UPGRADE PLAN
The Russian air force expects to deploy its first upgraded Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control system aircraft in 2008 under a programme that will extend the type’s operational life by another 20 years, says air force commander-in-chief Gen Vladimir Mikhailov. A reduction in the weight of on-board equipment will increase the A-50’s operational range, while the integration of new systems will boost the platform’s detection capabilities, he says.
SMART WEAPONS
Italian air force Panavia Tornado ground-attack aircraft have conducted the first releases of Raytheon Enhanced Paveway laser/GPS-guided bombs and Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition GPS-guided weapons in support of a mid-life upgrade to the type.
SERBIAN VISIT
Two US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters conducted a two-day visit to Batajnica air base late last month, marking the first arrival of US military aircraft at a Serbian air base since the early 1950s. The newly renamed Serbian air force retains most of the aircraft types inherited from the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, although the service lives of most will expire between 2007 and 2015. US Air Forces Europe will from next year sponsor some training activities.
Source: Flight International
