Japan chooses the F-35J. The “interim” solution that changes the game Charmed by the "forbidden" F-22 it couldn’t buy, Japan finally decided to go for the F-35 in a move that changes the pace of arms procurement in the Far East and seriously affects fighter programmes around the globe. Gripen NG. Total recall! The Gripen program had not met any commercial success in the past few years, raising doubts about it future. But the recent decision of the Swiss Air Force to acquire the Saab fighter, it brings the Gripen NG back into the spotlight with serious prospects of winning contracts with smaller air forces in and out of Europe. Skaraborgs Flygflottilj. Making the Gripen fighter pilot With the exception of the South African AF, all other air forces which use the Gripen send their pilots for type conversion and operational training to the F7 Wing of the Swedish Air Force near Satenas, home of the Skaraborgs Flygflottilj centre. «Fly low, hit hard». The art of low flying There is an old saying that goes: «fly low, hit hard». This was always a good advice for someone to survive in strike missions deep in enemy territory against hostile air defence. The art of low flying though is one which is hard to learn and even harder to master. Fuerzas Aerom?viles del Ejercito de Tierra (FAMET). Spanish air mobility The small town of Colmenar Viejo, around 30 kilometers north of Madrid is the heart of the Fuerzas Aerom?viles del Ejercito de Tierra. The heavy activity around this base is just the daily routine for the Spanish Army Aviation force. Guardia Costiera. Patrolling the Mediterranean The Italian Coast Guard is one of the best equipped air services amongst those with similar duties and is constantly modernized in equipment and systems in order to meet with the ever-changing needs. Boeing 707 TCA. The other NATO veterans The withdrawal of the last 707 TCA from the NATO’s AWACS force marks the end of an era which started in the 1980s. We went on board in one of the last operational sorties of the type which left its mark on the vital field of Early Airborne Warning and Control. ATR -600 series. When the good gets much better. Based on the highly succesful family of ATR 42 and 72 turboprops, the new -600 series aircraft have already entered service in the past few months. The new standard is ATR’s response to the competition and a strong card in its effort to keep a significant share of the regional market. HAF's ?2501D. The Noratlas, the airlifter which went to war Worn out and with various operational limitations, the N2501 was acquired by the Hellenic Air Force as an interim solution. However, when it was needed, the Greek Noratlas flew at night, at "zero altitude", without avionics, only with "heading - speed - time", making aviation history... HAF salvages its history. The return of "Niki-10" It was offered by the Hellenic Air Force as a means for education but it was later turned into a wreck, a destruction that had to be removed. Only a few knew that the forgotten airplane at New Filadelfeia had an important history hidden under the graffiti designs applied on its fuselage. Target Red Planet. The next step in the exploration of Mars This decade may prove to be important for the future of the exploration of Mars. Despite the failure of the recent Russian effort, other important missions are moving ahead, the most important being the effort to collect geological samples. INTERNATIONAL BALANCE Main Tank Balance. The necessity of acquiring the M1A1 Abrams The news of the positive US attitude on the Greek request for ex-US Army M1A1 Abrams tanks has caused a lot of turmoil in the Greek press which steered the interest away from the gist of the issue, which is that these tanks are absolutely necessary for the Hellenic Army Uncertainty seems to be the key world in 2012 The international developments we saw in 2011 in the economy as well as in geopolitics prepare us for an equally difficult 2012. The estimates for the global financial situation suggest stagnation if not the creation of an environment or financial breakdown.

| Home | Back |