5th generation F-35 stealth fighter makes headway

F-35 Lighting II, the future jet, will give the U.S. the capability to fly into enemy space first and attack a target with precision weapons at long ranges to clear the way for further forces -- without ever being detected.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II is a 5th-generation stealth fighter developed to safely penetrate areas without enemy radar seeing them -- an enhanced degree of “invisibility” that the 4th generation cannot achieve. Last Friday, the U.S. Marine Corps' VMFAT-501 training squadron in Florida’s Eglin AFB launched its first F-35B eight-ship, flew a mission, hot-pit refueled and went back up again.
This mission is the latest in a series of promising steps forward for the F-35.
Last month, the stealth fighter also had its landmark first short takeoff and vertical landing during a night mission. The test provided further data on the fighter’s special helmet and lighting in operations at night.
Since the program kicked off in the early 1990s, the F-35 development has been bombarded with criticism varying from targeting as the Pentagon’s most expensive equipment through to concerns voiced in a Pentagon Operational Test and Evaluation Office that the fighter could not fly near thunderstorms or risk the jet’s fuel tank exploding.
What is 5th-generation stealth?
The F-35's highly advanced stealth, called “Very Low Observable” or VLO stealth, is achieved through many advances that combine to dramatically reduce detection by enemy aircraft and defense systems.

• The 5th-generation has what is called a “lower radar cross-section.” Essentially, it means an F-35 pilot can be virtually invisible to enemy aircraft and gives the pilot the advantage of “seeing” the other aircraft first and taking action.
• The aircraft is fabricated from very advanced materials with a special coating to assist fighter that can move through enemy space essentially invisible to radar.
• The shape is designed without specific angles, for example, to reduce radar wave reflection. Innovations like reduced heat emissions and embedded antennas further enhance its stealth.

Typical weapons are mounted externally, on wings for example, but the Lightning II can carry a wide weapon array including satellite-guided bombs internally.
In addition to stealth and radar transparency, the F-35 is expected to be faster with a far greater range than previous aircraft with max mach at about 1.6. It has a top speed of 1,300 mph and a range of 1,450 miles.
Its advanced electronic warfare capabilities mean it can locate and track enemy forces, jam radio frequencies and disrupt attacks – key because it means an F-35 can reach highly defended targets while suppressing enemy radar detection.
In addition to electronic warfare and air to air or to ground attack, the F-35 could be used for invisible surveillance and reconnaissance and share the information with forces at sea and on the ground.
The pilots’ helmets are also designed to be state of the art giving the pilots an almost virtual reality. They are laser-scanned to fit precisely to each pilot’s head and while it displays all the data inside the visor that the pilot needs, it also allows them to see 360 degrees.
Inside the cockpit, there are other advanced capabilities like speech recognition – so that a pilot can talk to an F-35 and it talks back.  It also has a glass screen digital instrument panel that the pilot can touch to pull up data – sort of like operating a smart phone.
Three types of Lightning II Force
The Department of Defense's Joint Strike Fighter Program funded the F-35 program with the intention of creating an affordable next generation strike aircraft weapon systems for the Navy, Air Force and Marines. It is hoped the 5th generation stealth fighter will replace several frontline aircraft.
Currently, there are three variations of the stealthy agile F-35 that could be used to defend the homeland and dominate enemy skies.
All three are supersonic, use Very Low Observable stealth and cover the spectrum of take-off needs including challenging take-off scenarios like short paved runways and aircraft carriers through to remote rudimentary roads and forward operating bases.
The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) version carries an internal cannon and is meant for conventional runways.
The F-35B variant, designed for use by the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as the United Kingdom and Italy, has short takeoff/vertical landing (SVTOL).
A very important capability, SVTOL allows it to undertake missions from small ships, ski-jump aircraft carriers or very rudimentary expeditionary airfields near front-line combat zones.
Very cool, the F-35B can land all by itself and hover at the touch of a button.
The third version, the larger winged F-35C carrier, is designed for ultra precise handling for final ship approach. For managing the stress of catapult launches and arrested recoveries, it has a more robust structure.
Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Pratt & Whitney also work with Lockheed Martin on the project.
Truly a national undertaking, forty-six states and Puerto Rico involved in the F-35 program with Texas, Georgia, California, Arizona and Florida in particular supporting essential testing.

Australia Affirms Commitment to F-35

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defence Minister Stephen Smith have released the 2013 Defence White Paper. The document identifies the F-35 Initial Operational Capability date of 2020, and restates Australia's commitment to purchase the program of record, 100 F-35A aircraft.
Lockheed Martin is honored by the trust and confidence the Australian government showed in the F-35 program with today’s announcement. Along with the first two Australian jets in production, which will deliver in mid-2014, we will work closely with the government to support their purchase of their remaining 100 F-35 aircraft. Additionally, we will work with Australian industry supporting their participation in the production of components and sub-assemblies for the more than 3,000 F-35s to be built during the life of the program. The projected $5.5 billion of industrial participation will bring long term economic benefits to Australia for decades.

Read the white paper and watch a video of the announcement.

Turkish Support of F-35

Turkish Industry Takes Off in Support of F-35

Murad Bayar, Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industries, and Steve O’Bryan, Lockheed Martin F-35 VP, Program Integration, stand together after an Industry Participation ceremony at IDEF 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey, May 8. Undersecretary Bayar expressed his support for the F-35 program and the Turkish Industry which could realize more than $12 billion of business over the life of the program.

F-35 programına katılım hakkındaki bilgileri Türkçe okumak için tıklayınız.
Ten Turkish companies participated in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Industry Recognition Event during the IDEF tradeshow today. Turkish companies are major contributors to the current international production of the F-35 Lightning II and the advanced Turkish SOM weapon in development to be used on the F-35 and have resulted in approximately 1,000 jobs for Turkish industry.  Murad Bayar, Undersecretary for Defense Industries (SSM), was recognized for the role SSM provides in the form of leadership, vision, and the commitment of Turkish industry as a best value contributor on the F-35 Program.
“Lockheed Martin values the partnership we have established with the Turkish government, military and industry during the past quarter century with the F-16 and the C-130,” said Steve O’Bryan, vice president, F-35 Program Integration and Business Development, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “That relationship continues to flourish as every F-35 delivered has Turkish components.” 
The 10 Turkish companies supporting the development production of F-35 include:

• Alp Aviation has been supporting the program since 2004 and currently manufactures F-35 production airframe structure and assemblies, production landing gear components and production F135 engine titanium integrated blade rotors for the engine.
• Aselsan is developing manufacturing approaches for advanced optical components, which are part of the F-35 Electro Optical Targeting System. They are also working with Northrup Grumman on the F-35 CNI Avionic Interface Controller and will initiate full scale production activities in the near term.
• Ayesas currently is the sole source supplier for two major F-35 components – missile remote interface unit and the panoramic cockpit display.
• Fokker Elmo manufactures 40 percent of the F-35 Electrical Wiring & Interconnection System (EWIS) and will also deliver and support TAI with all center section wiring systems. Fokker Elmo will also develop the EWIS for the engine, for which a major share is produced in Fokker Elmo Turkey in Izmir.
• Havelsan has been supporting the F-35 training systems since 2005. Additionally, Havelsan has been instrumental as the Turkish lead for developing the construct of the future Turkish F-35 Integrated Pilot and Maintenance Training Center (ITC) and associated training systems in Turkey. 
• Kale Aerospace has been supporting the F-35 since 2005. In conjunction with Turkish Aerospace Industries, they manufacture and produce F-35 airframe structures and assemblies. Kale Aero also supports Heroux Devtek as the sole source supplier for all three variants landing gear lock assemblies. Additionally, Kale Aerospace has also established a joint venture in Izmir with Pratt & Whitney to manufacture production hardware for the engine. 
• MiKES has been supporting the F-35 Program since 2004 and MiKES has delivered F-35 aircraft components and assemblies for British Aerospace Engineering (BAE) and Northrop Grumman.
• ROKETSAN and Tubitak-SAGE are the Turkish joint leadership team who strategically manage the development, integration, and production of the advanced precision-guided Stand-off Missle (SOM) which will be carried internally on the 5th Generation F-35 aircraft.
• Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has been strategically supporting the F-35 Program since 2008. Currently supplying production hardware that goes into every F-35 production aircraft. In conjuction of Northrup Grumman, TAI manufactures and assembles the center fuselages, produces composite skins and weapon bay doors, and manufactures fiber placement composite air inlet ducts. Additionally, TAI is strategically manufacturing almost 50 percent of F-35’ Alternate Mission Equipment (AME) including Air-to-Ground Pylons and adapters. In 2011, TAI and Pratt & Whitney signed a strategic agreement to pursue options for future F135 FACO and MRO capabilities for Turkey. TAI who has also been assigned to represent the organic depots of the Turkish Armed Forces within the Autonomic Logistic Global Sustainment (ALGS) system.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5^th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least ten other countries.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

German Eurofighters impress during Red Flag debut

IN FOCUS: German Eurofighters impress during Red Flag debut

The German air force's Fighter Wing 74 (JG74) brought eight of its ­Eurofighter combat aircraft to a Red Flag-Alaska exercise at Eielson AFB in Alaska ­during June, representing its first ever such deployment.
For the Luftwaffe, participation in the war games was needed to certify its Eurofighters for their NATO reaction force participation this November, says Col Andreas Pfeiffer, commander of JG74. The exercise was also aimed at helping to prepare the unit for a NATO force evaluation in March 2013, adds Pfeiffer.
He says that JG74's objectives at Red Flag-Alaska were to prove that Germany's aircraft can integrate with other allied aircraft and that it is ready for its NATO commitments.
Lt Col Marc Grune, the Luftwaffe's operations group commander, says his goal was "to get the German air force to a certain standard and prove that we can be able, in modern combat, to play a major role".
The war game afforded the Luftwaffe the chance to fly with other friendly air forces in a very large-scale exercise.
While the Germans often work with their neighbouring powers in Europe, such work cannot be performed to the scale and scope of a Red Flag.
"Our focus is the level of training we get here," Pfeiffer says. "We don't have that size of exercise - we don't have that level of training in Europe."
It is only through participating in these large-scale exercises that pilots can learn to fully integrate their aircraft with other allied aircraft types.
"For us, it's important, the whole thing, knowing the capabilities of the aircraft and how to integrate them," says Maj Marco Gumbrecht, JG74's chief of weapons and tactics. "Not only air-to-air, but air-to-ground."
Gumbrecht says that the Luftwaffe will always operate alongside allied aircraft, and as such, learning to work seamlessly with those other units is vital.

US Air Force Two out of eight Typhoons ready for takeoff

JOINT OPERATION
In this case, the US Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors operated alongside the German Typhoons for the first time.
But there were also Japanese Boeing F-15Js and Polish Lockheed F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft present.

US Air Force A Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker taxis past German Typhoons and Japanese Boeing F-15Js during Red Flag

All would be flown as friendly "Blue forces" during the exercise, according to Maj James Mixon, an exercise planner with the 353rd Combat Training Squadron. One of the USAF's goals was to teach the visiting forces how to interact with the stealthy fifth-generation Raptor, he says.
USAF F-16s and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft also participated in the exercise. The US Navy had originally been expected to contribute Boeing EA-18G Growlers to the exercise, but these were called away for operational missions, says USAF Brig Gen James Post, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, which hosts the exercise. The same was true of the USAF 18th Wing's active electronically scanned array radar-equipped F-15C Eagles.
The friendly forces were not limited to other fighters, with airborne command and control aircraft from Australia, Japan and NATO also having participated, along with transports and tankers from multiple nations.
On the opposing "Red" side, the USAF's elite 18th Aggressor Sqn, based at Eielson AFB, flew its Block 30 F-16 fighters. While these aircraft are not the latest version of the venerable fighter, the pilots and air controllers train full-time to provide realistic threat presentations of enemy aircraft. "How they replicate other aircraft is unique," Gumbrecht says.
For this Red Flag-Alaska, the 18th Aggressors replicated the Russian Sukhoi Su-27/30 and Chinese Chengdu J-10. They also simulated enemy electronic attacks using jamming pods carried by their F-16s. The aggressors ramped up the level of difficultly over several days to reach a crescendo.
Mixon, who also flies as an aggressor, says that while the level of difficulty can be ­intense, the enemy threat level is designed to teach, but not overwhelm.
Hence, enemy skill levels presented by the Aggressors at Red Flag are not as intense as at the USAF Weapons School mission employment phase, he says.
Because the Luftwaffe's goal was to prove the Typhoon's abilities as a fighter, the service took the opportunity to test new software modifications at Red Flag-Alaska. The idea was to bring the German aircraft up to the same standards as the UK Royal Air Force's Typhoons, Grune says. The RAF's squadrons have traditionally been on the leading edge of fully exploiting the fighter's capabilities, for example during last year's NATO-led operation over Libya.

US Air Force A Typhoon takes off from Eielson AFB

"We came here for 'Distant Frontier' for a warm-up programme to test the systems," Grune says, referring to a series of manoeuvres flown with the aggressor unit before the main exercise started. "We adjusted the Eurofighter with some new systems, which we had never used before."
The biggest change was to the aircraft's Euro­radar Captor sensor's software, which was vastly improved, Grune says. New radio, mission data and countermeasures software systems were also added, along with other, classified modifications.
Currently, the adaptations are found only on the eight German Eurofighters ­deployed to Eielson, with the last aircraft having been upgraded on the flight line at the Alaska base.
But Grune says the biggest change was not to the Typhoon's hardware or software, but to the Luftwaffe's mentality for using the aircraft. "Why is the British air force, for example, so superior with the Eurofighter and we are not?" he asks. "Simply because our force didn't put the focus on certain areas."
The Luftwaffe's mentality began to shift only towards the end of 2011 and the beginning of this year, he says. It was only when the Luftwaffe visited Eielson AFB as part of its Red Flag preparations that the Germans decided to prepare for the exercise as if it were real combat.
MULTIROLE MACHINE
Currently, Germany's Eurofighters are geared purely towards the air-to-air role. That must change, with employing the type as a multi-role machine being the only way of fully utilising its capabilities, Grune says. Once its aircraft receive those added capabilities, it should take about two years to train crews to fully use them in those new roles, he adds.
As part of the Distant Frontier exercise, F-22s from the USAF's 525th Fighter Squadron faced off against the German fighters in visual-range basic fighter manoeuvres (BFM) combat training.
While Grune does not directly say that the Eurofighters emerged as the overall victors, he strongly implies it.
"I put out some whiskey. If they come back with some good performances, and if you know what the goal is from a BFM setup, and you achieve that, then I will pay you whiskey," he says. "And I paid quite a lot of whiskey."
That account, however, is strongly disputed by USAF sources flying the F-22. "It sounds as though we have very different recollections as to the outcomes of the BFM engagements that were fought," one Raptor pilot says.
USAF sources say that the Typhoon has good energy and a pretty good first turn, but that they were able to outmanoeuvre the Germans due to the Raptor's thrust vectoring. Additionally, the Typhoon was not able to match the high angle of attack capability of the F-22. "We ended up with numerous gunshots," another USAF pilot says.

Lockheed Martin F-22s faced off against German fighters

Regardless of their differing accounts, the USAF was grateful for the chance to train with the Luftwaffe. "We optimise the opportunities we get to participate in dissimilar air combat training, as those opportunities are all too rare," says Lt Col Paul Moga, commander of the 525th Fighter Squadron. "Our recent BFM hops with the German air force Typhoons were outstanding. While certain uncontrollable factors such as weather and manoeuvring limitations did not allow for full-up engagements, it is suffice to say that there was much learning across the board. The details of each set-up are privy only to the pilots that flew them, as that is the sacred standard among fighter pilots. One thing is for certain - Raptors and Typhoons are a lethal combination."
Grune says that the Raptor's advantage lies in its stealth and ability to dominate air-to-air fights from beyond visual range. That is not disputed by USAF sources.
"Its unique capabilities are overwhelming from our first impressions in terms of modern air combat," Pfeiffer says. "But once you get to the merge, which is only a very small spectrum of air combat, in that area the Typhoon doesn't have to fear the F-22 in all aspects."
The Typhoons were stripped of their external fuel tanks and slicked off as much as possible before the encounter with the Raptors, says Grune, who adds that in that configuration, the Typhoon is an "animal".
Pfeiffer notes that the Eurofighter has better acceleration and can out-climb the F-22. ­Additionally, he says that the Raptor sinks when it is using its thrust vectoring capabilities, although one USAF source says he is skeptical of the German claims.
Overall, Grune says the two aircraft are closely matched in the visual range arena, but Pfeiffer says the Typhoon is the superior ­dogfighter.

About F-22 Raptor

Mission
The F-22 Raptor is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. Its combination of stealth, supercruise, maneuverability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities. The Raptor performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realization of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.

The F-22, a critical component of the Global Strike Task Force, is designed to project air dominance, rapidly and at great distances and defeat threats attempting to deny access to our nation's Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. The F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.

Features
A combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situational awareness, and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats. The F-22 possesses a sophisticated sensor suite allowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot and kill air-to-air threats before being detected. Significant advances in cockpit design and sensor fusion improve the pilot's situational awareness. In the air-to-air configuration the Raptor carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders.

The F-22 has a significant capability to attack surface targets. In the air-to-ground configuration the aircraft can carry two 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally and will use on-board avionics for navigation and weapons delivery support. In the future air-to-ground capability will be enhanced with the addition of an upgraded radar and up to eight small diameter bombs. The Raptor will also carry two AIM-120s and two AIM-9s in the air-to-ground configuration.

Advances in low-observable technologies provide significantly improved survivability and lethality against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. The F-22 brings stealth into the day, enabling it not only to protect itself but other assets.

The F-22 engines produce more thrust than any current fighter engine. The combination of sleek aerodynamic design and increased thrust allows the F-22 to cruise at supersonic airspeeds (greater than 1.5 Mach) without using afterburner -- a characteristic known as supercruise. Supercruise greatly expands the F-22 's operating envelope in both speed and range over current fighters, which must use fuel-consuming afterburner to operate at supersonic speeds.

The sophisticated F-22 aerodesign, advanced flight controls, thrust vectoring, and high thrust-to-weight ratio provide the capability to outmaneuver all current and projected aircraft. The F-22 design has been extensively tested and refined aerodynamically during the development process.

The F-22's characteristics provide a synergistic effect ensuring F-22A lethality against all advanced air threats. The combination of stealth, integrated avionics and supercruise drastically shrinks surface-to-air missile engagement envelopes and minimizes enemy capabilities to track and engage the F-22 . The combination of reduced observability and supercruise accentuates the advantage of surprise in a tactical environment.

The F-22 will have better reliability and maintainability than any fighter aircraft in history.  Increased F-22 reliability and maintainability pays off in less manpower required to fix the aircraft and the ability to operate more efficiently.

Background
The Advanced Tactical Fighter entered the Demonstration and Validation phase in 1986. The prototype aircraft (YF-22 and YF-23) both completed their first flights in late 1990. Ultimately the YF-22 was selected as best of the two and the engineering and manufacturing development effort began in 1991 with development contracts to Lockheed/Boeing (airframe) and Pratt & Whitney (engines). EMD included extensive subsystem and system testing as well as flight testing with nine aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The first EMD flight was in 1997 and at the completion of its flight test life this aircraft was used for live-fire testing.

The program received approval to enter low rate initial production in 2001. Initial operational and test evaluation by the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center was successfully completed in 2004. Based on maturity of design and other factors the program received approval for full rate production in 2005. Air Education and Training Command, Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces are the primary Air Force organizations flying the F-22.  The aircraft designation was the F/A-22 for a short time before being renamed F-22A in December 2005.

General Characteristics
Primary Function: Air dominance, multi-role fighter
Contractor: Lockheed-Martin, Boeing
Power Plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburners and two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles.
Thrust: 35,000-pound class (each engine)
Wingspan: 44 feet, 6 inches (13.6 meters)
Length: 62 feet, 1 inch (18.9 meters)
Height: 16 feet, 8 inches (5.1 meters)
Weight: 43,340 pounds (19,700 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 83,500 pounds (38,000 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: Internal: 18,000 pounds (8,200 kilograms); with 2 external wing fuel tanks: 26,000 pounds (11,900 kilograms)
Payload: Same as armament air-to-air or air-to-ground loadouts; with or without 2 external wing fuel tanks.
Speed:  Mach 2 class with supercruise capability
Range: More than 1,850 miles ferry range with 2 external wing fuel tanks (1,600 nautical miles)
Ceiling: Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
Armament: One M61A2 20-millimeter cannon with 480 rounds, internal side weapon bays carriage of two AIM-9 infrared (heat seeking) air-to-air missiles and internal main weapon bays carriage of six AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-air loadout) or two 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs and two AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missiles (air-to-ground loadout)
Crew: One
Unit Cost: $143 million
Initial operating capability:  December 2005
Inventory: Total force, 183

Point of Contact
Air Combat Command, Public Affairs Office; 130 Andrews St., Suite 202; Langley AFB, VA 23665-1987; DSN 574-5007 or 757-764-5007; e-mail: accpa.operations@langley.af.mil

Convair F-106 Delta Dart Jet Fighter Plane

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was conceived in the early 1950's as the "Ultimate Interceptor", it was based on the existing but problematic F-102 Delta Dagger, initially designated the F-102B, the F-106 Delta Dart was destined to be the last single-role interceptor of the U.S. Air Force and was referred to as the "Six" by both it's pilots and maintenance crews. The Convair F-106 Delta Dart first flew on boxing day 1956 and entering operational service with the USAF in October 1959, the following month a Convair F-106 Delta Dart flown by Major Joseph W. Rogers set a world speed record of 1,525.96 mph at an altitude of 40,500 feet. Convair F-106 Delta Dart's were to remain the primary US Air Force's all-weather interceptor until the late 1970's, by which time 340 aircraft had been built, the remaining F-106's were re-assigned to the Air National Guard having having been replaced with the F-15 in USAF operational fighter squadrons. The last of the Air National Guard's F-106 Delta Dart's were finally stood down in 1988, many ending their life converted into QF-106 target drones. Convair F-106 Delta Dart Specifications: Crew: Pilot only Length: 70.7 ft (21.55 m) Wingspan: 38.25 ft (11.67 m) Height: 20.28 ft (6.18 m) Maximum weight: 34,510 lb (15,668 kg) Engine: Single 24,500 lbf (108.98 kN) Pratt & Whitney J75-17 afterburning turbojet Maximum speed: 1,525 mph (Mach 2.32, 455 km/h) Combat range: 1,800 mi (2,897 km) Service ceiling: 57,000 ft (17,374 m) Rate of climb: 29,000 ft/min (8,839 m/min) Armament: Single 20 mm (.79in) M61A1 Vulcan six-barrelled cannon Four AIM-4 Falcon infra-red or radar guided air-to-air missiles Single AIR-2A Genie air-to-air nuclear missile

Terms & Limitations of Convair F-106 Delta Dart Picture use This Convair F-106 Delta Dart picture has been digitally re-mastered from an image in the Dryden Flight Research Center's Picture Gallery. Limitations of use: 1) The Dryden Flight Research Center Should be credited as the original source wherever this a picture is used. 2) For internet use, whenever information from this site is used on another URL or website a link back to www.airpowerworld.info must be provided. 3) Use of  any picture of which we own the copyright, on websites re-distributing copyright free material is strictly prohibited. Need more Information? - Visit our copyright page via our main index

Bodies Found After Kyrgyzstan Plane Crash

Two bodies have been found in the wreckage of an American military aircraft that crashed not far from its base in Kyrgyzstan.

The KC-135 refuelling aircraft came down on Friday afternoon near the village of Chaldovar, about 100miles (160km) west of the Manas air base, outside the capital Bishkek.
The authorities said they were still looking for a third person who was on board.
On Friday, it was reported that local people had seen an airman parachute from the plane before it came down.
The refuelling plane was said to have exploded in mid air when its cargo of fuel ignited on its way to Afghanistan on Friday, accident investigators said.
Experts were still trying to work out what led up to the crash.
Kuvan Mamakeev, the Kyrgyz state prosecutor responsible for investigating transport crimes and accidents, said: "It could be because of the fuel, because of the engine, the weather conditions or the human factor."
Remains of the two bodies were found on Saturday. They have yet to be identified.
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker took off from the US military's transit centre at Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport, which American forces maintain for operations in Afghanistan.
It had around 70 tonnes of fuel on board, a local ministry official said.

The plane came down in the Chaldovar region, in Kyrgyzstan

The wreckage of the plane was scattered over a three and a half mile (5km) area in a mountainous part of the Central Asian republic.
The plane reportedly broke into three pieces when it crashed into an uninhabited region.
The deputy district chief Anatoly Ivannikov told local radio on Friday: "The preliminary information is that the pilot jumped out with a parachute. They have gone to look for him."
A spokeswoman at the US base said they were still confirming the report.
The US base, outside the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, was established in late 2001 to support the international military campaign in Afghanistan. Around 1,200 US military personnel are located there.
It has been the subject of a contentious dispute between the United States and its host nation. In 2009, the US reached an agreement with the Kyrgyz government to use the base in return for $60m (£38.5m) a year.
But the lease runs out in June 2014 and the United States wants to keep the base beyond that point to aid in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
The KC-135 is an aerial refuelling aircraft, used to give fighter jets and bombers greater range.