Norwegian fighter jet fires at control tower during training
The Norwegian Air Force says an F-16 fighter jet accidentally fired at a lookout tower near three military personnel during target practice earlier this month, but that no one was hurt.
Air Force spokesman Maj. Stian Roen said the incident occurred shortly after midnight April 13 on the island of Tarva, off Norway’s western coast.
Roen said Sunday that the aircraft was supposed to fire at a simulated target on the airfield some 500 meters (550 yards) away but that “something went wrong.” The lookout tower was slightly damaged by the gunfire, he said.
Roen said he couldn’t give further details pending the outcome of an investigation by a special commission. AP
North Korea to halt nuclear tests if U.S. stops drills
North Korea is ready to halt its nuclear tests if the United States suspends its annual military exercises with South Korea, the North Korean foreign minister told The Associated Press in an interview in which he also warned that his country won’t be cowed by international sanctions.
Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong defended the country’s right to maintain a nuclear deterrent, and for those waiting for the North’s regime to collapse, he had this to say: Don’t hold your breath.
“Stop the nuclear war exercises in the Korean Peninsula, then we should also cease our nuclear tests,” he said in his first interview Saturday with a Western news organization.
Ri held firm to Pyongyang’s longstanding position that the U.S. drove his country to develop nuclear weapons as an act of self-defense. At the same time, he suggested that suspending the military exercises with Seoul could open the door to talks and reduced tensions.
If the exercises are halted “for some period, for some years,” he added, “new opportunities may arise for the two countries and for the whole entire world as well.”
In Seoul, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry released a statement April 24y that called the North’s proposal “not worth considering.” The ministry noted that the North’s suggestion is nothing new, and said that the comment was just part of its maneuvering to wiggle out of the difficult situation created by stronger international sanctions. AP
FAA orders urgent fix to some Boeing 787 engines
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to make an urgent fix to some types of engines used on Boeing 787 Dreamliners because of an icing problem.
The Seattle Times reports that the FAA made the order on Friday, stating that icing can cause a specific model of GE engine to shut down in flight. The problem affects 176 Dreamliners at 29 airlines.
The order comes after a Jan. 29 incident when one of the two engines on a Japan Airlines 787 shut down mid-flight and couldn’t be restarted. The landed safely using one engine about 30 minutes later.
GE issued a service bulletin about the problem March 11, so some of the affected engines have already been reworked.
The FAA’s order gives airlines until the first week of October to rework all of the affected engines; meanwhile pilots are required to follow a new ice-removal procedure in flight. AP