Month: September 2010

Unmanned Bell 407 powers up

Fire-X, an unmanned cargo version of the Bell 407 utility helicopter was supplied external power for the first time earlier this month and is expected to fly by the end of the year. The Fire-X combines the qualities of the Bell 407 and Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout.

Antony in DC

US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates escorts Indian Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony through an honor cordon into the Pentagon, September 28, 2010. US Department of Defense photo by Cherie Cullen.

ISAF air strikes in Pakistan

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan’s Joint Command reported today that an ‘air weapons team’, comprising helicopters followed insurgents across the border into Pakistan on Friday and engaged them, ‘killing more than 30 militants’.

Boeing ISR satellite starts beeping earth

Once operational, the USAF SBSS satellite will be its ‘only space-based sensor capable of detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects without the disruptions from weather, atmosphere or time of day that limit ground-based observations’.

Lakshadweep coastal security drill

The exercise, called Neptune-II, was conducted for the second time and saw participation from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) in addition to other agencies involved in coastal security.

IAF C-130 starts engines

The first Indian Air Force C-130J ran its engines for the first time on Tuesday, September 21. The aircraft is being prepared for its maiden flight early next month. The aircraft’s distinctive air-to-air refueling probe can be seen over the left side of the cockpit.

Image: Ospreys in Italy

A line of MV-22 Osprey aircraft from Marine Medium Tilt-Rotor Squadron 266 arrives at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, Sept. 10, 2010. The squadron is deployed aboard USS Kearsarge, which is en route to provide relief to flood-stricken regions of Pakistan. US Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Dean Sears

IAF network goes live

The gigabyte digital information grid of the Indian Air Force (IAF), AFNET (Air Force Network) went live after Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony inaugurated it in New Delhi on Tuesday.

MBDA offers India ordnance mgmt services

The European arms firm MBDA has offered its services for stockpile management to the Indian armed forces, saying it can help achieve cost savings of up to 30 per cent, besides configuring life extensions of existing stock and improving safety.

Army checks out CDMA mobiles for border areas

The Indian Army has issued a Request For Information (RFI) seeking details of available Mobile Cellular Communication Systems (MCCS) based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) cellular communication systems technology for deployment in the ‘northern and northeastern regions of India’.