EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.(AFPN)- a pilot from the 40th Flight Test Squadron here, has been declared dead following the crash of his F-15 Eagle into the Gulf of Mexico ,on April 30.The search was suspended May 1. The Pilote was conducting a captive carry flight test for a new air-to-air missile when his aircraft went down. ##The 23rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS)participates in Anatolian Eagle May 1st- INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey(AFPN)-

The first U-2S upgraded through the Reconnaissance Avionics Maintainability
Program returned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing here recently.The RAMP upgrade replaces the 1960s-vintage cockpit with equipment including three 6-by-8 inch multifunction displays, an up-front control and display unit,and an independent secondary flight display system. The entire fleet of 31 U-2S aircraft and four two-cockpit trainers will be modified by 2007. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has the contract.

SPANGDAHLEM AB,Germany-More than 200 people from the 81st FS and support units returned here April 27 to May 1 after a two-week weapons training deployment in Slovakia.Poor weather,limited airspace,range restrictions and scheduling problems sometimes prevent flying units from completing pilot upgrades in the planned period of time, Lancaster explained.The range and airspace in Slovakia;however,is seemingly tailored to A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot training.

NAS PENSACOLA,Fla.(NNS)7 personnel are still missing from two T-39 "Sabreliner" training aircraft reported missing in the afternoon of May 8, 2002. Vessels from NAS Pensacola, along with Coast Guard Cutters Stingray and Point Bonita are still searching for survivors and recovering debris from two aircraft approximately 40 miles south of Pensacola in the Gulf of Mexico. Reports from the site indicate four debris fields. The two T-39s were assigned to Training Sq. EIGHT SIX (VT 86) and were on a routine training mission when radar contact was lost. For more information on VT 86, go to http://www.cnet.navy.mil/naspcola/trawing6/vt86.

Sukhoi/lyushin seraient entrain d'etudier avec Boeing la possible fabrication d'un appareil civil de transport regionnal
## Sukhoi and Ilyushin are teaming up with Boeing to design and build a regional jet by 2006. The three companies will finance the venture equally and the aircraft will be built in Russia.

Boeing est entrain faire des demonstrations de son 737 comme possible remplacant des EP-3C de l'USN.
## Boeing recently demonstrated the maneuverability of its 737 to the U.S. Navy in a demonstration flight to prove the jet could be a fitting replacement for the Navy's current "electronic surveillance" planes.(Orions and EP-3Cs)

PORTLAND, Ore (AFPN) -- An Air Force Reserve HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 939th Rescue Wing, Portland International Airport here, crashed May 30 during a rescue ops on Mt. Hood. The six crewmembers survived and were transported from the site to a nearby hospital. The helicopter was participating in the rescue of injured hikers on the mountain when the crash occurred.

From the Navy News Service WASHINGTON(NNS)-The Navy suspended carrier operatons for its 156 F-14 Tomcats Tuesday, pending a corrosion inspection of the jets' nose landing gear (NLG) components. All Tomcats will remain grounded until investigators check a key strut in each plane's nose wheel assembly specifically, the outer NLG cylinder, which was the apparent cause of a March 2, 2002, F-14 training accident in the Mediterranean which killed a pilot.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.(AFPN)- The Benefield Anechoic Facility here played host to an Army MH-47 Chinook helicopter May 20 through 28 when the aircraft visited the facility for a series of radar tests. The Chinook is a twin-turbine, heavy-lift transport helicopter modified to support special operations missions. The helicopter is used to move troops and supplies on special operations missions and has been used extensively in Operation Enduring Freedom. During the tests,electronic warfare experts suspended the Chinook and then rotated it to measure a series of antenna patterns.The team also placed radar-absorbing materials on the aircraft to help determine the best placement of radar warning receive, or RWR, antennas.

The U.S. North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs is considering the use of dirigibles for reconnaissance and to fill some holes in radar coverage along the Pacific Northwest coastline and the Canadian border.Proponents claim the blimps have advantages over satellites including less expense, easy repairs and equipment upgrades, while still offering loitering times near 18 months.

AFPN - A USAF MC-130 crashed on takeoff about 1 p.m. EDT, June 12, near the Bande Sardeh Dam in Afghanistan. Seven of the 10 servicemembers aboard the aircraft survived and were transferred to the medical facility at Qandahar for treatment. The cause of the crash is not known at this time, although officials say it does not appear to be the result of hostile fire. The incident is under investigation.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE,ILL(AFPN)-Four military C-130 Hercules have joined in the fight to help control wildfires in Colorado that have devastated 90,000 acres of the state southwest of Denver. The planes are expected to go into action June 13, flying out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH (AFPN)- One of the first upgraded RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft in the Air Force inventory is now here at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.With an additional 16,000 pounds of thrust provided by the F-108 engines,the new aircraft has increased endurance, increased reliability, and delivers an anticipated 25,000 more flying hours per engine than before.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany(AFPN)-An accident investigation board determined pilot error caused a 52nd Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft accident March 20 near Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. The pilot was killed when his F-16 crashed in a wooded area about two miles from the runway while on final approach. The primary cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to initiate missed approach procedures as directed by the air traffic controller. The aircraft was returning from a night tactical-intercept training mission at the time of the accident.(Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va.(AFPN)- A pilot's failure to accurately perform standard flight procedures while rejoining other aircraft caused an F-16 Fighting Falcon to crash near the Warren Grove Bombing Range, near Atlantic City, N.J., on Jan. 10, The pilot of the New Jersey ANG's 119th Fighter Squadron, ejected from the aircraft and sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed upon hitting the ground.

Tomcats are back in the fight, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom within 72 hours of receiving an order to suspend F-14 zarrier operations.
- Members of the V-22 integrated test team are the first Marines to get re-qualified in the Osprey since it was grounded following a December 11, 2000, mishap.

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas(AFPN)AF investigators determined the instructor pilot using incorrect go-around procedures caused the Jan. 31 crash of a T-37B pilot training aircraft near Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The instructor pilot and a student pilot were killed in the crash.

RANDOLPH AFB, Texas(AFPN)- The AF determined pilot error caused the Jan. 10 2002 crash of an MH-53 helicopter near Durango, Colo. the mishap was the result of a combination of fatigue and the pilot focusing too narrowly on the approach to landing and not focusing enough on the surrounding area. The aircraft and crew were scheduled to be part of a two-ship night tactical training sortie that was subsequently tasked with a real-world search and rescue mission to find and assist injured passengers from a Cessna 172 that crashed earlier in the day.The crew located the downed Cessna.During final approach to the accident site,the MH-53 crashed less than a mile from the Cessna. According to the report, the aircraft was operating at the edge of its performance envelope. errors in judging speed and altitude made recovery impossible when the helicopter encountered an unexpected barrier of trees. All 8 people aboard the MH-53 deplaned safely,the injured personnel from the Cessna were rescued.

EDWARDS AFB, Calif.(AFPN)-The X-45A unmanned Aerial Combat Vehicle technology demonstration aircraft completed its first flight here May 22. The 14-minute flight is a key step to provide a transformational combat capability for the Air Force later this decade, said AF Flight Test Center officials. Reaching an airspeed of 195 knots and an altitude of 7,500 feet, the X-45A flew at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center here. This first flight successfully demonstrated the UCAV's flight characteristics and the basic aspects of aircraft operations, particularly the command and control link between the aircraft and its mission-control station.

USS JOHN F. KENNEDY,At Sea(NNS)-Tomcats were rroaring off the deck of USS John F. Kennedy ((CV 67), back in the fight, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) within 72 hours of receiving an order to suspend F-14 carrier operations, pending their inspection and any needed repairs. June 5, F-14 Tomcats Navy-wide were grounded until nose landing gear (NLG) components could be inspected for internal corrosion. USS John F. Kennedy and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 crews far exceeded Navy expectations and their own, completing the inspections and repairs on all Kennedy F-14 aircraft in just five days,rather than the estimated two weeks said CVW-7 maintenance officer. For two days, F/A-18 Hornets from VFA 131 Wildcats and VFA 136 Knighthawks flew additional sorties to maintain the air requirement for OEF. The first Tomcats passed inspection and returned to the flight deck in only two days.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii(NNS)- Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 returned to the Aloha State following a six-month deployment which included support of some of the nation's most important initiatives in Operation Enduring Freedom.