Iraqi parliamentarian seek for more F-16s

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s decision to purchase 18 F-16 fighter jets will provide a “very robust capability” where today there is none and will allow the country’s military to protect its airspace, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Thursday.

But an Iraqi parliamentarian who sits on the defense oversight committee said the size of the order was so small as to be “ridiculous.” Top aides to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said a follow-up order for the “Fighting Falcon,” which Lockheed Martin manufactures at Fort Worth, Texas, is a near-certainty.

The deal, worth $3 billion, was announced this week after Iraq, its treasury flush thanks to high oil prices, made a $1.4 billion down payment.

Ali Musawi, a spokesman for Maliki, said the 18 planes were “a first installment, and hopefully there will be another 18 to make a total of 36.”

While the fighters “will enhance” Iraq’s abilities to protect its airspace, land and waters, “They will not, by themselves, be enough, because our neighboring countries have a large number of fighter planes,” Musawi told McClatchy, referring to Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria. “So looking to Iraq’s position in the region, having those planes is not much, but it is a beginning.”

Mudher Khidr Nasir, a member of parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, said the committee hadn’t received official notification of the contract, but added: “I find the number 18 ridiculous.”

The chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said in the context of the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of this year, Iraq had taken a major step forward.

“The F-16 is a good example of them taking a step to reinforce their sovereignty, increase their self-reliance and deal with one of those security gaps that they still have,” Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said.

Concerns about Iraq’s lack of air defense capabilities had been one reason some have advocated that the United State leave substantial numbers of troops in Iraq after the Dec. 31 pullout deadline.

But Buchanan said Iraq had made a number of advances toward regaining full sovereignty over its airspace after eight years in which the United States exercised control.

Next month, Iraqi air traffic controllers will assume responsibility for flights below 15,000 feet in the central part of the country, the only part of Iraqi airspace where the U.S. remains in control. Iraq’s air defense radars and long-range radar systems will be fully functional by the middle of next year. And the Iraqi military now has a modern air-operations center that controls military aircraft throughout the country and is able to sound a warning if the borders are breached.

What Iraq has lacked “is the ability to defend their airspace,” Buchanan said. The F-16s will provide help provide that.

“It gives them a very robust capability right now, where they currently have none.” He said that one squadron of F-16s could cover the entire country. He acknowledged that this was likely to be a first installment. “Could you do more with 36 than 18? The answer would be yes, he said.

One additional element still to be set up is ground-based air defense — missiles and guns — which will be deployed to key locations that the Iraqi authorities say must be defended. This is still under discussion with U.S. experts, Buchanan said.

With just 90 days until the deadline for full withdrawal, the U.S. troop presence now stands at 44,000, down from 92,000 at the start of the year. The military has redeployed 1.5 million pieces of equipment, with 800,000 left to go. American forces are still on 34 bases, down from 505 in 2008, Buchanan said.

It’s still unclear whether any U.S. troops will stay on after Dec. 31 as trainers and advisers. Top Iraqi politicians are at loggerheads over whom to appoint to head the Defense and Interior ministries, a decision that’s become inextricably linked to Iraq’s request for the American advisers and trainers.

Tahseen al Shaikhli, a government spokesman, said this week that Iraq and the United States had agreed in principle to have some 3,000 American trainers remain, but he acknowledged that an agreement to provide them immunity from Iraqi prosecution hadn’t been concluded.

In July, Shaikhli had said Iraq was hoping to have some 13,000 U.S. advisers and trainers remain in the country after Dec. 31.

Buchanan said the F-16 deal had been due to be completed in January but that Iraq had postponed it for budgetary and political reasons, including concerns that the country didn’t have enough money to provide for staples for Iraqis receiving food rations.

But with oil at more than $100 a barrel for much of the year, the government, which draws 90 percent of its income from oil sales, found itself with an unexpected windfall of at least $14 billion, Buchanan said.

“Based on that, they decided to go back and see how they were prioritizing spending their money,” he said. Recognizing that they still needed combat aircraft, “they allocated money to it.”

-miamiherald.com

UH-1Y Huey fired first APKWS shots

The Navy and Marine Corps recently fired the first shots of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II from a UH-1Y helicopter at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, Calif.

The recent shots, part of the program’s low-rate initial production phase, mark the start of APWKS testing on the UH-1Y in preparation for fielding next year. During the tests, Marine pilots fired a total of six shots from a UH-1Y against stationary targets with ranges varying from 1.5-5 kilometers. The initial shots from UH-1Y mark the first time a MK152 warhead has been fired from any aircraft, allowing safer operation aboard ships than the previous M151 warhead.

“I am very excited to bring this new capability to our Marines in combat,” said Capt. Brian Corey, APKWS program manager.

APKWS II, a semi-active laser guidance section that integrates with current 2.75-inch rocket motors and warheads, provides aviators with a highly precise weapon that is effective against soft and lightly armored targets while minimizing collateral damage.

“We have seen great success firing APKWS from both AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters,” said Lt. Cmdr. Nick Green, Airborne Rockets/Pyro deputy program manager for the Direct and Time Sensitive Strike Weapons program office (PMA-242).

“I am very proud of our team for working so hard toward fielding APKWS on our threshold platform, AH-1W, and our objective platform, UH-1Y, at the same time.”

Initial operating capability of APKWS on the Corps’ AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters is scheduled for second quarter of fiscal year 2012.

Source: Naval Air Systems Command

No new insight from preliminary plane crash report

PROVINCETOWN — The National Transportation Safety Board has published its preliminary report on the PA-28 Piper plane crash here that killed a pilot and seriously injured a female passenger on Aug. 31, and it provides few if any new details.

The report can be found at the board’s website, http://www.ntsb.com. The accident remains under investigation.

According to NTSB investigator Dennis Diaz, the cause is not likely to be known for nine to 12 months. They will be looking at archival maintenance records for the plane and the pilot’s training and history. Within 60 days of the end of the investigation the cause will be published online.

The single engine Piper PA-28 private aircraft crashed in the woods about 200 yards west of the Provincetown Municipal Airport at 11:30 that Wednesday night. Stanley J. Wisniewski, 48, of Falmouth, the pilot of the Piper plane, was pronounced dead at the scene. The only passenger, Tamar Levy, 47, also of Falmouth, was MedFlighted to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston with serious injuries.

A pilot of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that was in the area witnessed the crash.

A Piper PA-28 aircraft

-wickedlocal.com

-wikipedia.org

World War II bomber reunion in Addison

Some World War II pilots and gunners took a step back in time on an old B-29 bomber.

“Fifi” is the last B-29 superfortress still flying in the world.

For members of the 504th bomber group, their reunion with the old bomber was an emotional time. That is because of all the close calls and near misses flying on B-29 bombers like Fifi.  “Good experience, a memorable experience,” says B-29 gunner John Swoboda, ”but I don’t think I want to go through it again.”

B-29 navigator and POW Fiske Hanley says, “Very few of us B-29ers came back. Of the 5,000 lost over Japan, less than 200 of us came back. So, I’m lucky.”

The B-29 is most famous for dropping two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II.

 

-kcentv.com

Britain withdraws Eurofighters and Apaches from Libyan operations

Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox has announced that four Typhoons and three Apache helicopters are to be withdrawn from the Libya operation.

Welcoming the announcement by NATO that the mission was continuing for another 90 days, Dr Fox said “good progress” in the operation means some of the aircraft can be brought home.

“The UK has been at the forefront of the campaign since the outset and as the Prime Minister has made clear throughout, the UK will maintain its commitment for as long as it is required. Our support for the people of Libya at this critical time is unwavering and NATO’s mission to protect civilians must continue until it is no longer necessary.”

The Apache fully exploits the vertical dimension of the battlefield. Aggressive terrain flight techniques allow the commander to rapidly place the ATKHB at the decisive place at the optimum time. Typically, the area of operations for Apache is the entire corps or divisional sector. Attack helicopters move across the battlefield at speeds in excess of 3 kilometers per minute. Although dependent on mission, enemy, terrain, troops, time available, and civilian (METT-TC) considerations, typical planning airspeeds are 100-120 knots (185-222 km/hr) during daylight, and 80-100 knots (148-185 km/hr) at night. Speeds during marginal weather are reduced with respect to prevailing conditions.

Eurofighter’s high performance is matched by excellent all round vision and by sophisticated attack, identification and defence systems which include the ECR 90 long range radar and Infra Red Search and Track (IRST) system, advanced medium and short range air-to-air missiles and a comprehensive electronic warfare suite to enhance weapon system effectiveness and survivability. Eurofighter Typhoon is intentionally aerodynamically unstable to provide extremely high levels of agility, reduced drag and enhanced lift.

“We have decided to keep 16 Tornado aircraft on operations to sustain the required fast jet sortie rate and we intend to keep two Attack Helicopters in Theatre for as long as required,” Dr Fox added.

Source: British Force News

Recovered remains of WWII airmen buried at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – Even for Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday’s burial service was extraordinary: remains from nine World War II airmen shot down and killed after a successful bombing run in Papua New Guinea in 1943.

The remains, excavated from the crash site in 2001, were in a single casket because most of them could not be conclusively linked to any one airman, despite extensive testing by the Army.

It had been 68 years since Leonard Gionet’s father was shot down, and he did not expect Wednesday’s burial service to be especially emotional. After all, he was only 6 months old when his father died. But he found himself wiping tears from his eyes as he sat next to his 90-year-old mother, thinking about his childhood and how he had tried to piece together what his dad was like from family conversations.

“I had kind of buried it all. I was surprised by all the emotions that surfaced,” he said after the ceremony.

Wednesday’s burial brings a close to the remarkable story of the Naughty but Nice, a B-17 Flying Fortress that was shot down in 1943 and earned its nickname from a painting of a scantily clad woman on its side. Nine of the 10 airmen on board were killed and buried in unmarked graves. The lone survivor, Lt. Jose Holguin, was taken as a Japanese prisoner of war but made it his mission after the war to find his lost colleagues.

“I don’t want to call it survivor’s guilt. I would call it a survivor’s mission,” said Holguin’s son, Curt Holguin, who attended Wednesday’s service. “He returned home and they didn’t. His mission became to get them home.”

The elder Holguin traveled back to Papua New Guinea several times in the 1980s and found parts of the B-17 plane. In 1985, the Army exhumed remains that had been buried as “unknown” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu after they were recovered from Papua New Guinea after the war.

Tests done at the time positively identified remains from five of the nine who were killed: 2nd Lt. Herman H. Knott, 2nd Lt. Francis G. Peattie, Staff Sgt. Henry Garcia, Staff Sgt. Robert E. Griebel and Staff Sgt. Pace P. Payne.

The Army did further excavations near the crash site in 2001 and found additional human remains. More advanced tests were done, but did not conclusively link those remains to any of the remaining four from the Naughty but Nice: Tech Sgt. Robert L. Christopherson, Tech Sgt. Leonard A. Gionet, 1st Lt. William Sarsfield and 2nd Lt. Charles E. Trimingham.

But the Army is confident that the remains belong to the nine dead airmen, in part based on where they were found and other tests that were done.

Those remains were buried Wednesday in a single casket at Arlington, during a service with full military honors. Relatives of the four who had not previously been identified were presented with U.S. flags.

“After nearly 70 years, these men haven’t been forgotten and their mission is getting its due respect,” said L. Edward Johnson of Pebble Beach, Calif., who accepted the flag for his family on behalf of his uncle, co-pilot Charles Trimingham.

Gionet, 68, who lives in Portland, Ore., said it was about a year ago that he learned his father’s remains had been recovered. Somewhat amazingly, he said he received a knock on the door from an Army colonel and sergeant just after he had finished watching a movie called “The Messenger” where the main character is an officer assigned to notify family members when their loved ones have been killed in action.

The news came as a shock – Gionet said he had been unaware of the excavations that had recovered his father’s remains.

“I think it’s something where I’ll be able to close that chapter of my life,” Gionet said of the ceremony.

Gionet’s mother, Della Edwards, who became a widow at age 22 when the elder Gionet was shot down, traveled from Sacramento for the ceremony.

She recalled the years where she held hope after her husband was declared missing that he was still alive, and remembered her husband as an eternal optimist.

“He changed me from being a pessimist to an optimist. By the time he left (for the Pacific theater) he had convinced me that nothing bad would happen to him,” Edwards said. “He told me, `A bad penny always comes back.”‘

At the end of World War II, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans. More than 73,000 remain unaccounted for.

 

-bakersfieldnow.com

V-22 gets more lift options via software change

A test team from the V-22 Joint Program Office spent about six weeks in Logan, Utah confirming that a small software change will result in more lift capability for the Osprey.

The actual change calls for the V-22 rotors to be tilted about four degrees outward. This change reduces the air flow from the rotors over the wings, which allows the V-22 to carry more weight and achieve greater overall performance in hover mode.

“We did see the performance gain from the software change that we expected,” said Trevor Strand, V-22 flight test engineer. “It gives the pilot more options. He can either carry more fuel, more troops, go to higher altitudes, or some combination of the three.”

This effort was the result of about two years of work by NAVAIR engineers to improve the hover performance of the V-22. The software change that was measured and confirmed in Logan has already been implemented into some MV-22s. The plan is to upgrade all V-22s by the end of the year. The test team is currently updating performance documentation for V-22 operators.

The V-22 team averages about one off-site test event a year. Considerable research and planning goes into finding just the right spot.

“We don’t like to do all of our hover performance testing at sea level because the proprotor is not working at its maximum limits,” Strand said. “We don’t want to max out the engines at a very high altitude like 9,000 feet either so the ideal location is somewhere in between.”

Source: TheBAYNET.com

Tahoe plane crash leaves pilot seriously injured

A pilot from Bakersfield was seriously injured after a Piper Aztec twin-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Lake Tahoe.

Kevin Bumen, director of aviation at Truckee Tahoe Airport, said the pilot was the only person on board when the Piper Aztec crashed on airport grounds and caught fire about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Nevada County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher Gerri Barriger says the Piper Aztec pilot was taken to a hospital in Reno.

Federal aviation records show the plane is registered to Brian Mettler of Bakersfield. A woman who identified herself as his wife declined to comment when reached by telephone shortly after the Piper Aztec crash.

“He looked in surprisingly good shape for a guy who had just run his plane into the ground,” said Chaco Mohler, a publisher at the Tahoe Quarterly in Truckee, who witnessed the crash from his office window a block from the airport.

Bumen says federal officials will be investigating the cause of the  Piper Aztec crash.

 

-bakersfieldnow.com

WWII bombers in Ogden keep memories and history alive

OGDEN — The B-17 Flying Fortress “Sentimental Journey” and B-25 Mitchell “Maid in the Shade” from the Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum are on display in Ogden this week, and the public can experience flying in these aircrafts first-hand.

For pilot Jim Kimmel, getting to fly the B-17G gives him a closer feel for what his father went through as a B-17 pilot.

“I’ve flown this airplane with my father three times with him at the controls,” he said. “That’s payback enough for me. I mean, how many people can say that they flew with their father in the aircraft that their father went to combat in?”

The 1944 “Sentimental Journey” is only one of several restored, flying B-17 bombers in the U.S. Only a handful of these rare birds are still flying in the world.

Kimmel volunteers his time for several months each year to help keep the memories and history alive. The mobile museum draws plenty of onlookers, including veterans like Ray Hobbs, a former B-17 pilot.

“When you hear the plane, it’s just as sweet as Beethoven’s symphony to hear those engines,” he said.

For Gunther Stoecke his memories come from another side of history. He comes all the way from Berlin, Germany, to volunteer each year. He still remembers having his hometown bombed as a child.

“There was no hate for anyone, I only know the Americans as friends,” he said. “I remember the Berlin airlift that saved us. During this time, the Berliner learned to never take freedom for granted.”

Getting to hear those stories and share them with others is what Kimmel says makes all his donated time worthwhile. If people can continue to learn from the past, he said the future can continue to look brighter.

“We’re not trying to glorify war, we’re trying to honor the veterans who participated in World War II and made those big sacrifices,” he explained.

Maintaining these bombers is not cheap, costing about $2,500 a day. Volunteers do it, both for the veterans who are still around and for the younger generations who can learn from the history behind it.

The mobile museum makes stops all over the U.S. to give people a rare look at pieces of aviation history. The war planes will be in Ogden until Sept. 25. The cost for a flight on the B-17 starts at $425 per person, for the B-25 it starts at $395. The planes take off in the early morning, and then stay on the ground for people to come see afterward. After that, the flying museum will be at the Vernal Regional Airport.

 

-ksl.com

RAF receives 5th C-17 Globemaster III

Boeing delivered Australia’s fifth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) last Wednesday.

A RAAF delegation led by Stephen Smith, Australia’s Minister for Defence, received the country’s latest C-17 during a ceremony at the C-17 program’s final assembly facility in Long Beach. The event was attended by Chief of the Defence Force Gen. David Hurley, Australian Secretary of Defence Duncan Lewis, and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich.

“Australia’s fleet of four C-17s has been on the front lines of defense and humanitarian missions around the world, and continues to demonstrate the aircraft’s great versatility and capability,” said Boeing Military Aircraft President Chris Chadwick.

The Commonwealth of Australia in April announced the signing of an agreement with the U.S. government to acquire its fifth C-17 Globemaster. The U.S. Air Force approved the Foreign Military Sale and assigned a C-17 already in production to be delivered to the RAAF.

The C-17 provides the RAAF with the capability to airlift large payloads across intercontinental distances and transport combat-ready troops to remote locations, by either landing or airdropping them directly where needed.

Australian C-17s were part of the relief mission to Japan following a devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. RAAF C-17s also conducted relief operations following a major earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, and floods in Pakistan and Australia.

Source: AIR-ATTACK