"Early Show" weather anchor and features reporter Dave Price was to fly in a U-2 spy plane Thursday in the "Edge of the Earth" series. However, before doing that, he gave viewers an inside, exclusive look into what just might be the future of U.S. espionage aviation -- the Global Hawk. Though the U-2 still provides the most detailed photo images for intelligence gathering, the Global Hawk could one day replace the 50-year-old U-2. Read more Read Full Story
The United States and NATO have “expressed a desire” for Canada to deploy CF-18 Hornet fighter jets to Afghanistan, according to the Canadian general who leads the coalition’s air war in Afghanistan.“I can tell you from the senior Canadian in this headquarters that I have been asked on several occasions by AFCENT (United States Air Forces Central) and CENTCOM (Central Command), ‘How can we get Canadian F-18s into the game over here?’” said Maj.-Gen. Duff Sullivan. “And I’ve told them that tha... Read Full Story
It's well over three years late and yet to achieve full operational capability, but the first two of the RAAF's Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft will finally be delivered to Williamstown airbase next week. Five of the six aircraft due to be handed over to the air force are now in Australia, but a number of hurdles still have to be overcome before the $4 billion Wedgetail capability will achieve full mission status with the RAAF.Delivery of two Wedgetails in the "initial configuration... Read Full Story
China has launched the serial production of J-10, J-11 and FC-1 fighter jets, which are rip-offs of Russia’s Su-27/30 and MiG-29 aircraft. The nation intends to build and sell not less than 1,200 planes at the prices which will be much lower than those of the Russian planes. The report is not the news for the Russian defense industry. In 2003, China refused to prolong the license for the production of Su-27CK planes and started working on the construction of its own jet – a copy of the Russia... Read Full Story
U.S. House Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and seven cosponsors Nov. 18 introduced a bipartisan bill to require the U.S. administration to submit detailed reports on arms sales to Taiwan.Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the proposed act urges that such sales are critical to safeguard security across the Taiwan Strait. H.R. 4102, citing the Taiwan Relations Act, states the U.S. will make defense weapons available to Taiwan and “both the President and the Congress shall de... Read Full Story
A Russian naval task force led by the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer will resume an anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa later this month, the Navy said on Thursday.It said the destroyer and an auxiliary vessel were currently crossing the Mediterranean and should reach the Suez Canal on November 23.The Navy will maintain a constant presence off the Horn of Africa, with each fleet dispatching warships on a rotation basis.Read more Read Full Story
North Korea is running a global arms smuggling enterprise to finance its nuclear weapons program, a United Nations panel said in a report on sanctions imposed on the regime. “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has established a highly sophisticated international network for the acquisition, marketing and sale of arms and military equipment,” said the report by a panel established in June to assess the effectiveness of the UN punishments. The report said arms sales banned by the UN “hav... Read Full Story
On "The Early Show" Wednesday, Dave showed viewers how he will survive the trip. Price, a licensed pilot, has flown in areas around the world, but he hasn't done anything like this. Dave needed training before he could even step into the spy plane -- even to ride in the back seat. At the Air Force base, Dave learned how to function in a full-pressure suit, similar to what NASA astronauts wear. He was also instructed on how to survive in high-altitude environments. Read more Read Full Story
The Boeing Company in May demonstrated the ability of mobile laser weapon systems to perform a unique mission: track and destroy small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).During the U.S. Air Force-sponsored tests at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, Calif., the Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments (MATRIX), which was developed by Boeing under contract to the Air Force Research Laboratory, used a single, high-brightness laser beam to shoot down five UAVs at various... Read Full Story
