News of May 11, 2006
The era of private spaceflight is about to dawn
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
TWO years ago next month space travel underwent its Wright-brothers moment with the first flight of SpaceShipOne. The roles of Orville and Wilbur were played by Burt Rutan, who designed the craft, and Mike Melvill, who flew it-although they were ably assisted by Paul Allen, one of the founders of Mi...
NASA denies Japanese SST talks
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
A NASA spokeswoman has denied that the agency plans to hold talks with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) over the development of the latter's Next Generation Supersonic Transport (SST).
NASA's Melissa Mathews shot down the claims on Tuesday with: "It's my understanding the...
Andrews joins USAF hybrid launch vehicle effort
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006SEATTLE, Wash., -- May 9, 2006 -- Andrews Space, Inc. (Andrews) has been awarded a contract by the United States Air Force (USAF) to define architectures for a Hybrid Launch Vehicle (HLV). Andrews is one of four contractors selected to develop operational Hybrid Launch Vehicle approaches as ...
CENTAF releases airpower summary
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 20065/11/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary. Coalition aircraft flew 48 close-air-support missions May 10 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruct...
V-22 Funding Status Still Murky
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
The $109 billion version of the fiscal year 2006 emergency spending bill passed by the Senate May 4 includes $230 million to buy three V-22 Ospreys for the Marine Corps from Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing, but it remains unclear whether money to buy these aircraft will make it into law.
Pakistan may order more Chinese jet fighters
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
THE Pakistan Air Force says its current order of 150 China-developed FC-1 jet fighters is not enough, Air Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, chief of the air crew for the Pakistan Air Force, said yesterday at an official FC-1 flight ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the Oriental Morning Post reporte...
JF-17 Thunder: Operational Test Flight Successful
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
CHENGDU (China): The fourth prototype of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, equipped with exclusive avionics and weapons qualification systems, jointly manufactured by Pakistan and China completed its maiden test operational flight here Wednesday, proving its creditability to meet the needs of both the countri...
Norway's Future Fighter Competition: A Norwegian View
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
Norway is currently facing a dilemma about which fighter they should buy, to replace their ageing fleet of F-16's. This excellent article on DID is a compilation of last months' events, from a Norwegian point of view.
A couple of months ago, it became clear Norway was thinking...
NATO Official: Members Face Long-Range Missile Threat
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
A senior NATO official says member nations face a growing threat of attack by long-range missiles.
NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment, Marshall Billingslea, Wednesday urged officials to consider ways to address such a threat, including the creation of a missile ...
Raptor squadron to deploy to Pacific in June
Posted at: Thu May 11th, 2006
The F-22A Raptor, the Air Force's premier fighter, is scheduled to deploy to the Pacific area of responsibility for the first time this June, officials said Wednesday.
Twelve Raptors from Langley Air Force Base, Va., will participate in Exercise Northern Edge 2006. It will be held Jun...
