Americas
* The US Navy has decommissioned all of its aging low-pressure chambers as it waits for new normobaric hypoxia chambers to be built. The older chambers were first commissioned in 1947 and can no longer be repaired. For now, aviators will rely on the Reduced Oxygen Breathing Device for hypoxia training.
Middle East North Africa
* Egypt has taken over the first of its new Mistral-class helicopter carriers in a ceremony in the French city of Toulouse. The country’s Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi was in attendance with his French counterpart with the vessel to be named after Egypt’s famous strong-man President Gamal Abdel-Nasser.
* Piaggio has confirmed that it has lost its P.1HH Hammerhead UAV prototype after it took off from Trapani airport on May 31. The crash will be a setback for the UAV’s flight-test program and an investigation is currently being mounted. An order for eight of the drones was placed by the UAE in March of this year.
Europe
* Despite the mounting delays, Germany is to keep true to its commitment to the A400M program. The government is, however, looking at acquiring other transport planes since the aircraft cannot land at small airports. Germany has taken umbridge with Airbus’s delays over the last few months, with German parliamentary and military sources indicating that the German air force was looking at potentially acquiring up to 10 C-130J aircraft built by Lockheed Martin.
* RIA Novosti reports that Russian Aerospace Forces are flight testing the forward-swept wing SR-10 jet trainer in the Moscow Region. According to its manufacturer, one of the benefits of the aircraft is that it’s more economically feasible for training pilots with the sophistication of a fighter. The plane will be an alternative to the Yak-130.
* MQ-9 UAVs operated by the Italian Air Force are to be fitted with General Atomics integrated Rafael RecceLite reconnaissance pod. Flight testing will be carried out in early 2017 at Amendola Air Base, Italy. The company believes that the adoption of the system “could lead to similar efforts with other NATO customers that operate MQ-9.”
Asia Pacific
* Russian Helicopters are to provide Kazakhstan with a number of Mi-35M attack helicopters scheduled for delivery for the end of this year. The helicopters will replace the Mi-24s that Kazakhstan currently operates and which are the basis for the Mi-35M. Russian manufacturers are presenting the new Mi-35M at the KADEX-2016 international military equipment exhibition which is currently running in the Kazakh capital Astana until June 5.
Today’s Video
* The SR-10:
