Hawker Beechcraft, Brazil and the Plane Truth (Updated)

08/22/2012
2012-08-22 By Robbin Laird Throughout the competition for the USAF aircraft to supply a light attack aircraft to the Afghans, HB has focused on getting its trainer to grow into an attack aircraft.  And among its bag of tricks has been a clear sense of the U.S. Company against a “foreign”…

Taking a Counter Intelligence Look at the Light Attack Aircraft Competition

08/19/2012
2012-08-19 by Ed Timperlake A group of special operations warriors and intelligence agents have had enough. In speaking out about the politicization of Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Intelligence (TS/SCI) they are bring much need sunlight to a stop a dangerous and deadly practice. These shadow warriors in service to America…

The Emergence of the Dragon Eagle?

08/12/2012
2012-08-12 by Ed Timperlake Is it Time for a Counterintelligence Damage Assessment? In a recent article in the Wichita Business Journal, the CEO of Hawker Beechcraft reaffirms that there is no defense conflict in Superior deal to sell the company to a Chinese company. Boisture points out that when it comes to the King…

A Whole New Twist on “Buy America”

07/16/2012
2012-07-16 by Robbin Laird This past weekend in a fine piece in The New York Times, C.J. Chivers focused on  the airpower dimension in Afghan operations.  The title was tellingly: “Afghan Conflict Losing Air Power as U.S. pulls out.” In its way, this strike was a model of what air power can…

SuperTucano Vs AT-6: The “Smoking Hole”

03/01/2012
by Ed Timperlake "While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action," said Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, in a statement Tuesday (Feb 28, 2012). The USAF just withdrew their selection of the SuperTucano for the Afghan Army Air Force LAS. Numerous…

The Next AT-6 “Hail Mary”: The Saga Continues

02/09/2012
02/09/2012 by Ed Timperlake In an excellent piece of reporting Joseph C. Anselmo in Aviation Daily, on Wednesday February 8th 2012 reported an important breaking news story about another huge management shake-up at Hawker Beechcraft. “Robert S. “Steve” Miller was appointed CEO on Feb. 7, replacing longtime chief executive Bill Boisture,…

USAF Background Paper on the Light Air Support Decision

01/25/2012
01/25/2012 by Ed Timperlake We are publishing a USAF background paper currently circulating on the Hill.  It validates everything we have written on Second Line of Defense for more than a year about the LAS competition. The USAF is circulating a paper on the Hill that clearly lays out for…