U.S. Army UH-60 crashed in Okinawa

A U.S. Army UH-60 crashed off Okinawa on Aug. 12 around 1 p.m. local time. All 17 on board are safe although some were injured.

Source: U.S. Army UH-60 crashed in Okinawa

F-16 from 480th FS crashed in Germany

A U.S. Air Force F-16 from the 480th Fighter Squadron crashed in the morning of Aug. 11 near Engelmannreuth in the county of Bayreuth, Germany. The pilot safely ejected.

Source: F-16 from 480th FS crashed in Germany

USAF having industry day on replacing UH-1N

The U.S. Air Force is organizing an industry day at Wright Patterson Air Force Base from Aug. 26-27 for the UH-1N replacement program.

By U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The flying branch has a requirement to buy 72 in-production, non-developmental, Government Off-The-Shelf or Commercial Off-The-Shelf aircraft to replace the UH-1N.

Source: USAF having industry day on replacing UH-1N

India might buy PAK FA off-the-shelf

India might go and buy the Sukhoi PAK FA fighter off-the-shelf while waiting for the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) version to be developed.

By Alex Beltyukov – RuSpotters Team [CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL 1.2], via Wikimedia Commons

Source: India might buy PAK FA off-the-shelf

First operational employment of Afghan armed MD 530s

Afghan Air Force’s armed MD 530 helicopters supported an Army operational for the first time on Aug. 11. They were used in support of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in clearing the districts of Khogyani, Sherzad and Hisarak of insurgents.

U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jarrod Morris
Source: First operational employment of Afghan armed MD 530s

F-15E pilot clocks 3,000 hours

Lt. Col. Paul Hibbard, a 333rd Fighter Squadron instructor pilot, joined two other active-duty F-15E pilots in clocking more than 3,000 hours on the jet on Jul. 22.
Lt. Col. Paul Hibbard, 333rd Fighter Squadron instructor pilot, performs pre-flight checks before a training sortie, July 22, 2015, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The training flight marked Hibbard’s 3,000th flying hour in the F-15E Strike Eagle, which he has been flying for more than two decades. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Shawna L. Keyes)

During his long career with the U.S. Air Force, Hibbard had deployed to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; and at Seymour Johnson AFB. He was also at the 90th FS at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson when F-15Es were deployed there.

Source: F-15E pilot clocks 3,000 hours

Flying Tigers deploying A-10s to Europe

Twelve A-10s from the 23 Wing at Moody Air Force Base will be deployed to Europe. More details will be made available later, according to a press release.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jamal D. Sutter

Source: Flying Tigers deploying A-10s to Europe

Turkey to upgrade its F-16 Block 30s

Twenty-five F-16 Block 30 fighters from the Turkish Air Force will undergo an upgrade to extend their service lifespan.

By Wolfram M. Stumpf, U.S. Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

These aircraft have accumulated around 8,000 flight hours each and were first delivered to Turkey between 1988 and 1990.

Source: Turkey to upgrade its F-16 Block 30s

Russia to order 48 Su-35s during MAKS

Vedomosti says the Russian Defense Ministry will place an order for 45 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters during the MAKS 2015 airshow this month.

By Dmitriy Pichugin [GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2], via Wikimedia Commons

Source: Russia to order 48 Su-35s during MAKS

Polish MiG-29s, Su-22s to benefit from 3D printing

Polish aircraft repair company Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze Nr 2 will team up with Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax to rapidly prototype parts for the MiG-29 and Su-22 fleet.

By Oren Rozen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Engineers plan to use Zortrax’s M200 3D printer to speed up the production process for new components and upgrades. 3D printing allows them to ensure that the parts will fit the jets before serial production.

Source: Polish MiG-29s, Su-22s to benefit from 3D printing