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Vogler Air Base is being modernized

Michael David February 25, 2021 10:15

As Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner announced during a visit to Vogler Air Base, major investments will be made in the next few years to modernize the Hörsching site. After the Saab 105Ö was decommissioned, it became imperative to develop Hörsching as a second pillar for the remaining air defense alongside the Eurofighter base in Zeltweg. According to the Upper Austrian military commander, Brigadier Dieter Muhr, several million euros will be spent on renovating the apron and a hangar in the military part of the Linz airport area. Although the Eurofighters will probably continue to be stationed in Zeltweg in Styria, operations from Hörsching could also be ensured in the future as part of tactical measures or in the event of any emergency situations. Additional investments will be made in measures to ensure that the site can be operated independently in the future.

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Covid: Erwin-Rommel-Kaserne helps out in Portugal

Jan Gruber February 23, 2021 13:02

The 3rd Alb-Donau Medical Regiment of the Erwin Rommel Barracks in Dornstadt is sending a total of 27 additional doctors and nurses to Portugal. There, the Bundeswehr medical soldiers will lend a helping hand to the currently overloaded health system. Portugal asked its partner states for help as part of the EU system. Germany sent doctors and nurses to help treat Covid patients at the beginning of February 2021. The first contingent is now being replaced. Austria has since taken in numerous Portuguese patients for treatment. Just a few days ago, Slovakia also asked its EU partners for help in the form of urgently sending doctors and nurses. The team from the Erwin Rommel Barracks Dornstadt sent to Portugal took off from Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The destination of the military flight, which was carried out with an Airbus A400M, is Lisbon. There, the doctors and nurses will support and relieve their Portuguese colleagues. For several years, Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport has been named after Manfred Rommel, the former mayor of the state capital Stuttgart. The deceased CDU politician was the son of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

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“Golden Tiger” is exhibited in Salzburg

Granite Pireci 14 January 2021 11:02

After more than 156.500 flight hours and almost 254.000 missions to ensure the safety of the population, the Saab 105 OE fleet ended its operational service on December 50, 31 after 2020 years. The last flight of the anniversary aircraft Saab 105 BJ-40 "Golden Tiger" took it to Hangar-13 in Salzburg on January 2021, 7 at the invitation of the Flying Bulls. "The bond and partnership between the air force and Red Bull, be it in the context of joint events or at the Airpower events, has a long tradition. It was therefore a great pleasure for us to accept the invitation from Red Bull and to make our anniversary Saab accessible to a wider population once again," said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. Since 2006, the entire air force of the Austrian Federal Army has been commanded from Salzburg, and for several years there was also an independent air force command in Salzburg. Salzburg has been the military heart of the air force for many years. The air force used this transfer flight for an interception exercise with the "forced landing" procedure at Salzburg Airport, thus setting a visible sign of functioning active airspace surveillance after the end of the Saab 105's operational life. The Austrian Air Force's Saab 105 OE "Golden Tiger" will probably remain on display in Hangar-7 until mid-year. This means that the general public will have the opportunity to view the anniversary aircraft as part of the exhibition after the current Covid measures have ended.

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2020: Airbus delivered 566 aircraft

Jan Gruber 11 January 2021 12:41

The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus delivered 566 aircraft to 87 customers last year. This is 34 percent below the figure for 2019. However, the group announced that it had nevertheless achieved the target it had set itself in April 2020 due to the corona pandemic. However, Airbus also had to accept numerous cancellations. Most recently, 2020 further cancellations were received in December 31. In total, orders for 115 aircraft were canceled. The aircraft manufacturer was able to land new orders for 64 A220s, two A330s, 21 A350s and 296 units of the A320 series. In December 2020, Airbus was able to sell an Airbus A330-800 to Air Greenland and an A330-200 to the French military. The number of net orders is 268 - there are 7.184 orders in the backlog. “Working together with our customers has enabled us to overcome a difficult year. Airbus teams, customers and suppliers have really come together to achieve this result despite adverse circumstances. We also thank our partners and governments for their strong support of the sector,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. “Based on our 2020 deliveries, we are cautiously optimistic for 2021, although challenges and uncertainties remain high in the short term.” Airbus deliveries at a glance: 2020 (including) 2019 (including) A220 Family 38 48 A320 Family 446 (431 NEO) 642 (551 NEO) A330 Family 19 (13 NEO) 53 (41 NEO) A350 Family 59 (14 A350-1000) 112 (25 A350-1000) A380 4 8  

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Does Hercules succeed Hercules?

Michael David 4 January 2021 11:16

At the beginning of the year, Defense Minister Claudia Tanner (ÖVP) again announced an investment program for the Austrian Armed Forces in the coming years. Despite enormous new national debt caused by the Corona crisis, some parts of the army are to be modernized. This includes the air transport squadron, which currently consists of three active Lockheed C-130 Hercules. These transport aircraft, which are now over 50 years old, have been fundamentally overhauled in recent years, but their operational readiness will nonetheless come to an end by 2030 at the latest. In order to avoid decades of emergency solutions and expensive rental contracts, for example with the Swedish Air Force, the Austrian federal government under Wolfgang Schüssel approved the procurement of three used Lockheed C-2001s from the Royal Air Force's inventory in 130. At a system price of around 40 million euros, largely financed by the sale of 160 tanks to Egypt, the three refurbished Hercules "Charlie Alpha", "Charlie Bravo" and "Charlie Charlie" were delivered to the air transport squadron of the 2004rd Air Regiment at Vogel Air Base in Hörsching by 3. In addition to the necessary spare parts and equipment to enable operations, the purchase package also included a long-term service contract with Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace, a proven expert in the maintenance and modernization of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The remarkable acquisition - after all, up to now, they had been content with two small Shorts Skyvans as transport aircraft - was presented to the public with follow-up tracking and for the personnel rotation of Austrian soldiers stationed abroad, for example in Kosovo or the Golan. The Hercules were also intended to enable Austrians to be flown out of any crisis areas, as was necessary in 2011 after the terrorist attacks in Egypt. With the

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50 years of the Saab 105OE: “Time to say goodbye”

Granite Pireci 12 December 2020 06:54

Yesterday morning, in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and high-ranking representatives of the Federal Army, the "fly-out", the official farewell to the Saab 105 OE, took place at the Vogler Air Base in Hörsching. With over 156.500 flight hours and almost 254.000 missions to ensure the safety of the population, the aircraft will end its active service at the end of the year after 50 years. As part of the "fly-out", Defense Minister Tanner unveiled a Saab 105 OE with a special tiger paint job "50 years in the service of Austria". In her speech, Tanner highlighted the multifaceted tasks of the Saab 105 OE and the achievements of the staff. "This is the end of an impressive era. Such long and safe flight operations were only possible thanks to the outstanding performance of our technicians and pilots, who have mastered this jet to perfection. Especially at the critical end of a system's lifespan, their commitment has guaranteed smooth and, above all, safe and accident-free flight operations," said Minister Tanner in her speech. The Saab 105 OE will continue to provide airspace surveillance until the end of the year. The Eurofighter will take over this task from 2021.

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Federal Army Hercules improved with self-protection

Michael David 14 November 2020 13:52

This week, the new self-protection system and sensors of the first Lockheed C-130K "Hercules" of the Austrian Armed Forces Air Force to be equipped with them were impressively tested over the Allentsteig military training area in the Waldviertel. The transport aircraft, which were taken over by the Royal Air Force in 2003 and are now 53 years old, have been completely overhauled in recent years by Marshall Aerospace and Defence in Cambridge, a proven specialist in the modernization of military aircraft, and equipped with new avionics to ensure their safe use in the coming years. This also includes the safest possible evacuation of soldiers or civilians under threat from crisis areas, as Brigadier Wolfgang Wagner, Commander of the Air Support Command, stated in a press release from the Austrian Armed Forces. To make this possible, the C-130 air transport system is being further developed and the first of the three "Hercules" is being equipped with the new self-protection capability. Together with passive sensors for detecting radar, infrared and laser-guided missiles, decoys – so-called “flares” – can be emitted in the future to ensure the greatest possible self-protection for the Austrian Army’s “Hercules”. With the completion and initial testing of the new security system over the Allentsteig military training area, the training of the crews in the relevant procedures will now begin in order to be able to use this new capability accordingly. The Austrian Army’s two other Lockheed C-130Ks will also be equipped with the new self-protection system in order to enable full operational readiness. The lack of a self-protection system, which has been used for decades by many other user nations of various derivatives of the Lockheed C-130, has long been a point of criticism among domestic military experts. With the purchase of the

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Eurojet provides 56 new EJ200 engines for the German Air Force

Granite Pireci 13 November 2020 08:37

Eurojet, the consortium responsible for the EJ200 engine installed in the Eurofighter Typhoon, has signed a contract with NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) for the supply of 56 new EJ200 engines for the German Air Force. The contract, signed in Munich between General Miguel Ángel Martín Pérez, General Manager of NETMA, and Gerhard Bähr, Managing Director of Eurojet, covers EJ200 engines for a new order of Tranche 4 Typhoon fighter aircraft. Production of the engine modules will be carried out locally by the consortium's four partner companies: Rolls-Royce, MTU Aero Engines, ITP Aero and Avio Aero. As a partner of the German Air Force, final assembly of the engines will take place at MTU Aero Engines. Deliveries to the German customer will begin in 2023. "This contract signing is a clear vote of confidence in the platform and in the performance and sustainability of the EJ200 engines that power it. In addition, it shows a high level of confidence in the consortium and its European industrial base and will secure highly qualified jobs in the aviation industry in the coming years," said Eurojet CEO Gerhard Bähr.

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Eurofighter proceedings come to an end

Granite Pireci 12 November 2020 11:32

The Vienna Higher Regional Court has rejected complaints against the discontinuation of the investigation into suspected fraud in the procurement of the Eurofighter in 2003 and the settlement in 2007 by the Regional Court for Criminal Matters. The last complaints came from the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) and the Republic of Austria. This means that all criminal investigations into suspected fraud in connection with the procurement of the Eurofighter in Austria have been terminated, according to Wolfgang Peschorn, President of the Financial Prosecutor's Office. The discontinuation was ultimately based on the fact that the Austrian prosecution authorities had not been able to demonstrate the justified suspicion of fraud against the Republic of Austria through sufficient investigation results of their own in the three-and-a-half-year investigation to date to justify a continuation of the criminal investigation. The President of the Financial Prosecutor's Office, who led the proceedings for the Republic, showed no understanding for the discontinuation of the investigation. However: "Court decisions create facts that must be accepted," continued Peschorn. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner agrees. Nevertheless, she cannot understand the decision. "It is clear that this will mean that many things will remain in the dark and possible crimes will not be solved. "With our current helicopter procurement, which we are carrying out government-to-government, we are showing how such procurement can be carried out cleanly, transparently and properly," Tanner continued.

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Azerbaijan is closing the airspace

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:52

Due to the escalation in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, numerous airlines are suspending their services to Armenia and Azerbaijan or, like Ukraine International, postponing their flights. The Ukrainian carrier announced that it will not fly to Baku until the end of October at the earliest. But this is also due to the fact that Azerbaijan issued a NOTAM on Wednesday and banned all take-offs, landings and overflights for security reasons. How long this measure will last is not foreseeable due to the extremely tense situation regarding the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been arguing for many years about the affiliation of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians but belongs to Azerbaijan under international law. While the conflict has been dormant in recent years, military clashes have flared up in recent days. The quarrelers also have allies: Armenia has the Russian Federation as its protecting power, which recently demanded the immediate withdrawal of troops and a cessation of hostilities. Behind Azerbaijan is Turkey, which is also anything but happy about the flare-up of the conflict. Both parties are blaming each other and accusing each other of using "foreign mercenaries".

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