Tekken 6

Tekken 6 sees the return of many familiar faces as well as new characters to create the largest line-up the series has ever seen. Adding to the already rich gaming experience, a deeper character customization feature will only further enhance the incredible fighting intensity as players knuckle up against each others. Players can also take the battle online for classic match-ups and to compete for world domination.

Genre: Fighting
Local Play: 2 Versus
Online Play: 2 Versus
Also Available On:Arcade, Xbox 360
Release Date: September 30, 2009
MSRP: $59.99

Tom Clancy's HAWX

March 4, 2009 - What's the one thing that enters the consciousness of every warm-blooded American when you mention dogfighting fighter jets? If the answer isn't a movie starring a bunch of sweaty dudes playing beach volleyball in tiny jean shorts with Anthony Edwards wearing a painfully awkward cutoff t-shirt, then you're lying to yourself. Luckily that very same flick is home to some of the coolest aerial battles ever set to the silver screen. It's called Top Gun and it has more man material than anything you'll find on Cinemax.


Ever since then game companies have been trying to emulate the feeling that so many imagined with Goose and Maverick in the cockpit. The latest game to try its hand is TOM Clansy's HAWX from the UBIsoft Romania studio that brought us two Blazing Angels studio that brought us two Blazing Angels titles. HAWX is a spiritual successor of sorts but benefits from being in a slightly distant future which means that players have the benefit of flying some moderately futuristic aircraft as well as some handy dandy navigational technology that's a bit too smart for its own good.

It's important to note that HAWX (High-Altitude Warfare Experimental Squadron) is not a flight-sim. There's no fuel gauge to worry about, no real ammunition controls -- planes carry upwards of 200 missiles -- and no worries of blackouts, red-outs or any other kind of 'outs.' While I fully understand not wanting players to have to be mindful of their gas usage like they're in a Chevy Suburban, the planes in HAWX move with very little realism. They look like their real life counterparts, but you can essentially fling them around the sky with reckless abandon, regardless of make or model. One issue I had with every plane, and this is a common occurrence for games like HAWX, is that there just isn't a good sense of speed as you careen through the skies at more than 1,000 miles per hour. Even getting close to the ground isn't all that inspiring. It feels more like you're flying an airliner than a fighter jet going faster than the speed of sound.

So why are you zooming around turning enemy aircraft into mangled metal? Well, it turns out there's a bit of a conflict going on in the world. You play as Captain Crenshaw, a former United States flyboy whose squadron has been dissolved for whatever reason. Looking for work and money, Crenshaw turns to private military groups and stumbles upon a company called Artemis. Long story short, Crenshaw works for Artemis, Artemis gets contracted to protect Brazil; Crenshaw follows. Then Artemis decides to attack the USA; Crenshaw revolts. Before you know it Crenshaw is fighting for the red white and blue again, trying to repel the attacks by Artemis over some of our nation's landmarks.


Flying above locations such as a pitch black Los Angeles, Washington DC, Cape Canaveral and Tokyo, players will see some recognizable spots. Flying low to the ground can reveal some nasty texture work, but it's still cool to be defending these famous cities from an off-shore assault. That said, the characters involved are pretty forgettable. The stars are obviously the planes
themselves, but hats off for at least attempting to make an engrossing storyline and tying in a few other Ubisoft franchises (Ghost Recon and EndWar) along the way.

There are 19 missions to fly throughout the campaign, all of which are available for cooperative play over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. For the sake of fun, I'd recommend hitting up a friend to be your wingman (or, as Iceman would say, you can be his) as the AI and your control over their actions is very limited. You can tell them to attack or cover you, but that's about it. Assigning them to attack a ground target works out pretty well, but telling them attack an incoming squad of fighters typically yields poor results.

Fuerza Aerea de Chile Chilean Air Force - FACh

Introduction

The Chilean Air Force ordered a total of 10 new Block 50 F-16 Fighting Falcons. These aircraft will be supplemented by 18 second-hand F-16A/B MLU aircraft, which Chile purchased from the Netherlands.

History

On August 1st, 1997, Lockheed Martin Corp. was allowed to provide detailed F-16 data to Chile for its fighter program, after a last-minute White House announcement liberalizing advanced arms sales (which had been banned for the last 20 years to Latin America). The White House ruled the United States would examine new arms sales to the region on a case-by-case basis, ending self imposed restriction on selling advanced military hardware to the region. Chile set a deadline of August 7th for the US firm to provide information needed to make a choice among the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen, the French Mirage 2000 or Rafale and the F-16. The latter is thought to be the strongest contender and the eventual order would be for 18-24 aircraft.

Critics of the policy reversal contend that this will lead to a new South American arms race, apparently forgetting that Venezuela already operates the F-16. Lockheed is very happy however, hoping to add to the 400 plus aircraft order backlog it currently has for the F-16.

In March 1997, salespeople at Lockheed Martin were nervously eyeing economic conditions in Chile, hoping that a drop in copper prices (Chile's defense agencies receive about 10% of all copper exports) and Asian-related troubles would not upset a potentially lucrative sale of F-16 fighters. Since last fall, the price of copper, Chile's No. 1 export and the source of much of its military spending cash, dropped by a third. Also, exports of Chile's salmon and abalone to Japan and other Asian nations have fallen in recent months due to Asia's economic troubles.

Chile has been forced to devalue its currency, the peso, and raise interest rates twice since January 1st. The International Monetary Fund warned last month that the nation, which enjoyed strong economic growth in the past decade, must 'tighten' its policies because of the its vulnerability to Asia's economic slowdown.

In addition to its economic concerns, Chile suddenly changed defense ministers. This means that everything is put on hold while the new person is brought up to speed.

In April 1998, the Chilean government requested details of financing proposals from companies bidding for its multi-billion dollar multi-role fighter requirement. Lockheed Martin already signed an agreement with Chilean national aeronautics company ENAER to provide 900,000 labor-hours on the fuselage, engine-bay doors and non-aircraft-related work if selected.

Inventory

Peace Puma

On December 27th, 2000, the Chilean government finally decided to purchase up to 10 new Block 50 F-16 fighters (6 C's and 4 D's) in a deal worth $500 million. The LOA was signed on February 2nd, 2002.

Production of the first fighter of this order was started in the course of 2004 with it being completed mid 2005. The first flight should occur in June of 2005 with flight trials starting as of August from Edwards AB.

Second-hand purchase

In November of 2004 it became clear that the Chilean government was also seeking urgent replacement for its aging Mirage 50/5M aircraft. Operating costs are soaring and spare parts are getting hard to obtain. It is believed that negiotiations are underway with the Dutch government to aqcuire a batch of 20 second-hand RNLAF F-16s with the MLU update. This deal is supposed to be worth $150 million.

Finally, in October of 2005 the Chilean government decided to purchase a total of 18 Dutch F-16s (11 A's & 7 B's). The aircraft are already upgraded with the MLU conversion package and will be delivered between August of 2006 and September of 2007. This purchase will enable the FACh to create another F-16 squadron.

Program	Model	Block	Qty.	Serials	Delivered
Peace Puma	F-16C	Block 50	6	851/856	2006
	F-16D	Block 50	4	857/860	2006
Second-hand	F-16A	Block 20MLU	11	721/731	2006 - 2007
	F-16B	Block 20MLU	7	732/738	2006 - 2007

Belgische Luchtmacht/Force Aérienne Belge Belgian Air Force - BAF

Belgian F-16s in a playful mood - executing barrel rolls

Introduction

The Belgian Air Force was one of the first four international customers for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Belgium ordered a total of 160 F-16s in two batches. Heavy attrition and restructuring of the armed forces reduced the operational inventory to 72 aircraft. The remaining aircraft have been stored or sold (14 to Jordan for example).

Although the entiry inventory consists of F-16A and F-16B models, all 72 remaining operational aircraft have been upgraded to MLU standard.

The fleet will be further reduced to 60 aircraft by 2015. No decision has been taken on possible replacements, if any.

History

In the late 1970s, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands started looking for a replacement for the F-104 Starfighter. These four nations, known as the European Participating Air Forces (EPAF), became the first international customers for the F-16. Together with the US, they started a unique multi-national development program for the F-16. Under the terms of the agreement, F-16 Fighting Falcons for the EPAF nations were to be produced locally.

Belgium was one of two EPAF nations responsible for the European production of F-16s (the other one being the Netherlands). The primary Belgian contractor in the F-16 program was the Societe Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aeronautiques (SABCA), responsible for the final assembly of F-16s intended for both Belgian and Danish service, The F100 engines for the F-16s of all four nations in the European consortium were manufactured by the Belgian Fabrique National.(now Techspace Aero). The Belgian company MBLE produced the F-16 radar for three of the four EPAF nations.

The EPAF consortium funded, developed and produced an initial 348 F-16s, with an eventual total of 524, for their respective air forces. SABCA even produced 3 F-16s for the US Air Force

Belgium ordered a total of 160 F-16s. Heavy restructuring after the end of the Cold War hit the Belgian Air Force (BAF) hard. It ceased to exist as an independent entity and became the Belgian Armed Forces Air Component (COMOPSAIR). The F-16 inventory was reduced to 72 airframes (updated to MLU standard). It lost one of its 3 F-16 wings and currently operates 2 Wings with 2 Squadrons each. The fighter fleet will be further reduced to 60 aircraft by 2015.

Inventory

Initial Order

The initial Belgian order was for 116 F-16 aircraft (96 single-seaters and 20 two-seaters). In February 1978, the first European F-16 assembly line opened at SABCA, followed by the first flight of a Belgian-built F-16 on December 11, 1978. The aircraft, (an F-16B Block 1), was flown by SABCA test pilot Serge Margin with General Dynamics test pilot Neil Anderson riding in the back seat. It was accepted by the Belgian AF on January 29th, 1979, being the first locally built F-16 to be delivered to a European Operator.

Beginning in September 1981, 35 early production Belgian F-16s (the Block 1s and Block 5s) were rotated back through the SABCA factory for cockpit modifications and some updating of the avionics, including the APG-66 radar. The modifications effectively brought the 35 airframes up to Block 10 standards.

Delivery of these first 116 aircraft to the Belgische Luchtmacht / Force Aerienne Belge (Belgian Air Force) was completed in May of 1985, with a final batch of Block 15's.

Armament

Standard weapons fit for the Belgian F-16s is the AIM-9 Sidewinder and iron bombs (Mk 82 GP bomb in three different versions: BSU-49 RT 'Balloot', MAU-93 NRT 'Slick', Mk 15 RT 'Snakeye'). Recently (1995-1996) deals have been concluded concerning the purchase of 72 AIM-120 AMRAAM and 12 TAGM-65 Maverick missiles. The acquired numbers may seem rather small: the Belgian AF lacks funds to maintain a war stock and the decision was taken to buy sufficient rounds to train both weapon handlers and pilots, and buy or loan more when and if needed. After 'Allied Force' the Belgian government decided to expand it's stock of high profile weapons and another batch of AMRAAM's and about 40 AGM-65 were bought to complement the stock.

With the introduction of the MLU aircraft, other weapon systems could also be used. Besides the above mentioned AIM-120 and AGM-65 weapons, the Belgian AF acquired a batch of GBU-10, GBU-12 and GBU-24 laser-guided bombs in 2000. The acquisition of a number of GBU-31 JDAM bombs is under consideration. To make optimal use of these weapons the Belgian government decided in 2000 to buy 8 AN/AAQ-14 Sharpshooter targeting pods. About 50 NVG's were also acquired to make it easier for the pilots to execute operations at night.

Program	Model	Block	Qty.	Serials	Delivered
Initial Order	F-16A	Block 1	17	FA-01/FA-17	1979-1980
	F-16B	Block 1	6	FB-01/FB-06	1979-1980
	F-16A	Block 5	8	FA-18/FA-25	1980-1981
	F-16B	Block 5	4	FB-07/FB-10	1980-1981
	F-16A	Block 10	30	FA-26/FA-55	1981-1982
	F-16B	Block 10	2	FB-11/FB-12	1981-1982
	F-16A	Block 15	41	FA-56/FA-96	1983-1985
	F-16B	Block 15	8	FB-13/FB-20	1982-1983
Follow-On Order	F-16A	Block 15OCU	40	FA-97/FA-136	1988-1991
	F-16B	Block 15OCU	4	FB-21/FB-24	1989-1990

Royal Bahraini Air Force - RBAF

Introduction

In the late 1980s, the Bahrain Amiri Air Force (BAAF) started looking to complement its helicopter-only fleet with fighter jets. After acquiring 12F-5E/F Tiger II aircraft, the US government approved the purchase of the more advanced F-16. Bahrain became the 15th F-16 customer, and the first customer in the Gulf region.

Bahrain ordered a total of 22 F-16s through two Foreign Military Sales programs.

History

Bahrain considered the F-15, F-16, F-18, the British Tornado, the French Mirage 2000, and Russian aircraft for its air defense fighter requirement. Maintainability, reliability, and the upgrade potential of the F-16 convinced Bahrain to select the Block 40 Fighting Falcon.

Shortly after delivery of the first batch of F-16s, while aircrew training was still in full swing, Iraq invaded Kuwait and the Bahraini AF started preparing for combat, and ultimately Bahraini F-16s participated in operation Desert Storm.

Following the end of the Gulf War, Bahrain was offered the 18 F-16Ns that were withdrawn from US Navy aggressor squadrons. They would be exchanged for the eight F-5Es and four F-5Fs in Bahraini service since 1985. The F-16N's would supplement the 12 F-16C/D's already in service, while the US Navy planned to use the ex-Bahraini F-5s for the aggressor roles instead of the F-16s. However, the high number of flying hours of these airframes, the lack of internal cannon, and F-16A electronics suite made the F-16Ns unattractive for Bahrain. This option was abandoned due to concerns about Bahrain's ability to support a non-standard aircraft.

Next, Bahrain was offered surplus USAF F-16A/B aircraft, but these would be considerably more expensive. The embargoed Pakistani F-16s were also offered. Both offers were turned down since Bahrain wanted more Block 40 aircraft.

Inventory

Peace Crown I

In March of 1987, the government of the Bahrain signed a letter of agreement for 12 F-16C/D Block 40 fighter aircraft (8 Charlies and 4 Deltas) under the Peace Crown I Foreign Military Sales program. The first BAAF F-16, a dual-seat F-16D, was formally handed over to the Assistant Chief of Staff of the Bahrain Defense Forces at ceremonies in Fort Worth on 22 March 1989. The first four aircraft arrived in Bahrain on May 23rd, 1990, flown by Bahraini pilots.

Since the F-16s for Bahrain were acquired under the Foreign

Military Sales program, they were assigned USAF serial numbers. However, the aircraft only carry indigenous serial numbers. The aircraft numbers and air force legends on the fuselage sides appear both in English and Arabic.

Peace Crown II

In February 1998, a Letter of Offer and Acceptance was signed to initiate a second Bahrain F-16 program. Dubbed Peace Crown II, the $303 million program funded ten Block 40 F-16s in the same configuration as the initial purchase. The new F-16s were Lantirn- and Amraam-capable. The decision to buy new was apparently due to commonality with Bahrain's other 12 Block 40's, the overall cost, and life cycle predictions.

These 10 Block 40's joined 21 other Block 40's to built for Egypt in the 1999-2000 time period, since regular production of the Block 40 model had stopped in 1995, having been supplanted by Block 50 and beyond.

Program	Model	Block	Qty.	Serials	Delivered
Peace Crown I	F-16C	Block 40	8	101/115 (odd Nrs.)	1990
	F-16D	Block 40	4	150/156 (even Nrs.)	1990
Peace Crown II	F-16C	Block 40	10	201/210	2000