La fuga del cubano Viza en un contenedor de carga de Air France

CubaNet News

Ricardo González Alfonso

jpquin.chez.com

LA HABANA, 14 de septiembre - La noticia nació en París, pero la historia comenzó en La Habana. Roberto Viza Egües viajó como polizón aéreo durante catorce horas en el contenedor de una nave de la Air France. La presión atmosférica, el frío intenso y la incertidumbre lo acompañaron aquel 13 de agosto del 2000. El jueves 31 Francia lo deportó golpeado y esposado. El 2 de septiembre cumplió 26 años en un calabozo de Villa Maristas, cuartel general de la Seguridad del Estado cubana. El 5 de ese mes salió en libertad. ¿En libertad?

Habíamos concertado la entrevista para las 10 de la mañana. Roberto llegó puntual. Tenía un taponcito de algodón en su oído derecho, secuela de la golpiza que le propinó la gendarmería gala. Ya en mi cuarto-estudio converso con Viza Egües.

La Fuga

- ¿Por qué intentó salir de Cuba de un modo tan arriesgado?

- Por mi situación. Pertenezco a un grupo defensor de los derechos humanos: el Movimiento 24 de Febrero. Participé en muchas actividades y me sentía presionado. Quería marcharme de la Isla, como lo hice... o en una balsa.

- ¿Aquella noche del 12 de agosto hubo alguna circunstancia que favoreciera que usted burlara la vigilancia policiaca del Aeropuerto José Martí?

- Sí. Gracias a Dios llovía mucho. Todo estaba tranquilo. No habían postas. (En el asiento Viza encorva el cuerpo, mira para ambos lados). Brinqué una cerca. Corrí hasta una mata. Me acerqué al avión. Traté de entrar en el primer contenedor que vi. No pude, pero sí en el segundo.

- ¿Qué hora era?

- Un poco más de las ocho de la noche. A eso de las 12 despegó el avión.

- Ya en pleno vuelo, ¿qué sintió en el depósito de equipajes?

- Imagínese, desesperación; no sabía qué me podía pasar. Todo estaba oscuro. Seguía empapado y hacía mucho frío. Más o menos a las tres horas comencé a sangrar por la nariz. Llegué a Francia lleno de sangre.

La esperanza

- ¿Quiénes y cómo lo descubrieron? ¿Cómo lo recibieron las autoridades francesas?

- Trasladaban el contenedor. Lo golpeé (Ahora Viza abre los ojos, tanto, como si atrapara otra vez aquella claridad, y prosigue). Dos almaceneros lo abrieron, me sacaron y cargaron, pues yo no podía caminar. Me brindaron un buen trato, se preocuparon por mí. Entonces llamaron a la policía. Los agentes fueron amables, me llevaron a un campamento de refugiados donde había indios y africanos, y después a un hospital.

- ¿Se interesó alguien por usted?

- Sí. Me llamaron por teléfono muchos cubanos que viven en Francia, como Lázaro Jordana, presidente de Cuba Democrática; Jorge Luis Arce, quien era periodista independiente en Cuba, y un francés, Laurent Muller, presidente de la Asociación Europea por una Cuba Libre, a quien estoy muy agradecido.

- ¿Cómo y cuánto tardaron las autoridades francesas para decidir su deportación?

- Me llevaron tres veces a corte. La última fue la de apelación. Se determinó que permaneciera en el campamento para refugiados hasta que me liberaran, pues mi caso sería atendido. Allí podía permanecer 20 días. El penúltimo la policía me sacó.

¡A Cuba no!

Roberto Viza comienza a sentirse tenso. Indago. ¿Qué ocurrió a partir de aquel momento?

- Los agentes me dijeron que tenía que ir al aeropuerto a firmar un documento. Me engañaron. Aseguraron que después yo estaría libre, que podía llamar entonces a las organizaciones de cubanos en Francia.

- ¿Y?

- En el aeropuerto me esperaban muchos policías. Una traductora me dijo que aquel papel que firmé era para regresar a Cuba. Me negué. Había salido ilegalmente de mi país y arriesgando mi vida. Expliqué que si regresaba iba a ser sancionado (Su mirada ahora suplica, como si yo pudiera rescatarlo de sus recuerdos. Se inquieta. Alza la voz). Entonces me esposaron de pies y manos. Me llevaron a un cuarto donde había cuatro individuos con guantes negros, los que me golpearon. Yo grité que me dieran asilo político, que volver a Cuba no.

A Cuba

- ¿Cómo fue el viaje de regreso?

- Esposado hasta América del Norte. Las aeromozas, el sobrecargo y muchas personas le dijeron a una mujer y a los agentes franceses que me escoltaban que me dieran agua, que me soltaran, que yo no era un terrorista. Algunos pasajeros lloraban al ver mi estado.

- ¿Qué ocurrió al llegar a Cuba?

- Me trasladaron en un auto a Villa Maristas. La policía francesa me había golpeado tanto, que me llevaron a un hospital militar. Allí me sacaron varios coágulos del oído. Después me condujeron a la sede de la Seguridad del Estado, y me encerraron en una celda.

- ¿Qué tiempo permaneció allí?

- Hasta pasadas las ocho de la noche del 5 de septiembre.

- ¿Sobre qué temas lo interrogaron?

- El instructor dijo que mi salida ilegal no le interesaba, sino las declaraciones que hice en Francia contra el gobierno cubano, y mis actividades en la disidencia.

- ¿Cómo lo ponen en libertad?

- Me sacaron del calabozo y me llevaron al lobby de villa Maristas. Había muchas personas, jefes políticos, coroneles. Me dijeron que yo era un hombre libre, que no tenía problemas. Estaba sorprendido, y me pregunté: ¿qué estará pasando?

¿Otra vez la esperanza?

- Y ahora, transcurrido unos días, ¿por qué piensa que las autoridades cubanas actuaron así?

- Cuando llegué a mi casa varias organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos de Francia y de Cuba me llamaron. Supe entonces que la prensa internacional había hecho mucha presión sobre mi caso, y que el gobierno francés le pidió al cubano que me liberaran.

- ¿Aún se considera usted un perseguido político?

- Por supuesto. Siempre me he considerado así.

- ¿Aunque la policía política lo haya soltado?

- Aunque me haya soltado. ¿Usted no los conoce? (Calla. Respeto su silencio. A un gesto de él continúo).

- ¿Deseas agregar algo?

- Sí. Pedir a todas las personas que me quieran ayudar que lo hagan. Temo por mi vida y por mi familia. Yo quiero ser un joven libre.

Releo mis notas, me detengo en el primer apellido de Roberto y se me ocurre un juego de palabras muy serio: ¿No habrá en el mundo una visa para Viza?

Tussle mars Halifax flight from Cuba

The Chronicle Herald

A flight from Cuba to Halifax was delayed and two unruly female passengers were denied entry to the jetliner after a disturbance at the Varadero airport, another passenger said Friday.

“It took four Cuban security guards to pull the two girls apart,” said a woman who flew back to Halifax aboard Air Canada Flight 717. She didn’t want her name used.

“They were drunk. Every word out of their mouths was an obscenity.”

The flight, which was ultimately delayed for about 21/2 hours, arrived in Halifax at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, the woman said.

She said the two combatants in the scuffle were part of a group of four females who were travelling together with three children and had taken the same flight that she took to Varadero on April 10.

The women arrived at the Varadero airport on Thursday night for the return flight with drinks in their hands, she said, and one of them hollered at the children in the terminal when they asked for something to eat.

“One of the blonds yelled at the kids, ‘You should have (expletive) eaten at the (expletive) resort because now we have no money,’” the passenger related.

“Everyone in the airport could hear them.”

Within earshot of the four women, she told the pilot she didn’t think they should be served alcohol on the flight to Halifax, she said.

“So the one girl says to me, ‘It’s none of your (expletive) business, lady,’” the woman recounted.

“So I said to the pilot we didn’t want to get on a plane with people like this and she chimed in, ‘So what if we’re (expletive) strippers, so what.’”

The passenger said she felt the four travelling companions had been over-served by flight staff on the trip to Cuba a week earlier.

“We were all wondering if they’d show up for the flight home,” she said.

“It was just like (the reality TV show) Jersey Shore, no sense of decency or shame, and so loud.”

But she said she felt the plane’s captain “handled the situation as well as it could be handled” at the airport before the return flight.

Two of the women weren’t allowed to board the plane and the other two weren’t served liquor on the flight, she said.

Asked whether the incident had ruined her vacation, the woman replied, “Oh no, I had a great vacation.”

A request for comment from Air Canada went unanswered Friday. It wasn’t known if the two women refused passage on the flight had yet returned to Halifax.

No other passengers of the flight could be contacted to verify the woman’s story.

Canada says Russia's actions "imperialistic" Russia fighter Jet Buzz US. Aircraft

Mary Greeley

Gobierno venezolano dio a Cuba 3 aviones de lujo para transportar a Castro

en el minuto 0:55 del video que recoje el desprendimiento de la bandera cubana durante el recibimiento oficial a raul castro, se identifica claramente al fondo de la alfombra roja el falcon 900 en que viaja el dictador cubano.

---------------------------
eluniversal

Interior de unFalcón 900

Miami.-El gobierno de Venezuela otorgó a La Habana al menos tres aviones ejecutivos de lujo que son utilizados por los máximos dirigentes de la isla, y también se encarga del mantenimiento de las aeronaves aún cuando la nación petrolera enfrenta una férrea crisis de liquidez que mantiene vacías las estanterías de los supermercados.

Las aeronaves, que nuevas cuestan entre $100 y $110 millones, son utilizadas con regularidad para transportar ministros y hasta al propio Raúl Castro, quien ha expresado particular afición por uno de los aparatos, dijeron personas cercanas a la situación, se afirma en un trabajo periodístico que publica el diario Miami Herald, en su portal.

"Ellos los están usando, y los aviones están permanentemente en La Habana. La tripulación completa es cubana y están ciento por ciento dedicados a volar personal cubano", dijo un ex funcionario de Cubana de Aviación, que habló bajo condición de anonimato, asegura la publicación.

"Los aviones nada más van a Venezuela cuando le tienen que dar mantenimiento, y si acaso, cuando va uno de ellos allá", agregó.

Se trata de dos aviones Dassault Falcon 50 y un Falcon 900, los tres con matriculas venezolanas.

El Falcón 900 es el más lujoso de los tres, y es el utilizado con frecuencia por Castro cuando viaja a América Latina. Operada bajo la matricula venezolana YV-2053, la aeronave es la más nueva de la flotilla y tiene una autonomía de vuelo de 7,400 kilómetros.

Las otras dos aeronaves también son operadas con matriculas venezolanas, YV-1128 y YV-1129. Tienen una autonomía de vuelo de 6,480 kilómetros y normalmente son usadas por miembros del Consejo de Estado, dijo la fuente.

"Estos aviones están volando en Cuba desde el 2006", comentó Luis Domínguez, autor de la página de Internet Cuba al Descubierto, quien pasó varias semanas investigando el tema.

"Esto se sabe a través de fotos tomadas en Cuba, por fotos de satélites y por testimonios de personal de Cubana de Aviación que tuvo alguna relación con los aviones", comentó.

Pero también existen múltiples fotos tomadas en Venezuela y otros países de América Latina de funcionarios cubanos descendiendo de aviones venezolanos.

En las más recientes de ellas, muestran a Raúl Castro descendiendo del Falcon 900 y ministros cubanos de los Falcon 50.

"Son aviones de lujo que nada más son utilizados por Castro y por gente como [el vicepresidente del Consejo de Estado] Ramiro Valdés", comentó Domínguez. "Raúl ha manifestado que le gusta mucho el 900".

Además de Valdés, otros funcionarios cubanos que han sido fotografiados descendiendo de los aviones venezolanos incluyen los vicepresidentes del Consejo de Estado José Ramón Machado Ventura, Miguel Díaz Canel y el canciller cubano Bruno Rodríguez.

El ex ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Felipe Pérez Roque, también fue fotografiado descendiendo de uno de ellos.

Al parecer los albistas lo han escogido como el avion presidencial. Aqui Mr. Coca Morales en el suyo.

Los aviones previamente eran utilizados para brindar servicio a ejecutivos de la estatal Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa).

Las aeronaves venezolanas, pertenecientes al estatal Servicio Autónomo de Coordinación de Transporte Aéreo (SATA), son costosas. Los Falcon 50 son normalmente valorados en unos $35 millones, dependiendo de sus componentes, mientras que el 900 en más de $45 millones.

El mantenimiento de las aeronaves es realizado en Venezuela y también es oneroso, costando entre $4,000 y los $4,500 por hora de vuelo, dijo Domínguez, según la publicación.

Para Juan Fernández, ex director ejecutivo de planificación de PDVSA, que el Servicio Autónomo de Coordinación de Transporte Aéreo opere los aviones para beneficio de funcionarios cubanos es muy irónico.

La entidad fue creada por Chávez a inicios de su gobierno como medida de austeridad, para resguardar al Estado venezolano de los excesos que, según el entonces mandatario, cometían los ejecutivos de PDVSA al viajar en aviones de lujo, dijo Fernández.

SATA, una entidad adscrita a la vicepresidencia de la República, tiene como objetivo coordinar la prestación de servicio aéreo a las máximas autoridades de la administración pública nacional, según consta en su reglamento .

"Debe ser que las máximas autoridades de la administración pública nacional [de Venezuela] están en La Habana", expresó Fernández.

Cuba to buy Russian regional jets

PressTV

Antonov An-148

“Today’s decision on An-148 supplies to Cuba opens a new market for us,” said Alexei Gordeyev, the acting governor of Voronezh Region, where airplane manufacturer Voronezh Aircraft Plant is located.
Gordeyev’s Friday announcement came after a meeting with senior Cuban officials, including scientific advisor Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart and the country’s ambassador to Russia, Emilio Lozada García, RIA Novosti reported.
According to the report, the Cuban and Russian authorities further discussed other potential areas to expand bilateral cooperation during the meeting, including in healthcare and education sectors.
Russia and Cuba have enjoyed close ties since the days of the former Soviet Union. In recent years, Russia has moved to further expand its relations with Cuba.
In December 2013, Moscow wrote off most of Havana’s Soviet-era debt, estimated at about $30 billion, and denounced the American trade embargo against the Caribbean country.
Russia’s Voronezh Aircraft firm is one of the largest manufacturers of passenger and cargo aircraft in Russia. The company specializes in the production of the Il-96 wide-body long-haul passenger airliners and the An-148 regional jet.
The company reported a profit of 10 billion rubles ($280 million) in December 2013, including earnings from Il-96 sales that reached 5 billion rubles ($140 million), and An-148 sales at around 3.2 billion rubles ($90 million).

Report: Investigators Now Looking for ‘Mystery Woman’ who Called Malaysia Airlines Pilot Before Takeoff

TheBlaze.com

Investigators are focusing their efforts on discovering who called Malaysia Airlines flight 370’s pilot shortly before takeoff using a prepaid cellphone purchased with a false ID, Britain’s Daily Mail is reporting.

According to the report published late Saturday night, “The captain of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 received a two-minute call shortly before take-off from a mystery woman using a mobile phone number obtained under a false identity.”

The call was one of the last made to or dialed from Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah’s cellphone on the day of the flight now more than two weeks ago, the Daily Mail reported.

“Investigators are treating it as potentially significant because anyone buying a pay-as-you-go [prepaid] SIM card in Malaysia has to fill out a form giving their identity card or passport number,” the British paper wrote.

More Here >>

Are Anomalous Fires on N. Sentinel Island Associated with Flight MH 370?

SkyTruth

We've already done several posts on the mysterious disappearance of Flight MH370, mainly pointing out how many gaps there are in our observation of Planet Earth. (see John's quote in the Washington Post). But thanks to the keen eyes of a skytruther named Emily, we have a lead on something very interesting in the Bay of Bengal that has peculiar correlation to the timeline of MH370's disappearance.

from Wikimedia Commons

On March 8th, sometime between 12 and 15 hours after the Boeing 777 disappeared from secondary radar, a very distinct plume of smoke appeared on MODIS imagery from the north side of North Sentinel Island (part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territories of India). The island is solely occupied by an indigenous people known as the Sentinelese who have categorically rejected almost all contact with the outside world. Except for a series of friendly visits in the 1990's from Dr. Trilokinath Pandit of the Anthropological Survey of India, they have greeted all outsiders with a hail of arrows. In 1981 they forced a hasty evacuation from a grounded cargo vessel you can still see in Google Maps, and spurned a helicopter checking to see if they survived the 2004 Tsunami. Scanning the island, it is clear the island shows no evidence of agriculture, only sand beaches and dense tropical forest canopy. Anthropologists report they are technically a stone age tribe (though they use repurposed bits of metal from shipwrecks) and while they posses fire, did not know how to make it.

So back to the modern era. At 4:30 GMT, NASA's Terra satellite recorded, as always, a quiet, smokeless image of the remote island. But a mere 3 hours later, when Aqua passed overhead at 7:35 GMT, the satellite captured this image of a distinct smoke plume.

The following day, Landsat 8 acquired an image of the island, and while no smoke was visible, a roughly 40 hectare (over 123 acre) burn scar cuts into the dense interior canopy of the island. Below you can scroll between a reference image from February 5th (on the right) and the Landsat 8 image acquired on March 9 (on the left). Click here to open a larger image with the burn scars outlined.

This is a false-color (Bands 7-5-1) contrast-enhanced image, which exaggerates the reflectance of light in the near-infrared wavelengths so that healthy vegetation appears exceptionally green, while burn scars and bare earth or sand appear reddish-orange. 

Finally, infrared sensors aboard the MODIS satellites and NOAA's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite have detected fires on the north side of this island from March 8-10. According to our review of the past three months and March 2013, MODIS has never before detected fires of this magnitude on North Sentinel Island.

So what is going on? Well there are a few possibilities, but nothing concrete...

Could this be connected to the disappearance of MH 370?  Indian Naval officials dismissed earlier reports of the smoke from the island, saying it was just the natives burning grassland. Except there is no grassland on the island... 

Could this isolated tribe have reached the anthropological milestone or experimenting with slash-and-burn agriculture? Possible, but why now?

Or perhaps the fires were completely accidental, set off by lightning or an out of control campfire. But we're looking at dense tropical island jungle and it's hard to imagine over 120 acres just accidentally burns up.

We're looking into this, including trying to access a global lightning strike database so we can determine if the fire was associated with a brief but intense weather event.  But please let us know what you think in the comments below. 

Don't forget, you can check out the same imagery we use from the USGS, NASA, and NOAA, and if you are in a position to pass this along to administrators or Search & Rescue teams who can do something with this imagery, please do so!

Coordinates for North Sentinel Island in Decimal Degrees: 11.563285, 92.236034

ALERT: Did North Korea Shoot Down Malaysian Airline Aircraft?

Mary Greeley

UPDATE: Embajador cubano desaparece junto a otras 238 personas en avión de Malaysia Airlines

de acuerdo con @yamycubanita que remite a un productor de america teve, el embajador cubano en japon no viajaba en el avion de malaysia airlnies desaparecido.

Embajador cubano desaparece junto a otras 238 personas en avión de Malaysia Airlines

El embajador Rodriquez [d] Foto: Granma

al parecer el embajador cubano en japon marcos rodriquez viajaba en el avion de malaysia airlines que desaparecio en el mar al sur de china y vietnam. el "orgasmo" oficial  del regimen cubano no ha dado cuenta del hecho, mientras marti noticias equivoca el nombre del diplomatico cubano.

El salto de Felix Baumgartner visto por las cámaras GoPro que llevaba en el traje

microsiervos

Cuando el 14 de octubre de 2012 Felix Baumgartner saltó desde un globo a 31.333 metros de altitud para establecer tres nuevos récords su traje llevaba siete cámaras Hero2 de GoPro.

GoPro: Red Bull Stratos - The Full Story es el vídeo que acaba de publicar GoPro como resumen del salto, incluyendo esos tensos momentos en los que Felix giraba sin control y durante los que parecía que iba a tener que abortar el intento; de hecho él mismo dice en en un momento dado «parece que me doy a desmayar».
GoPro

Canadian tourists delayed in Cuba for almost 20 hours

Nearly 200 weary travellers are finally back on Canadian soil after being stranded in a Cuban

@252MOVE

airport for hours without any food or water.

“They just let us rot in a Cuban airport with no water eventually in the end, no food, in heat with babies that have fevers. Kids are walking around crying,” Janina Gibson, a passenger on Flight 683, told CityNews.

Dino Kanelopolous, another passenger, said he arrived at the airport in Varadero around 6:30 p.m. for the flight, which was scheduled to depart at 9 p.m. on Monday. But it was revised to leave Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. with an arrival time at Pearson airport of 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

“The information was that there were technical difficulties with one of the planes,” he explained. “They made arrangements to get another flight out. We got that information right around midnight.”

More on 680News >>

Only in Canada: Man found with pipe bomb at Edmonton airport allowed to fly

CBC News

An 18-year-old man who was allowed to get on a flight at Edmonton International Airport in September after he was caught bringing a pipe bomb to security has been sentenced for possession of an explosive device.​

Skylar Vincent Murphy was caught with the pipe bomb on Sept. 20. Security took the explosive away, but Murphy was given the go-ahead to continue on his flight. Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) alerted RCMP to the case four days later. Murphy was arrested by Leduc RCMP on Sept. 27.

In an email response to questions from CBC News, CATSA spokesman Mathieu Larocque did not address why Murphy was allowed to get on the plane. 

"Screening officers do not have the authority to apprehend or detain passengers," he wrote. "When they see something potentially illegal, the(y) contact the police."

On Dec. 5, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year probation and a $100 fine.

He is also prohibited from possessing explosives, firearms or ammunition for one year, and must also make a $500 donation to the University of Alberta burn unit.

Inside the Cuba airplane to Cayo largo. ... Plane Smoking!!!

Alex Niko

El Antonov An-225, el avión que se traga incluso tranvías

microsiervos

El An-225 a punto de engullir un tranvía por Yu Ming en RailPictures.net

No es muy habitual ver algo como esto, ya que normalmente es mucha más barato hacer un envío de este tipo por superficie y/o en barco, pero a veces el tiempo apremia y hay que subir un tranvía a un avión.

Claro que en este caso es el único Antonov 225 del mundo, un cacharro realmente grande.

Giant planes comparison, via Wikipedia

No en vano el An-225 tiene el récord de la carga más pesada transportada en vuelo, un generador eléctrico de 189.980 kilos de peso que transportó en 2009, y el de la más larga desde 2010, dos álabes experimentales para aerogeneradores con una longitud de 42 metros.

(Vía Ignacio R. en Aerolínea).

X-37B Marks One Year On Orbit

space.skyrocket.de

spacewar

By Morris Jones* Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 03, 2013

On December 11, 2013, the secretive X-37B robot spaceplane celebrates one year in orbit. This controversial spacecraft has been out of the limelight for a long time, attracting almost no media coverage for most of its mission. The third flight of one of the most secretive objects in space has been its most elusive mission to date!
What is this all about? The X-37B is a small vehicle that's roughly the size of a small truck. It has wings, tail fins and a stubby nose. There's no cockpit and no crew on board. The X-37B does have a small payload bay with clamshell doors, similar to its older cousin, the retired NASA Space Shuttle.
X-37B is launched and controlled by the US Air Force. It made its first launch in April 2010 on a mission that was largely cloaked in secrecy. 224 days later, it returned to a flawless runway landing. A second X-37B vehicle was launched in March 2011. It remained in space for 469 days.
The latest X-37B mission uses the same vehicle that was launched in 2010, making this the first time that an X-37B spacecraft has been re-used.
All of the above are known facts. We also know that the X-37B is testing new technologies that could be used in future spacecraft, such as autopilot systems and re-entry tiles. Beyond this, not much is officially revealed. The generally secretive nature of the program has generated a lot of curiosity and some fairly wild conspiracy theories.
X-37B has been accused of being an orbiting space weapon or a space-to-ground bomb. Such theories are most unlikely. There have also been suggestions that the robot shuttle is designed to retrieve or service other satellites. Buzz these theories, too.
This analyst has no inside leaks or friends behind the veil of secrecy that covers the program. However, judging from the context of other US spaceflight projects and the technical limitations of the vehicle, there is a plausible if somewhat mundane explanation for the missions.
The X-37B is probably flying two missions simultaneously. One is the testing of the X-37B itself, which has been generally acknowledged by the US Air Force.
The other concerns some secret payloads contained in the small shuttle-style cargo bay. These are probably parts intended for other satellites that are being tested in open space. They will be returned to Earth for analysis.
This analyst suspects that the most likely client for these parts is the National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and operates spy satellites. The NRO has had a string of bad luck with the performance of its satellites in recent years, and has been launching its own test missions to help develop new (and more reliable) satellites for the future. T
he X-37B offers a unique opportunity to not only launch things into space but get them back intact. Combine the goals of the USAF and the NRO, and there's enough justification for the cost of operating the X-37B program.
So the X-37B sits calmly in orbit, quietly testing its mettle against the harsh environment of space. Amateur satellite watchers who track the spacecraft have sometimes observed orbital changes, but no really strange behaviour. The Air Force says almost nothing. The NRO says nothing at all. And X-37B normally remains out of the news headlines.
When will the latest mission return? The last flight stayed in orbit for well over a year. This analyst expects that the latest mission won't end any time soon. Will it attempt to better the record set by its predecessor? We just don't know.
In the meantime, we can ponder the mysteries of this secret program and wait for it to return to Earth.
------------------
*Dr Morris Jones is an Australian space analyst who has written for spacedaily.com since 1999.

U.S. bombers fly over disputed island chain without informing China

behindthewall

Kyodo via Reuters file

A group of disputed islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, is seen in the East China Sea. Japan and the United States sharply criticized China's move to impose new rules on airspace over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Tokyo.

By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

Two American B-52 bombers flew over a disputed island chain in the East China Sea on Monday evening, a U.S. defense official confirmed, just days after the Chinese government included the area in an air defense identification zone.
The official said the flight was a training mission and the bombers were not armed. The flight was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
The Chinese announced over the weekend they were expanding their air defense identification zone to include the islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese. Japan also claims ownership.
The extension of the air defense identification zone includes an expectation by the Chinese government that all aircraft declare a flight plan and frequency and provide other information before entering.
The U.S. administration denounced the decision and declared that the U.S. will continue to conduct flight operations in and around that area.
"We will not in any way change how we conduct our operations," Pentagon spokesperson Col. Steve Warren said, adding that the U.S. maintains that the newly expanded ADIZ is in international waters.
Monday evening ET, two B-52 bombers took off from Anderson Air Force Base in Guam as part of an ongoing training exercise called Coral Lightning Global Power Training Sortie. The bombers were in the ADIZ for less than one hour, Warren said.
This was a "long-planned training exercise," and the U.S. did not inform the Chinese of their flight plan, Warren said.
The flights occurred without incident, Warren said, adding that there was no reaction, no Chinese aircraft were spotted in the air, and the Chinese did not contact the U.S. military about the flight.
"Nobody is talking about the possibility of armed conflict coming out of this [ADIZ decision]," Warren said.

Denny Cantrell / U.S. Navy for AP

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber from Andersen Air Force base in Guam during an training exercise Tuesday.
(AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Denny Cantrell)

Cuba about to order 10 more jets from Russia

An-158

CUBA STANDARD — Apparently using its leverage with close allies in Latin America, Cuba is expanding a previous order of three An-158 jets with Antonov Design Bureau, negotiating delivery of 10 jets, Russia’s Komersant daily reported.

Quoting Antonov’s Deputy General Designer, Alexander Keeva, the newspaper said the Cuban government has reached an agreement in principle with the Ukrainian aircraft maker and Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Co., and that the three sides are “getting close” to signing a final agreement.

Flag carrier Cubana de Aviación this year began operating three new An-158 jets ordered in 2011, on routes from Havana to  Santiago, Guantánamo, Holguín, Nassau, Santo Domingo, Cancún and Caracas.

During delivery of the third jet at an airshow in Moscow in August, Cuba reportedly signed an order for the leasing of three more of the Ukrainian-made mid-range aircraft. The three additional An-158 were scheduled for delivery in 2014. Russia’s Ilyushin Finance Co. will finance the three aircraft under an agreement with Roseximbank.

Now, Cuba is apparently negotiating delivery of seven more An-158 jets.

Cubana, Antonov and Ilyushin Finance just completed high-altitude tests with a Cubana An-158 jet in Ecuador and Bolivia. The two Andean countries, both close allies of Cuba, apparently have expressed interest in purchasing the jets as well.

“During this expedition, following demands of potential customers from the region, Antonov … and its partner Ilyushin Finance … conduct the airplane tests under conditions of alpine airfields,” Antonov said in a press release Nov. 15. “This expedition is an important constituent to promote the aircraft of the AN−148/AN−158 family into the market of Latin America.”

Keep reading on cubastandard >>

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Oscar Suarez

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