LOCATIONS
LAND
10 Feb 12. Taiwan plans to build TACAN base on Taiping island. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) plans to build a tactical air navigation (TACAN) facility on Taiping island (Itu Aba): the largest of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Defence officials said the TACAN facility will be used to help aircraft land on the island’s 1,200 m airstrip, which is mainly used by Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) C-130 transport aircraft. (Source: Jane’s, JDW)
20 Feb 12. Canadian plans to set up a logistics hub at the German Köln Bonn Airport, announced by Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay during a Feb. 14 visit to Ottawa by his German counterpart, Thomas de Maizière, have been rejected. A spokesman confirmed that a delegation of the Canadian Air Force did recently visit the airport, which currently serves them as an alternate aerodrome, to check its infrastructure. (Source: Defense News)
20 Feb 12. The Heat Treatment division of Keighley Laboratories has been certificated to the AS9100 Revision C standard, the quality management system for the aviation, space and defence industries. Designed to meet the stringent and complex demands of the international aerospace industry, AS9100 is the highest certification in the sector and Revision C is the latest version of a standard with which all suppliers must comply, in order to ensure a listing on the OASIS (online aerospace supplier information system) database. The West Yorkshire company was audited over a three-day period by BSI, the UK’s premier certification body, and was recommended for accreditation to AS9100 Revision C, strengthening its position as a specialist technology provider and augmenting its existing accreditation to BS EN ISO 9001:2008. Earlier, a 4-man team led by Heat Treatment Technical Manager, Allan Carter, a qualified metallurgist and chartered engineer, had put in place a year-long programme aimed at implementing changes to internal systems and procedures necessary under Revision C. Quality and reliability are critical values for the aerospace industry, where errors or product failures could prove fatal, so the effective operation of a quality management system plays a critical role in reducing risk. Recognising the need for compliance across the industry, in 1997 a group of major US aerospace manufacturers released a single, unified quality standard, AS9000, which was subsequently replaced and updated by the internationally-adopted AS9100 that is based on ISO 9001.
10 Feb 12. Pakistan considers higher charges for reopening ISAF land supply route. Pakistan Defence Minister Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar has publicly supported lifting the ban on ‘essential supplies’ passing through the country’s land route for International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in Afghanistan. The move signals a growing intent among the country’s leaders to resume a relationship that was cut off in November 2011 after the killing of 26 Pakistan Army soldiers in a US helicopter attack. (Source: Jane’s, JDW)
22 Feb 12. Lockheed Martin’s operation in Pinellas Park officially opened a new 57,000 square foot manufacturing facility to produce aircraft canopy components for the F-35 Lighting II fighter. The new facility is an annex to Lockheed Martin’s existing 197,000 square foot building that has been producing structural components for more than 10 different types of aircraft since 1997. The operation began with 80 employees and has since grown to its current workforce of 250, with additional jobs expected as the F-35 program moves toward peak production. The expanded facility can support production of up to 20 F-35 canopy units a month. (Source: Yahoo!/PRNewswire)
20 Feb 12. Reserve Forces: Olympic Duty. The Defence Secretary said (20 Feb 12) that an Order has been made under the Reserve Forces Act 1996, to enable Reservists to be called out for permanent service as part of the MoD’s contribution to the safety and securi