AIN Defense Perspective » April 1, 2010

UK Confirms Deal for Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint Sigint Airplanes
April 1, 2010 - 6:33am
The RC-135 Rivet Joint has been the U.S. Air Force’s primary Sigint platform ...

The UK’s Secretary of Defense, Bob Ainsworth, confirmed on March 22 that the Royal Air Force would receive three Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft to provide its signals intelligence (Sigint) gathering capability, the final agreement having been reached on March 19. The announcement brought to an end any lingering speculation concerning the immediate future of RAF Sigint.
India’s Light Combat Helicopter Takes Flight
April 1, 2010 - 6:24am
The LCH flies for the first time at Bangalore on March 29....

HAL on March 29 made the first flight of its light combat helicopter (LCH) prototype, conducting hover tests for around 15 minutes at Bangalore, India. At the controls were group captain Unni Pillai and group captain Hari Nair. Ground runs began in early February.
Romania Selects Used F-16s as a Stop-gap Measure
April 1, 2010 - 6:11am
Romania is no stranger to the F-16, having hosted U.S. Air Force aircraft dur...
Technical Challenges Add to Lockheed Martin F-35 Problems, Say Auditors
April 1, 2010 - 5:55am
The Lockheed Martin F-35 program is facing manufacturing inefficiencies, part...