Russia urges Turkey to help stop rebel raids in Syria
The Russian military has urged its Turkish counterparts to tighten monitoring of opposition in northern Syria in the wake of a drone attack on Russian military bases in the country.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces repelled a series of drone attacks Jan. 6, adding that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without causing any damage.
The official military daily Krasnaya Zvezda said the ministry sent letters to the Turkish military, asking it to deploy observers to Syria’s northern province of Idlib to ensure that rebels don’t launch more attacks.
Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey has supported his foes, but they struck a deal last year to set up de-escalation zones in Syria, helping reduce fighting. AP
National Guard general seeks to block removal of helicopters
The Arizona National Guard’s top general is asking members of Congress to temporarily block the scheduled removal of attack helicopters from a National Guard unit based at Silverbell Army Heliport in Marana.
Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire says the Army’s decision to eliminate some National Guard attack reconnaissance units flying AH-64 Apache helicopters “will have irreversible effects” on the service’s aviation capability.
McGuire expressed “great concern” about the situation in a letter to Sen. John McCain and other lawmakers who lead the House and Senate armed services committees.
McGuire’s letter says the affected Arizona unit’s aircraft are scheduled to be removed Friday under the Army’s decision. He asks that the lawmakers block transfers of the aircraft until delegation members have time to weigh in with top Army officials. AP
Boeing says 2017 aircraft deliveries set a record
Boeing is riding a strong air-travel market and airline profitability to deliver a record number of new planes.
Chicago-based Boeing said Jan. 8 that it delivered 763 commercial planes last year, up from 748 in 2016 and beating its 2015 record by one. Two-thirds were 737s, an airline standard for short and medium-range flights.
Boeing says it took orders for 912 commercial planes with a sticker value of $134.8 billion, although airlines routinely get discounts.
The orders are pushing Boeing’s backlog to a record of 5,864 planes. Company executives say strong airline profits are helping the carriers buy new planes.
European rival Airbus is scheduled to report 2017 orders and deliveries next week.
Boeing shares were up $5.95, or 1.9 percent, to $316.10 in morning trading. AP
French president says China will buy 184 Airbus jets
China plans to buy 184 Airbus A320 jetliners, French President Emmanuel Macron said Jan. 10, in a diplomatic tradition aimed at defusing trade complaints.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said his government “will preserve parity” in market share between Airbus and its U.S. rival, Boeing, said Macron at a news conference.
China often times announcements of purchases of aircraft and other big-ticket items to coincide with visits by foreign leaders in an effort to defuse trade tensions.
Macron said details have yet to be completed and he gave no financial figures. At the list price for A320s, the order could total $18 billion, but large buyers often get deep discounts.
“China will preserve its volume of purchases in the future and will preserve parity in market share between Airbus and Boeing,” Macron said. AP