Collective Security Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance between Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

Image credit: Igor Dvurekov/Wiki

The eventual Collective Air Force (CAF) would be equipped with combat helicopters (provided by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) to conduct CAS (Close Air Support) missions, and cargo planes, to move CSTO forces supporting the alliance’s operations.

The CAF would have in Kant airport, in Kyrgyzstan, where a Russian Air Force contingent is already deployed, its main operating base.

However, the information may not be totally viable, as the budget of CSTO is tight.

According to defence24.pl analyst, Piotr Maciążek, two upcoming events could led to the creation of such air component.

First, NATO is preparing to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, leaving the country unstable. The Russians have already claimed that they are going to send some ‘peacekeepers’ to the ex-Taliban-ruled country.

Second, the succession in Uzbekistan, which has a great chance of destabilizing the region.

Provided it can be funded by the participating countries, each providing the required assets, with its own Air Force, CSTO would have the capability to intervene in the region should the need to police it arise.

Written with David Cenciotti

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Along with the Chinook in a special color scheme, the ceremony featured a tactical event involving other assets of the Italian Army Air Cavalry: the A-129 attack helicopter and the NH-90, as the following images, taken by The Aviationist’s photographer Giovanni Maduli show.

The NH-90 on the ground, boarding special forces.

Here below, the CH-47 with a Bambi Bucket.

Image credit: The Aviationist’s Giovanni Maduli

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They show the airfield in Tibet where five Chinese J-11 fighter jets (indigenous Su-27 Flankers) appear to be based.

The base is a part of Chinese strategy of widening China’s power in the Indian region and it is considered to be a response to the Indian air bases of Chabua and Tezpur in Assam region.

Image credit: Google Earth

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Ten B-52H bombers take off during a Minimum Intervall Take Off (MITO) exercise, conducted to test the Stratofortresses’ ability to respond to threats at a moment’s notice.

During this training events, aircraft are launched by a method known “cart-starts” from cartridge starts: a small-controlled explosive is inserted into two of the eight engines of the heavy bomber. The charges jumpstart the engines (the remaining engines are started while the aircraft taxies to the runway) removing the need to use ground equipment normally used for aircraft’s startup.

Using cart-starts, startup time is cut from more than an hour to less than 10 minutes.

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Image credit: People’s Daily Online

Lack of infrastructure and high altitude (about 11,500 feet above the Sea Level) are claimed to be limiting factor for the operationability of the Flankers.

Altitude is said not only to affect the planes, but also the pilots who have to get used to lack of oxygen at that altitude, just like Himalayan climbers do.

It is claimed by CNN that enough infrastructure has been created for the fighters. It has been built for several years in secrecy and that’s why India, that is located in a close vicinity, feels endangered.

The base is a part of Chinese strategy of widening China’s power in the Indian region.  The base is considered to be a response to the Indian air bases of Chabua and Tezpur in Assam region. These bases are home for Indian Su-30MKI‘s capable of hitting targets in Tibet and China.

On the flipside, the Indian territories that are within the operational range of the Chinese fighters are located between  Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh regions.

Image Credit: Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force, US DoD

When it comes to airports located quite high the Lukla airport in Nepal is one of the most famous ones. This airport is a base for climbers who are planning Mt. Everest expeditions. Nevertheless it is not located as high as the Chinese base (about 9,400 feet).

Here’s a bit scary video showing a landing at Lukla airport:

And another one, showing how the airport works from another perspective:

The runway ends with an almost vertical surface of the mountain, therefore it is one-way runway, without touch and go or go around options.

Nevertheless, despite being dangerous, the second video shows that it is quite busy.

Coming back to the Su-27s, the Chinese fighters stationed in the region are a part of established Nash equillibrium, as both India and China are in possession of nuclear armament: the recontextualization of Cold War political scheme is still present within the global political landscape.

Jacek Siminski for The Aviationist

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The ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) platform flew more than 60 successful missions giving a 360 degree view of vast tracts of land.

The RAF Sentinel R1 spyplane have provided important data about ground movements in West Africa, helping planners to choose among those targets detected by its onboard sensors. A mission similar to that conducted in Northern Africa, during 2011′s Libya Air War, when highly skilled sensor operators on board the aircraft analyzed data and imagery to try to gain insights into what was going on on the ground and detect suspicious activities.

Image credit: RAF / Crown Copyright

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The PDA makes sure that the team provide a display that is as safe as possible whilst still providing the amount of thrill needed to show the RAF pilots’ skills in formation aerobatics.

The team has been under intense training during an 8 week stint in Greece and Cyprus.

It is here that Sir Stephen Dalton and The Chief of the Air Staff and Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group, Air Vice Marshal Mike Lloyd, both spent 2 days flying with the team observing the 2013 display no less than 5 times before awarding the team their PDA.

2013 will see the return of the traditional 9 ship formation after sadly loosing two pilots in separate incidents during 2011 where Flt Lt Sean Cunningham and Flt Lt John Egging lost their lives.

Image credit: RAF/Crown Copyright

On the RAF website Sir Stephen Dalton is quoted as saying after awarding the PDA

“The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, have designed a display of precision formation flying that encapsulates the agility and demonstrates the pure flying qualities required in the Royal Air Force. The Reds are an iconic symbol of the United Kingdom and their displays are vividly demonstrating excellence in precision, teamwork and dynamic flying.

“The commitment of the Squadron, the pilots, the organisation and all who support them, work extremely hard throughout the year to achieve this degree of excellence, on the ground and in the air. They promote the Royal Air Force in the most positive way and continue to strive to be the best of the best for which they are recognised worldwide.”

Air Vice Mike Marshal Lloyd was also quoted as saying “I am delighted that the Red Arrows have been awarded Public Display Authority for the 2013 season. They have completed an intense training period to work back up to the traditional 9 aircraft in close formation. This year, they are incorporating a few new formations, amongst which is the “Lancaster” in recognition of the 70th Anniversary of the Dambusters Raid. I know the Team is excited about the 49th display season.”

The British public will get their first view of the “Reds” at Duxford on May 26.

Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com

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Taking place between May 13 and 24, the Star-Vega is a joint ex. that sees the participation of all the Italian Air Force assets as well as units of the Navy, Army and a NATO E-3 AWACS from Geilenkirchen.

Five airbases are involved in the exercise: the Main Operating Bases of Decimomannu and Trapani, were the tactical planes are based; Pisa, from where the transport aircraft operate; Pratica di Mare, home of the tankers; and Amendola, the Italian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) base.

The exercise’s scenario is based on the lessons learned during the most recent conflicts, and was designed to minimize the environmental (and financial) impact.

During the drills, The Aviationist was once again invited to take part to a refueling mission aboard one of the four KC-767A tankers of the 14° Stormo.

The KC-767 refueled several Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets belonging to the 4°, 36° and 37° Stormo, the three Wings of the Aeronautica Militare equipped with the European fighter plane.

The pictures, taken by The Aviationist’s contributor Alessandro Fucito, not only show the F-2000s plugging into the refueling basket of the Boeing tanker, but also the refueler’s remote vision system and the Typhoon pilots adveniristic helmet.

Image credit: The Aviationist / Alessandro Fucito

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The video was taken during a series of F-35A high angle of attack (AOA) testing that was recently completed.

According to LM: “The testing accomplished high AOA beyond both the positive and negative maximum command limits, including intentionally putting the aircraft out of control in several configurations. This included initially flying in the stealth clean wing configuration. It was followed by testing with external air-to-air pylons and missiles and then with open weapon bay doors.  The F-35A began edge-of-the-envelope high AOA testing in the Fall 2012.  For all testing, recovery from out of control flight has been 100 percent successful without the use of the spin recovery chute, which is carried to maximize safety.”

Some media outlets that received the release published interesting reviews about what they defined “shocking” or “most awesome” footage ever seen, allegedly showing the aircraft’s superior maneuverability.

Image: U.S. Air Force

Few weeks ago, Bill Flynn, Lockheed test pilot responsible for flight envelope expansion activities for the F-35, told Flight Global that all three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter will have better kinematic performance than any fourth-generation fighter plane with combat payload, including the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Such claims were strongly disputed by a Eurofighter Typhoon industry test pilot, who debunked all Flynn’s “theories” about the alleged superior F-35 performance.

The F-35 maneuverability shown in the video seems far to be special. Have you ever seen what a Su-27, a Mig-29 a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, with the latter highly facilitated by thrust vectoring engines, can do?

Even the SAAB Draken was capable to perform a “Cobra” some 40 years ago…

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The XQM-93 UAV, code-named Compass Dwell, was conceived by the Air Force in the late 1960′s to fulfill a role extremely similar to the current tasking of Euro Hawk.  Compass Dwell was intended to provide 28 hour endurance at an altitude of 40,000 and deliver persistence surveillance of Warsaw Pact air defense systems.  Euro Hawk is believed to be tasked to provide surveillance of Eastern European military assets.

Image credit: USAF via Designation-Systems.com

Two variants of the project were built, both using a converted Schweizer sailplane.  The XQM-93 airframe was built by Ling Temco Vought and mated to a turboprop power plant.  The other model, built by Martin Marietta and designated Model 845, featured a turbocharged piston engine.  Both airframes flew successfully in 1972, with the Model 845 achieving a flight time of 27 hours and 54 minutes.  The UAVs were intended to target Soviet air defense radars and provide standoff jamming during wartime.

Compass Dwell was intended to operate high above commercial air traffic, but would still need to climb and descend through those altitudes during each mission.  European air traffic controlling agencies refused to allow the XQM-93 to operate in their airspace, and the program was canceled in 1973.

The termination of these two programs demonstrates the unique challenge posed to operators of UAV systems.  Despite the inherent performance benefits in unmanned systems, the limitation of sensors and need to safely de-conflict airspace remain just as much hurdles in 2013 as they did four decades ago.

Michael Glynn for TheAviationist.com

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Image Credit: baohay.vn

According to the Yonhap News agency, the last one was a short range guided missile launched from North Korean east coast that fell into the Sea of Japan. The analysts wonder whether it was a modernized anti-ship missile launched from a coast launching pad or tactical KN-02 missile.

Even if the missile did not land in Japanese territorial waters, U.S. the Japan, South Korea’s intelligence units have started to observe the North Korean coast in a more intensive manner lately.

Some analysts speculate the last firing activity may only be a part of an attempt to calm down the Western intelligence before a proper attack that may happen anytime soon.

Even though the media attention is not focused on NK anymore, things still happen there, requiring a close watch.

Jacek Siminski for The Aviationist

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The aircraft, parked next to an F-15E Strike Eagle, are five of the six F-22 that had (more or less secretely) deployed in South East Asia from Holloman New Mexico, via Moron, Spain, on Apr. 20, 2012.

The image is not only interesting because it shows the main U.S. Air Force plane about 100 miles from Iran, but also because it is the first one to show fast jets on one of most important U.S. airbases in the region.

Using the time option on Google Earth, you may even observe how the airbase has grown since 2004: the large apron in front of the light hangars where the F-22 were parked in April 2012, did not exist in the satellite image taken 9 years ago.

Image credit: Google Earth

Moreover, if you watch the imagery of the subsequent years you will notice that only support planes (E-3s, KC-135s etc) could be seen stationed at Al Dhafra: the presence of the F-22s beginning in 2012, is a clear sign of how the situation in the region has gradually changed with an increasing tension with Iran.

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Flying at 420 and 540 knots and at 500 feet, pilots train low altitude ingress and egress to a target defended by enemy radars and surface to air missile batteries.

H/T to Bill Garcia for the heads-up

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The “Dambusters”, half of those never returned from the raids, were honoured with a dramatic tribute: on May 15, a Lancaster from RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight,  performed three runs over the Derwent Dam that, back in 1943 was used by the 617 Sqn pilots to train in preparing of the daring night missions against the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams, pivotal to Hitler’s industrial heartland in the Ruhr Valley.

Below, an AP image of the Lancaster taken from the ground.

Image credit: AP

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The aircraft, British single seat no 116, was injected with simulated threat signals directly into specially designed points on the nose, tail and wing tips, as part of the so-called Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) test.

Direct Current Injection technique, ensure that core Typhoon systems, including the armament, fuel and flight controls systems, possibly susceptible to radio frequency emissions from ground radars and/or TV and radio transmission masts, will be able to operate safely and correctly when exposed to intentional or accidental threats.

After completing the EMC testing, lasting several weeks, the aircraft will proceed on to engine ground testing.

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