircraft for our jet operations”, Louw added.

Director for Sales and Marketing – Sub Saharan Africa for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Asset Management, Nigel Benson, said: “African Airlines Investments is the fourth customer for the BAE 146/Avro RJ in South Africa. Across Africa as a whole the aircraft is proving increasingly popular and we will have by the middle of 2010 a total of 19 aircraft in operations with seven customers across six countries.”

- defense-aerospace

Air New Zealand to Offer Mobile Text and Email Services Aboard

Air New Zealand will be allowing  its new Boeing 777-300 aircraft with mobile phone and data capability, with the first aircraft due for delivery in November this year.

The introduction of the new service will let Air New Zealand’s customers to use their iPhone, Blackberry and GSM mobile phones to safely send and receive emails and text messages during their flights.

Ed Sims, Air New Zealand Group General Manager, International Airline said that  feedback from their  customers has shown they wish to be able to text, and check emails, to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues during long-haul flights.

The new service will also enable customers to use their Netbooks or laptops used in conjunction with their mobile broadband connection to access their emails and internet. Based on recent customer feedback, Air New Zealand does not currently plan to enable voice calls onboard.

“Customers onboard our new Boeing 777-300 aircraft will be able to use their own GSM/GPRS devices safely when the system is activated during the cruise stage of flight,”added Sims. ‘”Passengers will also be requested to keep their phones on ‘silent’ mode.’”

Air New Zealand is delivering this service to its customers in partnership with Aeromobile. Customers will be billed by their own mobile service provider, as with any other international roaming plan. Standard inflight roaming costs apply and mobile phone providers will be confirming pricing in the coming months.

The new mobile text and data service is subject to regulatory approval.

-           Air&Cosmos

Virgin Atlantic to launch in-flight connectivity on new A330s

Virgin Atlantic is planning to launch onboard connectivity on its new Airbus A330s, which are due to arrive from February next year. The airline is remaining tight-lipped on details until a formal announcement next month, but Virgin president Richard Branson hinted at the development on board the airline’s inaugural flight from London Heathrow to Ghana.

“Soon passengers will be able to do their e-mails on board, when our A330s arrive. Next year you will see changes throughout the aircraft, in terms of seating, meals service and connectivity. We will be well ahead. Look what happened with Virgin America; it will be even better than that.”

Virgin is due to take five A330s in 2011, with the first slated to arrive in February. Another five will arrive in 2012. The first two aircraft will be used for leisure routes and the remainder will fly out of London Heathrow.

- Flightglobal.com

USAF disputes F-35 Higher Cost Projections

USAF Air Combat Command chief Gen. William Fraser says he does not agree with the Navy’s projections that the F-35 will cost more to maintain than previously expected.

Officials at Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) have predicted a higher cost for operating the system over 65 years than has the Joint Strike Fighter’s joint program office (JPO).

The Navair study recently stated that 65 years of sustainment for the single-engine stealthy fighter could cost about $442 billion (Fiscal 2002 dollars) more than planned.

The Air Force is expected to operate the preponderance of the U.S. fleet; it is planning to buy 1,763 of the conventional-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. Fraser says he is holding firm on the 1,763 requirement; recently the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, said he expected to buy “more than 1,500” of the fighters. This was seen by some as him backing off of the long-standing 1,763 requirement.

Fraser says he has not been asked to produce any contingency plans should the number shrink. This would most likely happen due to affordability problems. If the Pentagon’s predictions are true and the per-unit cost goes up about 57%, buying a full complement of F-35s could be untenable in the current fiscal environment.

Fraser also says he is optimistic about recent progress in the F-35 development program, which has fallen under greater scrutiny due to a low-sortie production rate and delayed deliveries of test aircraft by prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

-          AVIATIONWEEK

India’s first attack copter takes flight

India’s first indigenous attack helicopter took to the skies on Sunday morning, marking the country’s entry into a league of select nations that can design and manufacture the complex rotary wing attack aircraft. The maiden flight of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) was kept a low-key affair after Defence Minister A K Antony canceled his visit in the wake of Saturday’s air crash at Mangalore.

The LCH, which has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of Rs 376 crore, will now go through a series of rigorous tests and evaluations over the next few years before its planned induction into the Army and Air Force by 2014-15.

The twin engined LCH has been derived from the in-service Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) with the Air Force placing orders for 65 choppers and the Army planning to induct 114 over the coming years. The LCH took its first flight 21 years after a light attack helicopter was conceptualised by HAL based in the IAF requirement in 1989. However, the LCH programme was given clearance by the government only in October 2006.

- Indianexpress.com

A-10 Unit Provides Support in Afghanistan

More than 200 pilots, maintainers and crew chiefs of the 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 81st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron arrived at Kandahar Airfield May 11 to provide close air support throughout Afghanistan.

“The mission of the unit is to provide close air support for coalition forces,” said Lt. Col. Ronald Stuewe, the commander of the 81st EFS. “That is the bread and butter of (the A-10 Thunderbolt II) and the bread and butter of the mission here,” he said. “That’s what we train to do and that is what we are here to execute.”

The two units are scheduled to be deployed here for four months, said Capt. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, the commander of the 81st EAMXS. They are assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

Although this is the unit’s first time here, the A-10 unit has deployed to other locations in the area of responsibility. “We are glad to be here and ready to go. We’ve hit the ground running. We’ve had a great start to what seems like a fantastic deployment,” Colonel Stuewe said.

- aero-news.net

First Student Takes Flight in T-6

It was another historic day for Training Squadron 3 and Training Wing 5 as the first student naval aviator to train in the T-6B Texan II took flight at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field May 18.

Student naval aviator, Ensign Christopher D. Farkas, teamed up with U.S. Marine Corps instructor pilot, Capt. Michael Perkins to complete the inaugural flight.

“VT-3 has been the first of many in aviation, and it’s fitting to have the pleasure of introducing the T-6B to training with a Navy student and a Marine instructor by an aircraft jointly developed by the Air Force and Navy,” said Cmdr. Jody Bridges, VT-3 commanding officer.

The T-6B Texan II is replacing its long time predecessor the T-34C Turbomentor. Training Air Wing 5 anticipates a complete transition at NAS Whiting Field by 2015.

-Defensetalk.com

No sign of life at airline crash near Kabul

Afghanistan’s aviation minister said search teams reached the remote mountain site where a commercial airliner crashed this week and found no sign of survivors among the 44 people aboard.

The Antonov-24 operated by Pamir Airways disappeared Monday on a flight from Kunduz to Kabul. The wreckage was spotted Thursday by a search plane on a 13,500-foot (4,100-meter) mountain in Shakar Darah district north of Kabul. Aviation Minister Mohammadullah Batash told The Associated Press that searchers reached the site Friday but found no sign of survivors. Three Britons and one American were among six foreigners on the plane.

Photos supplied by NATO forces show the plane broken into four pieces and strewn across a steep mountainside about 24 miles (38 kilometers) north of Kabul. Pamir’s chief executive officer, Amanullah Hamid, said the plane was last inspected about three months ago in Bulgaria. The An-24 is a medium-range twin-turboprop civil aircraft built in the former Soviet Union from 1950 to 1978. A modernized version is still made in China.

It is widely used by airlines in the developing world due to its rugged design, ease of maintenance and low operating costs.

- kansascity.com