Military and Aviation News Thread (NO DISCUSSION)

The shrinking of the Hog-Family continues :

http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123343929

:(

It would be nice if, whenever the military retired jets, they could rip all the weapons and classified/military stuff out of them and sell them on the civilian market. I know two lucky rich bastards somewhere out there own Su-27s right now.

It would be nice if, whenever the military retired jets, they could rip all the weapons and classified/military stuff out of them and sell them on the civilian market. I know two lucky rich bastards somewhere out there own Su-27s right now.

One lucky, rich, company, and they use them exclusively to train the USAF in DACT tactics.

Researcher: Vulnerabilities in aircraft systems allow remote airplane hijacking

Researcher: Vulnerabilities in aircraft systems allow remote airplane hijacking

The lack of security in communication technologies used in the aviation industry makes it possible to remotely exploit vulnerabilities in critical on-board systems and attack aircraft in flight, according to research presented Wednesday at the Hack in the Box security conference in Amsterdam.

 

The presentation, by Hugo Teso, a security consultant at consultancy firm N.runs in Germany, who has also had a commercial pilot license for the past 12 years, was the result of the researcher’s three-yearlong research into the security of avionics.

 

[...]

 

As previously mentioned, the research and demonstrations were performed against virtual planes in a lab setup. However, the FMS vulnerabilities identified and the lack of security in communication technologies like ADS-B and ACARS are real, Teso said

 

In a real-world attack scenario, the pilot could realize that something is wrong, disengage the auto-pilot and fly the plane like in the old days using analog systems, Teso said. However, flying without auto-pilot is becoming increasingly difficult on modern aircraft, he said.

 

[...]

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/uclass.html

As I understand it, the UCLASS contract has gone to Northrop Grumman and their X-47B. Might actually get delivered that way.

Researcher: Vulnerabilities in aircraft systems allow remote airplane hijacking

BS!

Part of the certification of aeroplanes like the a380 specifically looked at the subject of hacking of FMCS, acars and their integration with the auto flight system. In the pre certification hack tests it was found that a hacker sitting in the cabin could in fact interact with he FMCS and thus affect the aircraft flight path if in Managed modes (fmc controlled). As a consequence system architecture was changed such that external FMCS/auto flight was not possible, this became a certification requirement. I would presume that Boeing certification is similar.

Raytheon wins Republic of Korea F-16 radar upgrade competition

http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=2308

BS!

Part of the certification of aeroplanes like the a380 specifically looked at the subject of hacking of FMCS, [...]

 

I would presume that Boeing certification is similar.

I don't know any details other than what has been written in the article. Which includes...

Teso did not reveal any specifics about the vulnerabilities he identified in flight management systems because they haven’t been fixed yet. The lack of security features like authentication in ADS-B and ACARS is also something that will probably take a lot of time to address, but the researcher hopes that it will be done while these technologies are still being deployed. In the U.S., the majority of aircraft are expected to use ADS-B by 2020.

As I understand it, the research was done in theory, yet the impact does carry over to the real world.

It is BS:

http://techland.time.com/2013/04/12/airplane-hacks-not-so-fast/

F-22 helmet-display demonstration casualty of sequestration.

"The Visionix / Gentex Scorpion helmet-mounting cueing system demo planned for this summer, which was planned as a technology demonstration, was cancelled as a result of sequestration budgetary actions," the USAF says. "This system had not been programmed for integration into the aircraft and there are no immediate plans to integrate the Scorpion system into the F-22."

well here is a infographic about the stand down of USAF for budget cut

For those who actually want to see the image above...:

Whiteman AFB is in MO not MI

It is BS:

 

 

http://techland.time.com/2013/04/12/airplane-hacks-not-so-fast/

The original headline sounded somewhat sensational, I agree. But how does "I’m not trying to belittle Teso’s work" translate to "BS"?

That TIME article also links to an article from Bruce Schneier pertaining to a another potential security problem. Schneier said: "The FAA responds. Seems like there's more hype than story here. Still, it's worth paying attention to."

Yes, media tends to blow such stories up as if there wasn't anything else happening in the world. But I disagree that potential security problems should be shrugged off as "BS" just because someone says the systems are certified and have been checked for vulnerabilities. I could go on for hours about hardware and software that has been hacked in the past, some of it certified by respected authorities, some (well, most) of it not.

USAF KC-135 down in Kyrgyzstan.

A search is under way for the three crew of a US military refuelling plane that crashed in northern Kyrgyzstan.

 

The KC-135 Stratotanker disappeared off the radar near Chaldovar village, some 160km (100 miles) west of the base near Bishkek from where it took off.

 

Witnesses said they saw the plane, believed to have been laden with fuel at the time, explode in mid-air.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22397266

Some pics: http://kloop.kg/blog/2013/05/03/mchs-amerikanskij-toplivozapravshhik-razbilsya-na-severe-ky-rgy-zstana/

A unique vintage HA-200 "Saeta" crashed yesterday in an airshow in Madrid injuring 8 people.

The pilot, a veteran F-18 pilot and instructor, died in hospital a few hours later. He was just 35. Terrible news.

It looks like he just couldn't pull up in time. How many times this is happen to me in flight sims... Frightening.

http://ccaa.elpais.com/ccaa/2013/05/05/madrid/1367756324_631302.html

A new Video emerged of that crash. I think it's less then 30 meter from the impact.

http :// www . liveleak . com / view ? i = dcf_1367845432

Why do we have aircarft crash news each week?

It seems like freak accidents have been claiming more lives than ever the past couple of years, not just in aviation.

F-35 performs first vertical take-off.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Lockheed_Martin_Conducts_First_EMD_Flight_Test_of_New_GMLRS_Warhead_999.html

Lockheed Martin Conducts First EMD Flight Test of New GMLRS Warhead

by Staff Writers

Dallas TX (SPX) May 24, 2013

 

 

File image.

Lockheed Martin has conducted the first Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) flight of the new Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

 

Launched from a HIMARS mobile launcher, the GMLRS rocket flew 35 kilometers to the target, where the warhead detonated. This flight followed a successful ground-based test of the Alternative Warhead two weeks earlier.

 

"These tests are early indicators that we are on the right track in developing a warhead that meets the requirements defined by our armed forces, and that gives our Soldiers and Marines a distinct advantage on the battlefield," said Scott Arnold, vice president of precision fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

 

The Alternative Warhead Program (AWP) is part of a U.S. Department of Defense plan to phase out submunitions, and is designed to achieve the same area-effects as the GMLRS submunitions warhead, but without the lingering danger of undetonated explosives.

 

The GMLRS Alternative Warhead is unitary and fits within the existing GMLRS architecture as a replacement for the Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition warhead. The Alternative Warhead is being developed by ATK under subcontract to Lockheed Martin.

 

In April 2012, Lockheed Martin received a $79.4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop AWP. Under the terms of the contract, the EMD phase of the program runs 36 months, focusing on system performance, warhead qualification and producibility.

 

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control is a 2012 recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence.

 

The Malcolm Baldrige Award represents the highest honor that can be awarded to American companies for their achievements in leadership, strategic planning, customer relations, measurement, analysis, workforce excellence, operations and results.

We are nearing the end of the most phabulous of them all over German skies: http://www.mv-online.de/Region-Rheine/Rheine/Pharewell-der-F-4F-Phantom-in-Wittmund-Jet-war-ueber-30-Jahre-auch-am-Himmel-ueber-Rheine-zu-sehen-Der-Anfang-vom-Ende-ist-eingelaeutet

It makes me sad to see the Phantom leave service. I've always loved it for it's looks, which is strange, since it's bent up and down in very strange places :(

Worst of all, my plans for going down to Germany to witness the farewell-event went to hell in a handbasket due to economic reasons.

Pharewell Phabulous :/

The Phantom is still alive and kicking in Japan :)

Slated to be replaced by the F-35 but that's going to take a while...