Defense Aerospace - AFP news

• As G8, NATO gather, a thought: what would Romney do?
  
  
• Ethiopian shoe factory widens China's Africa footprint
  
  
• NATO: The world's biggest defense alliance
  
  

Airforce Technology-Updates

• Russia seeks potential buyers for Su-30 aircraft sale
  Russia is considering selling a batch of 18 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighter aircraft, which were returned by India in 2003.
  
• USAF B-1 aircrew evaluate laser JDAM
  The US Air Force has conducted an air to ground weapon system evaluation programme (WSEP) exercise, dubbed Combat Hammer, to evaluate its laser joint direct attack munitions (JDAM).
  
• RSAF to buy Pilatus PC-21 trainer in package deal with BAE
  The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is considering buying 55 Pilatus PC-21 expanded envelope trainer aircraft as its new lead-in pilot trainer.
  

Defense Industry Daily

• Apache Block III Program: The Once and Future Attack Helicopter
  Latest updates: Contracts for USA, Taiwan; LRIP clarification; Tech update; Timeline. AH-64 in Afghanistan (click to view full) With the collapse of the RAH-66 Comanche program, and rededication of its funding into the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), and other programs, the AH-64 Apache will remain the USA’s primary attack helicopter for several more [...]
  
• Along Came A Spider: The XM-7 RED
  Latest updates: LRIP contract. XM-7 Spider System (click to view full) The 2004 National Landmine Policy directed the Pentagon to end the use of persistent landmines after 2010, and introduce self-destructing and self-deactivating alternatives. The XM-7 Spider is the successor to the Matrix system deployed in Iraq, and part of the USA’s Non-Self-Destructing Anti-Personnel Landmine Alternatives (NSD-A) program. Spider [...]
  
• Noted & Quoted: RIA Novosti on India’s Arms Market
  From RIA Novosti’s op-ed feature “India’s Arms Market: Everyone In, Nobody Out” : “The Indian arms market is an extraordinary place even by the standards of the markets of the Gulf oil monarchies, which buy weapons indiscriminately, provided the batch is big and the price is high. But India, although it also buys many weapons, does [...]
  

Aero-News Network

• Concorde Battery’s Phenom 100 STC Receives Brazilian Validation
  Replaces OEM Lead Acid Design Concorde is pleased to announce that the popular Embraer 500 (Phenom 100) FAA approved STC SA01633WI has received ANAC validation in Brazil.
  
• NTSB Makes Safety Recommendations For Lightning Info For Controllers
  Cites Accident In Which Airplanes Were Directed Into Thunderstorms In a letter addressed to acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, the NTSB is recommending that the agency look into ways that real-time lightning displays can be offered to air traffic controllers.
  
• NASA Embracing Commercial Space Flight
  SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Set To Launch May 19th The first U.S. commercial space flight is scheduled to launch this week from Cape Canaveral. Commercial launch company SpaceX has built a capsule that will go to the ISS and thus open the era of commercial space flight. The Falcon 9 rocket is on track to launch on Saturday, May 19, with a backup date of May 22. The rocket will carry the Dragon capsule into space, on a mission to deliver supplies of food and water to the International Space Station.