May 09, 2015 Military Aviation News

Amid Boeing Co Kuwait F/A-18 Deal, Analysts Still Question Jet’s Future Performance

05/09/2015

Yesterday, Boeing Co announced that it is in talks with Kuwait to get new orders of its F/A-18 super hornets, which will keep the production running till fiscal year 2019. Boeing was of the opinion that after getting the order, the future of its military aircraft will be safe.

North Korea test-fires underwater ballistic missile

05/09/2015

North Korea has successfully test-fired a newly developed underwater ballistic missile which it describes as a "world-level strategic weapon", the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported early Saturday. Leader Kim Jong-Un gave the order to test-fire the missile and watched as it was launched from an attack submarine, the news agency said.

Australia begins work on $1.5bn new air combat capability facilities project

05/09/2015

The Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has announced the start of construction of the new air combat capability facilities at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown. Marked by turning of the first sod, construction of the new facilities is being carried out as part of a $1.5bn project that will provide facilities for the F-35A Lightning II - Joint Strike Fighter at ten bases across the country.

What Have 9 Months of Airstrikes Against ISIS Achieved?

05/09/2015

Today marks the nine month anniversary since the start of the U.S.-led air campaign, later named Operation Inherent Resolve, against the self-declared Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. The air war, which Secretary of State John Kerry then described as definitively not a war, but rather “a heightened level of counterterrorism operation,” shows no sign of ending.

Pentagon: China Expands Island Building

05/09/2015

China has started building artificial islands in the South China Sea at a greater rate than ever to boost its territorial claims in the area, a U.S. Defense Department senior official said Friday. The official said China had reclaimed 800 hectares (2,000 acres) at five different sites, three-quarters of it since the beginning of 2015, indicating that the speed of reclamation has picked up dramatically.

Drones Will Airdrop Relief Supplies To Combat Zones In Syria

05/09/2015

Drones-like sharks and William Shatner-are often misunderstood by the public. Many associate the autonomous fliers with warfare and creepy government spies. But drones can be heroic, dropping life-saving supplies to civilians in combat zones. That's what U.S. Air Force member/Stanford PhD student Mark Jacobsen wants to do with his crowdfunding effort, the Syria Airlift Project.

Report outlines FY 2001-FY 2014 Pakistan FMS deals

05/09/2015

The U.S. Congressional Research Service reports that Pakistan has signed $5.4 billion in Foreign Military Sales contracts from fiscal 2001 to fiscal 2014. Procurement of F-16 aircraft and related equipment account for more than half of the sum. "Major U.S. arms sales and grants to Pakistan since 2001 have included numerous items useful for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, along with a number of "big ticket" platforms more suited to conventional warfare."

Two civilians killed as MiG-27 crashes; Pilot safe

05/09/2015

A MiG-27 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed near Alipurdwar in West Bengal on Friday evening killing two civilians on the ground even as the pilot ejected safely. The aircraft had taken off from the Hasimara air base in Jalpaiguri district. The crash happened at 8.30pm about 10 minutes after it went airborne, an IAF official in New Delhi said.

Government's Auditor Faults Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Project, Says it Fails to Meet Air Force's Needs

05/09/2015

India's Tejas Light Combat Aircraft project, in the works for over three decades, came under severe criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on Friday, which said the Mark-I version has several shortcomings and does not meet IAF specifications. Not only that, Indian Air Force (IAF) would be "constrained" to induct the fighter LCA without availability of a trainer model, thereby "adversely impacting pilot training", the audit body said in a report tabled in Parliament.

All Articles