U.S. military plane lands in Somalia with aid after bombing
A United States military plane has landed in Somalia’s capital with medical and humanitarian aid supplies after Saturday’s massive truck bombing killed more than 300 people.
A spokesman for the U.S. African Command tells The Associated Press that the charge d’affaires with the U.S. Mission to Somalia “declared that this disaster meets the criteria to warrant immediate U.S. government assistance” because of the widespread damage.
Another nearly 400 people were injured in the deadliest attack in Somalia’s history and one of the world’s worst attacks in years. Funerals have begun and dozens of critically injured have been airlifted to Turkey for treatment.
Somalia’s government has blamed the attack on the al-Shabab extremist group, which has not commented. AP
Japanese military helicopter loses contact off central Japan
A Japanese defense helicopter carrying four crew members lost contact during flight training in central Japan the evening of Oct. 17 and is feared to have crashed.
The UH-60J disappeared from radar while flying over the Pacific Ocean about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Hamamatsu, a coastal city in central Japan, defense officials said.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters that rescuers dispatched to the site spotted objects that appeared to be broken parts of the helicopter floating in the water, suggesting a crash.
The helicopter belongs to the Air Self-Defense Force base in Hamamatsu, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
It was on a nighttime search and rescue flight training mission and lost contact soon after taking off from the base, Kyodo News service reported.
In August, another defense helicopter, a SH-60J, crashed off the northern Japanese coast, leaving three of its four crew members missing. AP
F-18 military jet crashes outside of Madrid, killing pilot
An F-18 fighter jet crashed Oct. 17 at an air base outside Madrid, Spain, killing its pilot, the Spanish Defense Ministry said.
A ministry spokesman said the F-18 jet crashed at the Torrejon de Ardoz base outside Madrid during takeoff. No one else was on the plane at the time. The ministry said it had no details about the cause of the incident, which took place shortly after 11 a.m.
Television images showed a massive cloud of smoke rising from the base area.
The official was speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with force regulations.
It was the second air force accident in less than a week. Oct. 12, a Eurofighter pilot died while maneuvering to land at a base in southeastern Spain after taking part in a military parade in Madrid. AP
Derco extends distribution agreement with UTC Aerospace Systems
Derco, a Lockheed Martin Company, has signed a 20-year distribution agreement with UTC Aerospace Systems to be the distributor of spares for the 54H60 propeller system.
This agreement extends the distribution relationship Derco and UTC Aerospace Systems established in 1997.
Under the agreement, Derco will distribute 54H60 spares in support of international operations effective immediately. The 54H60 is the propeller system used on the Lockheed Martin C-130B-H/L-100 Hercules, one of Derco’s primary platforms.
“UTC Aerospace Systems and Derco have shared a 20 year relationship supporting the 54H60 propeller system, a key component to the C-130 aircraft. Derco has proven to be a critical partner in supporting propeller parts to customers around the world for many years,” said Jean-Francois Chanut, general manager of Propeller Systems. “With Derco being part of the Lockheed Martin family, UTC Aerospace Systems is confident in solidifying its long-standing relationship which will ensure stable and effective support to legacy C-130 customers for many years.”
“This agreement between Derco and UTC Aerospace Systems ensures seamless support to legacy C-130 operators worldwide,” said Brian Holt, Derco president. “Our investment in 54H60 inventory allows us to extend quantity break pricing and immediate availability to customers in support of their fleets.”AP