Jun 30
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, B2 Stealth Bomber, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, D-Dalus, display, display model, F35 Lightning II, Harrier, IAT21, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, Paris Air Show, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
IAT21, an Austrian research company, presented a revolutionary new type of aircraft called the D-Dalus at the Paris Air Show.
Unlike other aircraft, the D-Dalus does not use wings or rotors to achieve flight. It’s a rectangular sled that can takeoff using four mechanically-linked contra-rotating cylindrical turbines.
In English, this means that the D-Dalus uses the thrust from its four 2200-rpm turbines to push the aircraft up. If the aircraft begins to pitch or roll in any direction, it uses counter thrust to right itself.
The D-Dalus is also extremely maneuverable because it can also direct thrust in any of the xyz axes in a 360-degree fashion. So it can take off and land vertically, hover perfectly, and move in any direction while doing so. Of course the vehicle would be impossible to fly by stick alone, so a pilot will be heavily assisted by computer algorithms to maintain balance. Much like another improbable flying aircraft like the B2 Stealth Bomber.
IAT21 also claims that the aircraft needs little maintenance and will be cheaper than using current vertical-takeoff-and-liftoff aircraft with moving parts like the hover capable F35 Lightning II or the still used Harrier. The D-Dalus also has much smaller landing footprint compared to the large rotor-blade span of cargo helicopters like the Boeing CH-47 Chinook.
Currently IAT21 is in a collaborative partnership with Cranfield University in the United Kingdom to push the D-Dalus through full flight certification. IAT21 is also working on upscaling the engine, the external hull shape, and the integration of next generation guidance and control systems.
IAT21 plans to bring D-Dalus’ technology to search and rescue drones at sea and over land. In the longer term, the researchers hope to develop a passenger version for use in public transport networks.
-pcworld.com
Jun 29
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, Cessna 182, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane crash, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
New details are emerging about a plane crash last Monday, in which a prominent Ashland attorney escaped with his life.
Those details of his harrowing fall from the sky and how he survived come from his family.
John Booth Farese returned to his home in Ashland Tuesday after an overnight stay at The Med in Memphis.
Family members say his survival is nothing short of a miracle.
Those who know him best say John Booth Farese never saw a gadget he didn’t like or didn’t have to have eventually.
An aircraft pilot for decades, Farese recently bought a parachute system to help him, and his passengers survive a plane crash.
His brother, Steve Farese, says that parachute saved him from an almost certain death. “You know, I’m old enough where supposedly nothing could surprise me, but yeah, it’s a miracle he survived.”
As in formal chief technology officer for the family law firm, John Booth was an early adopter of all things electronic.
Known as “Captain Kirk” around the office, he brought radio phone technology to the firm and many other technological improvements.
The parachute, only just installed, became his savior when his Cessna 182 plane’s engine suddenly stopped.
“He had only gotten up to about three hundred feet when his engine stopped, so he only had a split-second timing to make a decision. He said he’s lost all control he was auguring in nose first and he had just been briefed on the parachute.” Said Steve Farese.
It’s believed the parachute had only deployed about 80 percent before Farese’s Cessna 182 hit a wooded area in Marshall County off Bicycle Road.
It may not have slowed his descent very much do to it’s low altitude, but Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson says it was enough. I’ve seen pilots and passengers killed with a lot less damage than what this plane had occurred.”
So you might say, technology saved John Booth Farese.
His Brother says it all goes back to his childhood in the Boy Scouts.”That’s the way he is, and I think his Boy Scout attitude, he was an Eagle Scout and a Scoutmaster that he likes to be prepared.”
John Booth Farese suffered no broken bones in the crash but he was pretty banged up with a big knot on his head, and he remains in a back brace.
-wreg.com
Jun 28
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, F-35, f-35 joint strike fighter, f-35 jsf, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
Lockheed Martin reinforced its F-35 joint strike fighter management team Monday by bringing in a new senior executive whose experience has mostly been with the company’s naval weapons systems.
The appointment of Orlando Carvalho as F-35 vice president and deputy was part of a broader reshuffling of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics management team in Fort Worth overseeing development of the new warplane.
Eric Branyan, who has been serving in the F-35 deputy position, will become vice president and program manager. Both men will report directly to Larry Lawson, F-35 executive vice president and general manager, who oversees the plane’s engineering, testing and production.
Lockheed spokesman Joe Stout said the moves mean that Branyan will have primary responsibility for managing the day-to-day production of new aircraft. Carvalho “has a fantastic record of managing complex programs,” Stout said, and extensive experience in software, systems engineering and international business.
“As we move into higher production and ultimately full-rate production on the F-35,” Stout said, “we want to make sure we have all the best athletes on the program we can bring from Lockheed Martin.”
Launched in 2001, the F-35 program has fallen badly behind schedule in development, testing and production.
It has far overrun initial cost estimates and several subsequent estimates, requiring the Defense Department to repeatedly reschedule the program and allocate billions of additional dollars.
Members of the Senate Armed Service Committee expressed outrage at the continued delays and cost increases at a recent hearing on the program.
Lockheed has made progress in the past year toward getting test airplanes completed and flying the most basic of tests. But much critical development work involving weapons and targeting software has yet to be performed and tested.
Pentagon and other government experts have warned that this phase of the program is often more complex and troublesome.
Carvalho has been employed by Lockheed for more than 30 years. He was previously president of Lockheed’s Mission Systems & Sensors unit, essentially a separate division of the company. Before that appointment, he held a number of management posts in the naval weapons systems area of the company, including development and production of the Navy’s Aegis anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile system.
In other moves, John Larson, who was previously vice president and program manager, will become vice president of program management over all Lockheed Martin Aeronautics programs. Susan Kiehl, who previously held that post, was named vice president over improving and implementing Lockheed’s earned value management process, a government-mandated system of monitoring costs and schedule progress.
-star-telegram.com
Jun 27
TynibelleAir Force, News aircraft model, airplane model, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, f-15, F-15 fighters, F-22, F-22 fighters, f-22 raptor, F-22 Raptors, f22, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane model, raptor, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
Officials said that the US Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of F-22 fighters, after problems emerged with the plane’s oxygen supply.
The radar-evading F-22 Raptors have been barred from flying since May 3 and Air Force officials could not say when the world’s most advanced fighter planes would return to the air.
“The safety of our airmen is paramount and we will take the necessary time to ensure we perform a thorough investigation,” spokeswoman Captain Jennifer Ferrau said June 25.
The Air Force was probing possible breakdowns in the oxygen supply system for the plane after several pilots reported problems, according to the journal Flight Global.
In one case, an F-22 scraped tree tops before landing and the pilot could not remember the incident, indicating a possible symptom of hypoxia from a lack of air, the magazine reported.
Ferrau said it was too soon to say for certain that the technical problem was related to an onboard oxygen generating system, known as OBOGS.
“We are still working to identify the exact nature of the problem. It is premature to definitively link the current issues to the OBOGS system,” she said.
Since January, F-22 pilots have been barred from flying above 25,000 feet (7600 metres), following the crash of a Raptor jet in Alaska during a training flight.
Officials said that grounding an entire fleet of aircraft is a rare step,.
In November 2007, the Air Force grounded all F-15 fighters after one of the planes broke apart in flight and crashed.
The planes were not allowed back in the air until March 2008, said Major Chad Steffey.
The Air Force has more than 160 F-22 Raptors in its fleet and plans to build a total of 187.
The planes have not been used in the NATO-led air campaign in Libya or the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
-adelaidenow.com.au
Jun 24
TynibelleCarriers, News aircraft model, airplane model, Bombardier, Bombardier CSeries, CSeries, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, Korean Air, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
Bombardier’s new CSeries flight deck tour was a success at Paris Air Show 2011.
Bombardier announced that it will deliver up to 30 of the jets to Korean Air earlier this week.
The company’s twitter account, @Bombardier_Aero, tweeted that it is working with Rockwell Collins to design the concept for the aircraft, which is slated for delivery to customers in 2013.
Korean Air will be the first Asian carrier to choose the CSeries, putting Bombardier’s backlog of the aircraft to 123 firm orders and 119 options.
The 360-degree view of this high-tech flight deck is a must-see.
-aviationweek.com
Jun 23
JobelleAir Force, News AESA, CAPTOR-E radar, Eurofighter EADS, Eurofighter radar, Eurofighter Typhoon, Euroradar, Germany, Italy, RAF Eurofighter, Spain, typhoon, United Kingdom
After one year of industry funding, the Eurofighter and Euroradar consortia have received renewed strong support from the Partner Nations and have agreed to continue the full scale development programme of the next generation E-Scan radar, confirming the 2015 entry into service date.
Supported by the Eurofighter partner nations: the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Spain, Eurofighter GmbH and Euroradar began full scale development of the new CAPTOR-E radar in July 2010.
The new radar will have AESA capability that far exceeds any other radar available today and in the foreseeable future and will be developed to satisfy the requirements of the Partner Nations and customers across the globe.
The new AESA array, larger than the ones available to our competitors thanks to the Typhoon’s voluminous radome, will be fitted on a repositioner that will provide a wider field of regard when compared to those installed or scheduled for introduction on other fighters.
The new radar will offer customers the freedom to retrofit their existing Typhoons when required. The radar will have significant growth potential and both existing and new customers will be able to participate in tailoring the radar to meet their individual operational requirements.
The new AESA Radar is part of the platform and systems enhancement ongoing with Eurofighter to ensure Typhoon leads the way as the world’s best new generation multi-role combat aircraft.’
Source: Air-Attack
Jun 23
TynibelleNews 747, aircraft model, airplane model, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, G450, Gulfstream G450, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
Biofuels are getting a lot of attention this week at the Paris Air Show. Airlines have shown their support of the technology and its viability with Honeywell’s G450 and Boeing’s 747 planes using a blend of biofuel and conventional jet fuel.
Honeywell called the flight on Sunday of its Gulfstream G450 jet from New Jersey to Paris, “the first-ever transatlantic biofuel flight” in history.
Meanwhile, Boeing flew its new 747 freighter from Seattle to Paris on a blend of conventional jet fuel and 15 percent camelina-based biofuel, also vying to be first to fly the Atlantic on biofuel. Boeing says the use of biofuels will substantially reduce carbon emissions.
The show also included a special exhibition area for alternative aviation fuels.
Also this week, seven airlinesannounced their intentions to work with biofuel producer, Solena Fuels, to provide fuel for their flights out of the San Francisco Bay area. Solena’s fuel is made from a multistep process that starts with recycled urban and agricultural wastes.
Solena’s facility in Northern California will produce as much as 16 million gallons of jet fuel from this waste per year by 2015, to support airline operations at Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose airports. The process Solena employs makes all three major distillates: gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. In addition, the plant is able to provide its own source of energy and even produces excess electricity.
Solena’s biofuel manufacturing process was approved in 2009 for use as jet fuel by ASTM International, the worldwide consensus standards organization. This approval made Monday’s deal possible, as airlinesneed a standard fuel content and quality in order to be considered a reliable fuel source.
American Airlines and United Continental Holdings led the development of the deal that resulted in letters of intent. They were joined by Alaska Airlines, FedEx, JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier, US Airways, as well as Air Canada and Lufthansa German Airlines.
On June 10, another alternative biofuel received approval from ASTM. Review of the fuel is complete and standards for this alternative bio-derived jet fuel should be released by August, says the Air Transport Association in a press release.
Standardized fuel properties will ensure the quality of this new fuel and will lead the way for its use as “HEFA” fuels (Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids), derived from biomass products such as camelina, jatropha, or algae. Conventional jet fuel will be used in conjunction with this new fuel at up to a 50/50 ratio.
One of the startup producers of this type of fuel is Sapphire Energy, which uses algae to produce what the company calls green crude.
The company says that algae can be grown without soil and is one of the most prolific photosynthetic plants. Algae’s energy is found in the chloroplast, which uses photosynthesis to turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into organic carbon. This organic carbon is in the form of oils that can then be refined into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, according to Sapphire Energy’s site.
This fuel, says Sapphire, will work with existing transport systems and has an equivalent or greater energy density than current fossil fuels in use.
However, scaling up these biofuels will take some time. By 2015 Sapphire Energy expects to be producing millions of gallons of jet fuel and diesel at its new 300-acre facility being built, according to ThinkProgress. According to the United States Energy Information Administration, the airline industry uses hundreds of thousands of gallons of jet fuel per day.
-theepochtimes.com
Jun 22
JobelleAir Force, News 21st Space Wing and Air Force Space Command, Aerospace Defense Command, air and space paintings, apollo 11, Art Marthaller, Boeing E-3 AWACS, CH-47, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, chinook, Col. Russell Wilson, E-3 AWACS, E-3 Sentry, f-15, F-15 Eagle, F-15 fighters, F15 Eagle, Flying Tiger, Flying Tigers, P-38, P-38 Lightning, paintings, Spitfire, Supermarine Spitfire. CH-47 Chinook, T. Patterson, veteran paintings, World War I painting
Nine paintings depicting the evolution of air and space, which are displayed in the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station technical support building lobby, will be adopted into the Air Force Art Program this year. The paintings were rescued years ago after being abandoned inside a storage closet at the Chidlaw Building, the then-headquarters building for the Aerospace Defense Command of the North American Air Defense Command.
“The big significance is that we capture some heritage, so that it doesn’t get lost,” said Col. Russell Wilson, tjhe 721st Mission Support Group commander at CMAFS.
For years, the paintings have been a source of conversation and mystery, Colonel Wilson said. The only clue about the paintings’ origins is the signature, “T. Patterson.” Beyond that, the paintings are not dated and no one knows who T. Patterson was.
“We still ask the question, where did these paintings come from?” he said.
Art Marthaller, a retired chief master sergeant and retired Department of Defense civilian, found the discarded paintings in the mid 1980s in the Chidlaw Building. The paintings were covered in dust, but he liked them, he said. Chief Marthaller asked around and no one objected, so he took them up to the mountain and put them up in the conference room.
The paintings run as a series that begin with Greek mythology and the depiction of Icarus, the Greek man who made wings of feathers and wax to escape Crete. However, he flew too close to the sun and melted his wings causing his crash to earth.
Each painting has a number of faces or images that represent different eras of flight history. The paintings depict the first manned balloon flight in France by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783 and the first successful airplane flight by the Wright brothers in 1903.
T. Patterson also paid homage to World War I German fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Barron, and in a separate painting to Valentina Terskova, a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1963 became the first woman in space.
The paintings also treat viewers to the Flying Tiger, the P-38 Lightning, the Supermarine Spitfire and the CH-47 Chinook, which spans 1941 to the early 1960s in three paintings. The artist also paints the Apollo 11 moon landing of 1969 and then the more modern F-15 Eagle tactical fighters and the all-weather surveillance E-3 Sentry, which would indicate the paintings were done after 1977, when those aircraft were introduced.
“As you look at them, they really show the transition of air power,” Colonel Wilson said. “There are a lot of famous people in the paintings — it’s fun, a lot of folks will stop here and try to figure out who they are.”
The paintings have been examined by the 21st Space Wing and Air Force Space Command historians, but neither had ever seen the paintings or knew anything about the artist, Colonel Wilson said.
“I heard comments and rumors that the painter was a Vietnam veteran doing some art therapy,” said Jim Burghardt, 721st MSG test control operations chief. “I would like to know who he is.”
Source: U.S. Air Force
Jun 22
TynibelleCarriers, News 777, 787, 787 dreamliner, aircraft model, airplane model, B787, Boeing, Boeing 787, boeing 787 dreamliner, custom model, custom model plane, custom model ship, custom ship model, display, display model, Dreamliner, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, model ship, model vessel, plane model, ship model, warplanes, wood, wood model plane, wood plane model, wooden airplane model, wooden model airplanes
Boeing Training and Flight Services has been working nearly as long on the preparation for training 787 pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin crew as the aircraft itself has been in gestation.
Now Boeing’s purpose-designed, almost paperless 787 instruction system, married with completely integrated training suites to take pilots through classroom to full flight simulator, are already preparing technical crews and management pilots for the launch customer, All Nippon Airways. ANA expects to put its aircraft into service in about August 2012.
Customers for the aircraft can choose from five locations out of Boeing’s 18 worldwide “campuses” that already operate 787 training suites. These include Seattle, Singapore, Tokyo, London Gatwick and Shanghai, and they will operate a total of eight full-flight simulators between them. They also have cabin door and cabin systems simulators for flight attendant training.
“The innovations of the 787 Dreamliner don’t end with the airplane itself,” explains Sherry Carbary, vice-president Boeing Flight Services. “Boeing is changing the game through continued innovation in our advanced suite of training technologies.”
The integrated suite of electronic training devices that Carbary refers to was designed by Thales to a Boeing specification. It starts with a fully wired classroom where pilots and technicians can learn about the aircraft systems at the same time as familiarising themselves with the laptop/tablet/electronic flight bag with which they will work on the line or in the hangar. These are plugged into the classroom network so the instructor can monitor students’ progress.
Following the classroom stage, technicians and pilots progress to the flight training device, which is powered by the same software, where they can familiarise themselves with the flightdeck equipment and controls, and become adept at systems manipulation, but at a fraction of the cost of learning in a full-flight simulator.
It is a fixed-base device, but has moving controls and throttles, working flight instruments, engine and systems displays, so it can “fly”. Multipurpose display screens above the instrument panel coaming can be selected to show simulated external visual cues, including the head-up displays that are superimposed on the external view.
For the flightcrew, the final step in the Thales training suite is the full-flight simulator from which, depending on their experience, pilots can emerge with a zero flight time 787 type rating.
Carbary comments: “By bringing this cutting-edge training directly to airlines in the regions of the world where they’re based and serve their passengers, we’re offering our customers flexibility and efficiency in flightcrew training.”
She is not talking only about pilots, cabin crew and systems maintenance technicians. One of the 787′s unique points is the extent to which composite materials are used in the airframe. It is the first large passenger aircraft for which the fuselage is entirely composite, so Boeing has had to prepare training for customers’ engineers in how to repair composite materials.
Back to the classroom for a moment: when they first start instruction, mechanics and pilots both learn about aircraft systems using the same tools they will use at work. This is a new experience, with the potential to be highly effective in imparting systems knowledge and consolidating understanding.
The “manuals” are contained in an identical laptop/tablet/electronic flight bag, the same one used by each of the specialisations on the line. Pilots as well as technicians learn to use the tablets for diagnostics and repair. On-screen graphics can, in virtual reality, walk the student through the process of system diagnostics, and the geographical process of identifying a faulty line replaceable unit, locating it, and the removal and replacement process. It would enable a pilot on a diversion caused by a faulty box to diagnose which one it was, and if a replacement was available, the pilots would have a demonstration of how to fit and test it.
Another simple advantage of having all the manuals contained in a Toshiba tablet is that the students’ traditional flight bags are less heavy; and they can take the computers back to their rooms to practise what they have learned.
Boeing explains its training suite like this: “The use of real-time simulation in the maintenance training environment allows practice on the same tools in the classroom that the mechanics use on the actual aircraft. Desktop simulation is integrated into the classroom and throughout the course. “Additionally, a 3D virtual airplane is used where students can walk around the aeroplane and operate key functions.” That would include walking around the aircraft exterior to locate the access hatch, opening it by operating the fasteners, and climbing inside to find the equipment that needed attention.
The 787 flight training device, according to Boeing, “provides flightcrews with the same flight management and control systems as the full-flight simulator, making it ideal for instrument familiarisation and reinforcing knowledge of airplane systems. It develops proficiency in all normal procedures, simple non-normal procedures, the flight management system, auto-flight operations, and display operations. It also includes electronic flight bags and head-up displays, and enables flightcrews to become familiar with complex non-normal procedures.”
When the pilots are familiar with flight routines and systems operation from their use of the flight training device, they move to the full-flight simulator to become familiar with the 787 in normal flight operations. Boeing explains: “It includes dual heads-up displays and the class 3 EFB. The line-oriented simulation training verifies proficiency in normal procedures. The simulator is designed to train pilots to become proficient in visual manoeuvres, instrument landing system and non-ILS approaches, missed approaches using integrated approach navigation, non-normal procedures – with emphasis on those affecting handling characteristics – and windshear and rejected take-off training.”
Training course requirements vary according to the amount and relevance of experience that pilots and technicians bring with them from working on other fleets. For example pilots with no previous Boeing experience can convert to the 787 in 20 working days, according to the Federal Aviation Administration-approved syllabus. Current 777 pilots can convert with only a five-day differences course, and from other Boeing types it takes 13 working days to win a 787 type rating.
Beyond the cockpit and the cabin, Boeing has to enable customers to ensure that their maintenance personnel can maintain and repair composite structures. The manufacturer offers composites training in Miami and Singapore.
Composites training is split between classroom instruction and hands-on skills development in a purpose-built composite training facility. There are three different course levels in the composite repair training curriculum. These include:
The inspectors course: designed to teach the basic construction and properties of 787 composite materials. During the training the students learn how to perform an inspection and analysis to make a “fix or fly” judgement on 787 composite damage, and how to perform a quick composite repair.
The technicians’ course: teaches students how to carry out repairs in accordance with the 787 structural repair manual.
The engineers’ course: to teach students how to design repairs using approved Boeing design data.
Each 787 customer is provided with an allocation of training points per aircraft according to the number purchased, and they can use these at any of the Boeing training centres. Since the 787 has sold an unprecedented total of 835 aircraft before service entry, Boeing’s Training and Flight Services division faces a considerable challenge to help airlines meet the 787′s needs.
Boeing will be integrating its training obligations to its 787 customers’ needs for expert personnel with those of customers for its other types. It will also be competing with the rest of the commercial air transport industry for suitably educated trainee engineers, pilots and technicians who are prepared to join an expanding industry and undergo training for it.
-flightglobal.com
Jun 21
JobelleAir Force, News Eurofighter, Eurofighter Typhoon, F3 Tornado RAF, French Rafale, Libya, Libyan conflict, RAF eurofighter typhoon, RAF planes in Libya, Royal Air Force, Rupert Joel, Tornado GR4 aircraft, Tornado jets
Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Rupert Joel told reporters at the Paris airshow that pairing the Tornado with the Eurofighter over Libya does not mean that the older jet is babysitting the younger.
While enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya since mid-March, the modern Eurofighter, which had not been used in real-life combat since its introduction in 2003, has generally been accompanied on missions by Tornado jets, which have been used in air-to-ground combat for some 20 years.
“It may seem strange to fly with the Tornados but it’s worked well,” UK Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Rupert Joel told reporters at the Paris airshow.
Asked whether it was not odd that the Typhoon — one of the most modern warplanes on the market today, with a list price of around $125 million — was being accompanied by the veteran Tornado, Joel said the pairing gave the British pilots an edge.
“The advantage of flying ‘mixed pair’ is that there are three different types of weapons available for use as well as the fact that Typhoon can use the benefits of the Tornado, whose pilots have huge experience of air-to-ground missions,” he said.
The British military has admitted that the Typhoon‘s air-to-ground missile attack capability was activated several years earlier than planned but said pilots were well-trained enough to conduct bombing raids.
“It’s true to say we had not done a huge amount of multi-role training before the Libyan conflict,” said Joel, who added the operation has gone well for the Typhoon team so far.
Some military analysts view the deployment of the Typhoon and the French Rafale in Libya as a move to give the two aircraft battlefield credentials in an effort to win orders.
Source: Reuters
Older Entries
RSS