A400M Tests Paratroop Operations

07/03/2014
07/03/2014: The A400M was originally conceived of in a world where lifters were trucks to carry cargo and troops from point A to B.  This world has totally been transformed by operations in the past decade, during which the A400M was being developed and readied for its roll out into…

The Iraq Crisis: The Kurdish Opening

07/03/2014
2014-07-03 In a recent piece by Admiral James "Ace" Lyons, former Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, focused on what he sees as a Kurdish opportunity. There is no question that modern-day Iraq is a fractured state. This should come as no surprise, since its basic historical foundation was always weak. It…

The Indian Space Program Progresses: The PSLV Launches 5 Foreign Satellites From One Launch

07/02/2014
2014-07-02 India launched five satellites of four foreign countries from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre June 30 on a single launch, successfully putting them into their designated orbits in about 20 minutes. This is the first time that a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the workhorse indigenous rocket of the…

NATO and Iraq: Meeting the Challenge?

07/02/2014
Clearly, European and American equities are in play in the Middle East.  The Iraq crisis is highly interactive with developments in the region. Yet there has been little real discussion of how the US and Europe can address the crisis and to ensure that their equities are protected, until remedial…

F-35B STOVL Mode Formation Flight Testing

07/01/2014
2014-07-01 Two F-35B aircraft flew in close formation for the first time in short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) mode, also known as Mode 4, on Feb. 11, 2014, at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. Recently, we talked to instructors at MAWTS about their work with the F-35 at Yuma Air…