Fuerzas Aéreas del Mundo. Noticias e historia. Sus aviones de guerra, helicópteros y misiles. Programas de construcción aérea. Pilotos y paracaidistas.
9/10/2008 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- Members of the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flew surge missions and launched six of its B-52 Stratofortresses on a large scale training flights Sept. 4 and 5 from here.
The training mission allowed crewmembers to practice more than the standard two-ship deconfliction plan while maintaining situational awareness of the battlefield, other players and weapons, said Andersen Air Force Base officials.
"This is the first time six B-52s have taken off from Andersen for this type of mission since Operation Linebacker II," said Brig. Gen. Philip M. Ruhlman, the 36th Wing commander.
The two-day, large-scale surge demonstrated the Air Force's capabilities to activate heavy air support at a moment's notice.
"Recent history has shown large formations of aircraft are used at the onset of most conflicts such as Allied Force, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Capt. Jason Grubaugh, the 20th EBS weapons and tactics chief. "The goal of this surge mission is to simulate large formation global strike capabilities in a robust threat environment allowing us to train the way we fight, making us better aviators and operators."
During the surge, the bombers flew more than 60 hours and simulated launching joint air-to-surface standoff missiles and conventional air-launched cruise missiles on simulated targets.
"Missions such as these demonstrate our commitment to protecting the resources of the United States and our allies while helping maintain stability in the Pacific region," General Ruhlman said.
The 20th EBS is deployed here from Barksdale AFB, La., as part of the continuous bomber presence in the Pacific region. By maintaining a continuous forward presence and conducting joint exercises, Pacific Air Forces officials are able to foster improved relations and interoperability with its regional friends and allies.
Señores, creo que este tipo de maniobras representan una réplica a los últimos vuelos de patrulla reestablecidos por Rusia.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
11/09/2008 14:10 MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Over 20 Su-27 Flanker fighters will conduct live firing drills at a practice range in the Volga-Urals military district on September 15-21, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.
"The Su-27 pilots from a fighter regiment based in Russia's Far East will practice firing all standard weapons systems fitted on board the aircraft at the Ashuluk training grounds in the Astrakhan Region," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said.
The Su-27 fighter usually flies air superiority missions, but is able to perform almost all types of air sorties. Its closest American counterpart is the F-15 Eagle.
The Su-27 on-board armament comprises one 30 mm GSh-301cannon and up to 6,000 kg payload of missiles and bombs including AA-10 Alamo air-to-air missiles, AA-11 Archer air-to-air missiles, rockets, guided and unguided bombs.
According to various sources, the Russian Air Force currently has about 450 Su-27 fighters and is planning to upgrade them to the Su-27SM standard, which includes a glass cockpit, advanced electronics and an improved radar with a phased array.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
11/09/2008 15:24 MOSCOW, September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers that landed in Venezuela on Wednesday are expected to return home on September 15, Russia's Air Force said on Thursday.
"Their return has been scheduled for September 15," Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said.
The bombers landed at Venezuela's Libertador airfield late last night and during the 13-hour flight from their home base in central Russia to the South American country were accompanied by NATO fighters.
During their stay in Venezuela, the bombers will conduct a number of patrol flights over neutral waters in the Pacific and the Caribbean. According to the spokesman, the planes are not armed with any weapons, including nuclear.
The Tu-160 Blackjack is a supersonic, variable-geometry heavy bomber, designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear and conventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.
Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the landing of strategic bombers in Venezuela did not mean that Russia had established a military base in the South American country.
"Russia does not have military bases in Latin America," Andrei Nesterenko, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said. "The landing at the Venezuelan airbase was carried out in line with prior agreements between Russia and Venezuela."
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on September 1 that "if Russian long-range bombers should need to land in Venezuela we would not object to that."
Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by then-President Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried out more than 90 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted by NATO planes.
The Air Force spokesman reiterated on Thursday that all Russian strategic patrols were performed in strict accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
9/11/2008 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- A brake-metering-valve failure caused a B-1B Lancer to collide with two aircraft rescue firefighting vehicles March 7 in Guam, according to an Air Combat Command accident investigation board released here Sept. 2.
The board determined the aircraft began to roll forward after engine shutdown at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
Malfunction of the right-hand brake-metering valve caused depletion of the associated brake-system accumulators, rendering the aircraft's brake systems inoperative when the engines shut down.
There were no injuries. Damage to the B-1B assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and the two firefighting vehicles assigned to Andersen AFB totaled $5.8 million.
Contributing factors to the mishap included a slight taxiway declination, failure of the aircraft to be chocked in a timely manner and the inability of the firefighting vehicles to successfully clear the path of the rolling B-1B. The in-flight loss of the No. 3 hydraulic system due to improper swage operations and post-task inspection caused the initial in-flight emergency that necessitated landing at Andersen AFB, so it was also cited as a substantially contributing factor.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
SUMARIO OPERACIONES AEREAS EN IRAK Y AFGANISTAN 10 SEPT. 2008
9/11/2008 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 10, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
In Afghanistan, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs dropped guided bomb unit-12s and fired cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces firing positions in the vicinity of Bari Kowt. An on-scene joint terminal attack controller reported the mission successful.
In the vicinity of Shurakan, a Navy F-18F Super Hornet dropped a GBU-12 and a GBU-38 on an insurgent inhabited compound. Furthermore, an F-18F conducted a show of force to deter anti-Afghan activity in the vicinity of Delaram. The missions were declared a success by JTACs.
An A-10 fired rockets and cannon rounds onto anti-Afghan forces firing positions in the vicinity of Nanagalam. A JTAC confirmed the mission successful.
In the vicinity of Luman, an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducted a show of force to provide armed aerial security for a coalition convoy. The mission was reported a success by a JTAC.
Coalition aircraft conducted shows of force to provide armed surveillance due to suspicious activity in areas of interest near Shindand and in the vicinity of Ganj Abad. JTACs declared the missions successful.
In the vicinity of Lashkar Gah, an Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon conducted a show of force to deter anti-Afghan activity in the area. The mission was reported a success by a JTAC.
In total, 74 close-air-support missions were flown as part of the ISAF and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols.
Seventeen Air Force and coalition intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Afghanistan.
In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 51 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized with coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided overwatch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.
Twenty nine Air Force ISR aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, two Air Force aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.
Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.
Approximately 134 airlift sorties were flown, 632 tons of cargo delivered and 4,502 passengers were transported. This included approximately 24,000 pounds of troop resupply airdropped in Afghanistan.
Coalition C-130 crews flew as part of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.
On September 9, Air Force and coalition tanker crews flew 59 sorties and off-loaded approximately 2.9 million pounds of fuel to 251 receiving aircraft.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
September 11, 2008: Noting the success American P-3 and British Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft have had at doing reconnaissance over land, Canada is going ahead with upgrading ten of its eighteen CP-140 aircraft so they can track things on land. Thus modified, the CP-140s can also serve on peacekeeping missions, where large, unruly areas have to be patrolled. This upgrade program has been proceeding, on and off (depending on which way the political winds were blowing) for ten years. The refurbishment is mainly concerned with keeping the aircraft flyable for another twelve years, as well as and making them more capable of patrolling over land, there being much less of a submarine threat (with the demise of the Soviet Union submarine fleet in the 1990s).
Canada has eighteen CP-140 Auroras, which entered service in the 1980s. The CP-140 Aurora is an American P-3 airframe equipped with gear from the P-3C Orion and the S-3A Viking. The CP-140 is mainly an ASW (anti-submarine warfare) aircraft, can also perform maritime surveillance, counter-drug, search and search-and-rescue. Three CP-140s were bought in the 1990s (the Arcturus model), that were used for training or maritime patrol (no ASW).
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
September 11, 2008: Israel has ordered a thousand of the new U.S. 250 pound Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). These will cost about $77,000 each. It believed that Israel wants this weapon not just for its precision, and low explosive (50 pounds) power, but also its ability to penetrate six feet of concrete. This would make it useful to take out Hezbollah bunkers and rocket storage sites in southern Lebanon. It might also prove useful in an attack on Iranian nuclear weapons facilities.
Two years ago, the U.S. Air Force finally got the SDB into service. On October 5th, 2006, two F-15E fighter bombers used the SDB in Iraq. The SDB was supposed to enter service in 2005, in the wake of the 2004 introduction of the 500 pound JDAM. But there were many technical problems with the SDB. That's because this was not just another "dumb bomb" with a GPS guidance kit attached. The SDB had a more effective warhead design and guidance system. It's shape is more like that of a missile than a bomb (70 inches long, 190 millimeters in diameter), with the guidance system built in. The smaller blast from the SDB results in fewer civilian casualties. Friendly troops can be closer to the target when an SDB explodes. While the 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs have a spectacular effect when they go off, they are often overkill. The troops on the ground would rather have more, smaller, GPS bombs available. This caused the 500 pound JDAM to get developed quickly and put into service.
But what the air force really wants is to equip the B-1 with SDBs, as this bomber could carry as many as 216 of them. The new F-22 and F-35 warplanes are stealthy and normally only carry their bombs internally. This limits how many they can carry, but with the SDB, an F-22 can carry eight of them. The Israeli F-15sand 16s could easily carry 24 SDBs. The SDBs are carried on a special carriage, which holds four of them. The carriage is mounted on a bomber just like a single larger (500, 1,000 or 2,000) pound bomb would be. For Israel, this allows each fighter-bomber to take out more targets per sortie.
The SDB is basically an unpowered missile, which can glide long distances. This makes the SDB even more compact, capable and expensive. JDAM (a guidance kit attached to a dumb bomb) only cost about $26,000. The small wings allow the SDB to glide up to 70-80 kilometers (from high altitude.) SDB also has a hard front end that can punch through several feet of rock or concrete, and a warhead that does more damage than the usual dumb bomb (explosives in a metal casing.) The SDB is thus the next generation of smart bombs.
There was never any point in building a 250 pound dumb bomb, as they would be too inaccurate to be useful. But it made sense to merge the guidance kit and the bomb itself. But the superiority of guided bombs is such that the next generation of heavier (500-2000 pound) smart bombs will probably be like the SDB.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
BENEFICIOS DEL CONFLICTO DE GEORGIA PARA LA AVIACION RUSA
September 11, 2008: Russia's recent five day war in Georgia brought many benefits to the Russian Air Force. Despite having four aircraft shot down, several dozen other Russian warplanes kept flying, and proved crucial to rapidly overwhelming the Georgian armed forces.
Russian aircraft manufacturers had already developed upgrades for the Su-25 (similar to the U.S. A-10 ground attack aircraft, but with a more conventional appearance) and Su-24 (similar to the U.S. F-111precision fighter-bomber). These two models did most of the work in Georgia. But until recently, more of the money seemed headed for new fighters, and upgrades for existing fighters. The fighting in Georgia showed that new fighters were not the problem in these "little wars," but reliable bombers and precision weapons were. While Russia has developed a wide array of GPS and laser guided missiles and bombs, they have bought few of these for their own troops, and provided even less opportunity for the air force to even use the stuff for training. As a result, most of the bombs dropped in Georgia were of the dumb variety. If smart bombs had been used, far fewer aircraft would have been exposed to ground fire and Georgian anti-aircraft missiles.
Thus as a result of the Georgia war, Russian fighter programs will have a harder time getting money, while the upgrades of the Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft are getting funded, and more of the new Su-34 (a precision, all weather bomber similar to the U.S. F-15E) are being ordered. And, of course, increased production of smart bombs, and training pilots in their use. The Russians have the American and NATO experience with smart bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan to fall back on as well. The success there was not just an American thing, now it's a Russian thing as well.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
GRAN BRETAÑA ESPERA TENER OPERTIVOS 5 MQ-9 A FINAL DE AÑO
September 12, 2008: Britain expects to have five Reaper UAVs in action by the end of next year. Each U.S. made MQ-9 Reaper cost $18 million each (with ground equipment and high end sensors). The 4.7 ton American built Reaper has a wingspan of 66 feet and a payload of 1.7 tons. Also called the "Predator B", only about a dozen are currently in service, with another two being delivered by the end of the year. Reaper is considered a combat aircraft, because it can carry over a ton of bombs or missiles. This includes the hundred pound Hellfire missile, and up to four 500 pound laser or GPS guided smart bombs. While over 300 JDAMs were dropped per day during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in the last few years, the average number dropped per day is, at most, 3-4 bombs. More JDAMs are dropped in Afghanistan, but even there, half a dozen a day, over the entire country, is a lot. Thus a half a dozen Reapers can easily supply all the ground support needs for the entire country. In addition, Reapers can carry four Hellfires in place of one JDAM. Often, a Hellfire is preferred because of the risk of civilians nearby getting hurt. The UAVs have a major advantage over manned fighter-bombers, in that they can stay over the target area longer, and do so with relief crews, so that there are always alert eyes using the powerful sensors (similar to the targeting pods on fighters) carried by the Reaper.
Britain has bought three Reapers, lost one and has three more on order. These were acquired via an "under urgent operational requirement deal" to support British troops in Afghanistan. Over the next few years, Britain will receive ten Reapers, in addition to five Ground Control Stations, nine Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems, nine Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator systems, three Satellite Earth Terminal Sub Stations, 30 Global Positioning System Inertial Navigation Systems, as well as spare parts, test equipment, various types of technical support, and communications equipment. There are also multi-year contracts for technical assistance and training/equipment and all manner of manufacturer support.
The operators of British Reapers work out of an American air force base in Nevada, as part of a joint U.S./British Reaper unit. The British are very pleased with the performance of their Reapers (despite one being lost because of a mechanical failure). The joint task force in Nevada enables British operators and commanders to quickly absorb the U.S. experience with Reaper and Predator. Like the Americans, the British find that the "persistence" (long flight time) of Reaper a crucial advantage. This capability has put the Taliban at an enormous disadvantage, and much improved the security, and offensive capabilities, for British forces. The British also find the Reaper a lot more cost effective than other combat aircraft like the Harrier and AH-64 helicopter gunship.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
JAPON Y CANADA PLANTEAN SOLUCIONES ANTE FALTA NUEVOS CAZAS
September 12, 2008: Australia and Japan are spending more money to rebuild and maintain older warplanes, because of problems and delays in getting new ones. For example, Australia has ordered the new F-35, but that project has suffered nearly two years of delays, and will not begin mass production for another six years. Japan wants to get the new F-22, but the U.S., not willing to trust the Japanese with so many top secret technologies, refuses to sell.
Since both nations still have older aircraft flying, but coming closer to the end of their useful lives, decisions had to be made. Australia is going to rebuild ten of its 71, two decade old, F-18s. The center section of the fuselage on these aircraft develops stress cracks after about twenty years of hard use, and the only fix is to replace the worn out components. That will cost about $11 million per aircraft. The work will be done in Canada, another F-18 user.
Japan is still trying to get those F-22s, but is looking into the new Eurofighter as well. But even if an order for the Eurofighter were placed right away, they would have to get in line. Sales of the Eurofighter have been brisk, and waiting time would be more than five years. So Japan is spend nearly $900 million to upgrade 60 of its F-15s. It is also cutting back flying hours for many of its 90 F-4s, and eventually replace them with Eurofighters.
¿Podría existir alguna posibilidad de que Japón adquiriese el Eurofighter?
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
September 12, 2008: The Russian Navy has come up with the money to revive development of their Be-42 amphibious (can take off from land or water) reconnaissance aircraft. This was a late Cold War project, what was suspended in the early 1990s because of lack of money. The Russian navy has ordered four of the Be-42s, with the first to be delivered in two years, and all four of them in five years. If the Be-42s perform well, several dozen will be ordered to perform coastal patrol duties.
The 86 ton amphibian uses two jet engines (for cruising), as well as two smaller jet engines to help get off the water. The aircraft can fly up to 4,100 kilometers, at a max speed of 800 kilometers an hour. The crew of eight has a number of electronic sensors, as well as the ability to carry 6.5 tons of weapons (mines, depth charges, torpedoes, sonobuoys, anti-ship missiles, etc). The four currently on order will be used mainly for search and rescue, meaning few, if any, weapons will be carried.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
9/12/2008 - PEGASUS ICE RUNWAY, Antarctica (AFPN) -- A C-17 Globemaster III crew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., made aviation history here Sept. 11, performing the first known after-dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles.
The aircrew, consisting of active-duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing and Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing, was testing the concept of using night vision technology in combination with reflective cones and limited electrical lighting to land safely on the Pegasus Ice Runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, after dark. The crew is part of Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, headquartered at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and led by 13th Air Force. The joint task force is currently conducting Operation DEEP FREEZE in support of the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program.
There is no sunlight in Antarctica for several months of the year, from around late March to mid-August. Until now, during this time the runway was used only in emergency situations, and in such cases 55-gallon drums of kerosene were lighted to illuminate the runway--a practice called "barrel burning" that doesn't provides a particularly safe navigation aide and isn't exactly environmentaly friendly.
The breakthrough makes it easier and safer for C-17 crews to get into Antarctica any time of the year. Maj. Corey Simmons, an evaluator pilot with McChord's 62nd Operations Support Squadron and one of the pilots on the mission, said there are several reasons the National Science Foundation may need strategic airlift during winter months.
"One off the top of my head could be a contingency operation where someone is sick or hurt down here during the winter-over months when they have complete darkness for four and a half months," Maj. Simmons said. "If they got sick enough or needed to get out for whatever reason, we have the capability now to get them out.
The use of high-tech night vision goggles and low-tech reflective cones on the ground is a perfect complement to the inherent strength of the C-17. The jet is built for night vision operations; its Heads-Up-Display, or HUD, displays all the aircraft's operating parameters directly in front of the pilot on a piece of glass. This allows pilots to use night vision goggles to survey the area while maintaining a close eye on the aircraft's performance.
Flying strategic missions into the coldest, windiest, and most inhospitable continent on the globe is a risky business. No one knows this better than Lt. Col. Jim McGann, commander of the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Sqaudron and the night vision goggles concept's chief architect. He has by far the most experience in flying strategic missions to Antarctica of any active pilot on earth. With 12 years and more than 60 missions to The Ice under his belt, he's just about seen it all.
"Previously we couldn't physically light the entire runway; it wasn't possible," Colonel McGann said. "Now, with the inherent NVG capability in the C-17, the increased technological advances of night vision goggles and 64 high-intensity retro-reflective cones placed on the runway edge, we can leverage the technolgies and say, 'let's see if we can get in there and access McMurdo at night.' We found the cones to be very good at illuminating the runway and providing critical situational awareness. When the aircraft turns to final [approach], the wingtip light reflects off the cones to the NVG's and we can see the entire runway," he said.
And those reflections look familiar to pilots--even those who have never been to Antarctica.
"With the cones we can land just like we do all the time at night at home," Colonel McGann said. "So now this becomes something we do routinely, and if it's something we do routinely we're better at it, we're more skilled at it--more proficient at it. I've never landed on burn barrels, but I've landed on night vision goggles before."
"The beauty of these cones is they light up like Christmas trees even though they're not powered," Major Simmons said. "Even if you looked under the NVGs with the naked eye you could see these things from two, three miles out coming in to Pegasus. So the safety factor that we were able to give to this type of mission by adding something like this was exponential and probably the main safety reason that allowed us to do it."
The successful test was the culmination of 18 months of planning. The idea had to be solidified, and then the Air Force had to approve use of the cones. But to the pilots on this mission, it was well worth the effort.
"The National Science Foundation is going to be able to get in year-round and do specific science experiments that they've never been able to do before," Maj. Simmons said. "So the fact that 18 months of planning and tests and hard work finally put that C-17 on the ground is definitely worth all the effort we put into it."
And this successful test precedes a bittersweet exit for Colonel McGann; this will be his last season with the mission.
"It's time," Colonel McGann said. "I flew the first ever C-17 airdrop on the South Pole, now the first ever night vision goggle landing on Antarctica. We've also developed the idea to land the C-17 on South Pole with a wheeled aircraft and we've performed the taxi tests to do just that. But like everything, new blood is important. People seeing it with a new perspective and people with outside ideas who haven't been here as long as I have, hopefully those people will come into the program and bring it to the next level."
Some of the young pilots Colonel McGann was talking about flew on this mission. There were ten pilots on board; all got certified to land on the ice in the dark using night vision goggles and the cones as a reference.
"This is a revolution in Antarctic logistics because we can get in here safely--we've proven the concept--year 'round and that capability will enable the amount of science to be increased 10 fold," Colonel McGann said.
"The opportunities for the NSF are unlimited, because now we can get there and they know that, and now they can plan for it, and if they can plan for it they can take advantage of the full capabilities of the C-17," he said.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
BHUBANESWAR, India (AFP) - India on Saturday carried out a successful test of a homemade air-to-air missile designed for its air force, defence sources said.
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The Astra -- Hindi for weapon -- was fired from India's Integrated Testing Range at Chandipur-on-Sea, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Orissa's state capital Bhubaneswar.
The single-stage solid-fuel missile can carry a 15 kilogramme (33 lbs) conventional warhead.
"Astra belongs to the beyond-visual range class of missiles capable of ducking radar eyes and attacking enemy targets up to 80 kilometres," a defence official said on condition of anonymity.
India routinely conducts missile tests and has built a range of ballistic and cruise missiles as a deterrent to neighbours China and Pakistan.
It has fought three wars with Pakistan since their 1947 independence as well as a brief but bitter border war with China in 1962.
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Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
WASHINGTON - Iraq's government wants to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 5, citing U.S. military officials.
Such a purchase would help reduce Baghdad's reliance on U.S. air power and possibly clear the way for the withdrawal of more U.S. troops, the paper said.
U.S. officials have previously maintained that the U.S. would have to keep fighter aircraft and helicopters in Iraq even after American combat troops leave.
But even if the deal was approved, countries in the region would likely be concerned with Baghdad's fledgling government having control of such sophisticated arms, the paper added.
Iraq has said it plans to buy about $10 billion of U.S. military hardware, including tanks and armored vehicles and transport aircraft.
The report of more possible arms deals come as Iraqi and U.S. officials negotiate a sensitive security agreement governing the long-term withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
Si la operación sale finalmente adelante, habrá que ver que versión del F-16 les dejan adquirir los americanos.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
ITALIA ENVÍA 2 C-27J A HERAT PARA RELEVAR A SUS C-130J
By tom kington Published: 11 Sep 11:55 EDT (15:55 GMT)
The Italian air force will deploy two C-27J tactical transport aircraft to Afghanistan on Sept. 12 to join the Italian military contingent there, the air force announced Sept. 11.
The aircraft will be based with the contingent in Herat, where one will be used for intratheater lift, substituting for an Italian C-130J currently in use. The second aircraft will act as a reserve aircraft, the air force said.
The seven C-27Js now operated by the air force have flown 2,000 hours to date in 2008. The two due to deploy to Herat are equipped with passive self-defense systems. Italy has ordered a total of 12 aircraft from Italy's Alenia Aeronautica.
The aircraft will fly from their base at Pisa in Italy on Sept. 12 to Herat via Al Bateen in the United Arab Emirates.
Italy's C-130Js have flown 16,765 hours in Afghanistan to date, its AB212 helicopters have flown 140 hours, and two Air Force Predator A UAVs have flown 2,035 hours.
Albert Einstein
“Lo importante es no dejar de hacerse preguntas.”
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