Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey, despite U.S. pressure, has remained cautious over the Joint Strike Fighter project. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has rebuffed U.S. appeals to submit a major order of the F-35 fighter-jet. They said the government would remain with the decision by Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Board […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States is preparing to resume military exports to Egypt. Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama has concluded that the U.S. crisis with Egypt has ended and the military regime in Cairo is cooperating with Washington. The expected administration waiver has angered human rights groups. They said […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States, after its military withdrawal, has been quietly preparing the Iraq Air Force to operate its forthcoming fleet of F-16 multi-role fighters. Officials said the U.S. Air Force was training Iraqi military pilots in Tucson, Ariz. in cooperation with the Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing. The pilots […]
Special to WorldTribune.com TEL AVIV — Israel has again been urged to re-assess the procurement of the Joint Strike Fighter from the United States. Israel’s leading think tank has warned that the F-35 fighter-jet ordered by the Air Force was a flawed platform that might not be able to outperform existing aircraft. The Institute for […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has reaffirmed plans to purchase at least 100 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has assured Washington and prime contractor Lockheed Martin that Ankara would not abandon or reduce procurement of the F-35. They said the government plans to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — The Iraq Air Force has begun operating an advanced air traffic control facility at the Imam Ali Air Base near Basra. The $55 million facility, supplied by Lockheed Martin, was designed to integrate air traffic control radars throughout Iraq. Officials acknowledged that the U.S. military as well as L-M would […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has demanded the software codes of the U.S.-origin Joint Strike Fighter as a condition for purchase. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has determined that the F-35 would not comprise a feasible purchase unless the Turkish Air Force acquired software codes of the fifth-generation fighter-jet. They […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has launched its F-16 multi-role fighter program for Iraq. The Defense Department has issued its first contract for the sale of 18 F-16 Block 52 aircraft to Iraq. On Dec. 5, the Pentagon said it awarded prime contractor Lockheed Martin an $835 million contract for the F-16s […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Bill Gertz, Geostrategy-Direct.com Iranian state media displayed a captured U.S. intelligence-gathering aircraft identified as the RQ-170 unmanned aerial vehicle, a system that has been deployed to collect signals and imagery intelligence on Iranian nuclear programs and military forces. U.S. officials confirmed that the drone was lost Dec. 4 in eastern […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Iran has raised the prospect that it would transfer an advanced U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle to its allies. Officials said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was considering transferring a downed U.S. UAV to Hizbullah or Syria. They said the downed RQ-170, produced by Lockheed Martin, was still intact and could […]