November, 2017 Military Aviation News
11/30/2017
A RUSSIAN Su-30 Flanker fighter jet allegedly crossed close in front of a US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea at the weekend, turning on its afterburner as it did so. The violent wake left by the superheated air tossed the US Poseidon into a 15-degree roll from which the pilots had to urgently recover.
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11/30/2017
One is convinced that as a citizen, like millions of our countrymen, we have virtually reached a stage of “now or never” so far as indigenous production of fighter aircraft is concerned. It is one’s firm belief that the first, foremost, primary objective towards Mission Indigenisation revolves around the capability and capacity or the “power” of the fighter engine and the interface with the fuselage (body) of the flying machine.
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11/30/2017
Lockheed Martin Corp. has won a modification contract for the C-130J center wing box replacement program. This contract has been awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, GA.
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11/30/2017
The South China Sea is more than 6,000 kilometres away from Canberra but Beijing's activities in this contested body of water are causing deep anxiety within Australia's defence and diplomatic circles. At its heart, this is a dispute over competing territorial claims but the South China Sea has become a symbol of China's inexorable rise and a shift in the global axis of power. Here's why Australia is concerned and how it's responding to the issue.
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11/30/2017
Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) is approaching the end of testing with the Mitsubishi X-2 technology demonstrator aircraft. The twin-engined fighter has completed 34 sorties, says Hirofumi Doi, manager of Japan's Future Fighter Program at ATLA. The first two flights were conducted by Mitsubishi, the subsequent 32 by ATLA at Gifu air base. The aircraft's maiden flight occurred on 22 April 2016.
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11/28/2017
Japan has detected radio signals suggesting North Korea may be preparing for another ballistic missile launch, although such signals are not unusual and satellite images did not show fresh activity, a Japanese government source said on Tuesday.
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11/28/2017
A Silicon Valley-based firm will deliver software to predict maintenance activity for US Air Force aircraft, starting with the Boeing E-3 Sentry and Lockheed Martin F-16. The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) selected the software firm C3 IoT for a multi-year contract aimed at leveraging the technology industry's advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning for aircraft maintenance, the company says.
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11/28/2017
Lockheed Martin is testing one of the most unique modifications to the F-35 Lightning II on icy runways on Eielson AFB, Alaska, this month. US Air Force test pilots are testing that the drag chute, a modification spearheaded by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, slows the aircraft to a stop on icy runways near the Arctic circle, Lockheed says.
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11/28/2017
As three companies continue vying for the contract to develop the MQ-25 Stingray, the US Navy is quietly making progress with the design of the carrier-based, unmanned tanker aircraft’s mission control system.
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11/28/2017
Current Israeli air force F-16C/Ds are now being offered, with the service to retire some of its examples as more Lockheed F-35I Adirs enter use. The Israeli proposal also could include a mix of C/D-model aircraft and already-retired F-16A/Bs which it has previously pitched to the Croatian government.
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11/27/2017
The Air Force is planning an F-35A show of force in the Pacific in coming weeks now that 12 F-35A’s have deployed to Japan for a six-month rotation, service officials said. While service officials describe the move as a routine deployment, called a Theater Security Package, the current tensions with North Korea are by no means lost on the Air Force and other Pentagon planners – who are preparing to demonstrate F-35 power, technology and combat readiness in a series of upcoming exercises.
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11/27/2017
The Indian Air Force, one of the largest in the world, operates a diverse mix of legacy and modern fighter jets, including MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. India sees the possibility of a two-front war — with Pakistan in the west and China in the north — and to be able to tackle it, the IAF has a projected requirement of 44 fighter squadrons.
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11/25/2017
The Indian government’s deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets, first announced during a 2015 state visit to France, is now in the headlines thanks to allegations of overpricing and crony capitalism. The controversy began with the selection of the Rafale fighter jets by the Congress government in 2012 to meet the IAF’s requirement for 123 combat aircraft. As the deal hit a deadlock, the Modi government scrapped the process to purchase 36 Rafale fighters.
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11/25/2017
The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries are beginning a massive upgrade and technical adjustment to its USS George Washington Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier -- to enable the ship to operate the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and serve for 25-more years with newly configured structures, weapons systems, defenses, propulsion, computer automation and advanced digital networking technology.
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11/25/2017
Many a ship has a remarkable tale to tell—but few have survived as many scraps as the aircraft carrier berthed at Pier 86 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. The Intrepid (CV-11) and its sailors and aviators survived hits from four Kamikaze planes, helped sink the largest battleship ever built, recovered three astronauts from the sea and shot down a MiG jet over Vietnam.
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11/25/2017
The Indian air force test-fired the Mach 2.8 Brahmos cruise missile from an aircraft for the first time on 22 November, moving the anti-ship and land attack capability a step closer to operational use.
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11/25/2017
Sikorsky has confirmed that the CH-53K King Stallion will make its air show debut at next year's ILA Berlin event, as the airframer pursues a lucrative export contract with Germany. The manufacturer had previously expressed an ambition to take the new heavy-lift helicopter to the biennial exhibition, but has now been given the go-ahead by the US Marine Corps, Sikorsky's domestic customer for the CH-53K.
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11/22/2017
The chair of the US Senate Appropriations committee has approved the chamber’s version of the fiscal year 2018 defence spending bill this week, a move that pushes the legislation closer to final passage.
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11/22/2017
The US Air Force has released a request for proposals for a contract to beef up the structures on on a subset of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet to keep the single-engined fighter in service for at least 30 more years.
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11/22/2017
The US Air Force does not believe recapitalising the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet will give the service the capability it needs for contested environments, the head of Air Combat Command says.
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11/22/2017
In a sign that testing activity has resumed since an incident six weeks ago, Embraer’s KC-390 arrived at the company’s US base in Jacksonville, Florida on 20 November to begin a series of flight tests before certification.
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11/22/2017
Two United Technologies competitors – Rolls-Royce and Honeywell – teamed up in 2015 to design and build the 1MW-class hybrid-electric propulsion system for the Aurora Flight Sciences’ XV-24A Lightning Strike, a pioneering unmanned air system funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
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11/21/2017
Purchasing used F-18 Hornets cannot close Canada’s fighter capability gap. It’s simply more of the same problem. Replacing an old aircraft with more old aircraft is not the answer. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially took the right steps to protect our borders and defend North America.
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11/21/2017
U.S. and Afghan warplanes bombed 10 Taliban-controlled opium production facilities in Helmand province Sunday in the first major use of new White House-approved authorities to target the insurgents’ revenue stream, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Monday.
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11/21/2017
Beyond the politics of last week's Congress-BJP squabble over the deal to purchase Rafale fighters for the IAF lies the grim reality of an emaciated force that is well short of the strength required to face up to a two-front threat.
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11/21/2017
Tupolev on 16 November rolled out the first new-build Tu-160 strategic bomber from the Kazan Aviation plant, with first flight of the supersonic aircraft scheduled for February 2018. The Tu-160 was last produced in 2007 and the latest example is a key test of Tupolev's ability to restore final assembly, as well as modernising the type with new Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines.
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11/21/2017
Leonardo Helicopters has delivered the first of an eventual 16 search and rescue-configured AW101s to Norway. Acquired under the Norwegian all-weather search and rescue helicopter (NAWSARH) programme, the AW101 departed Leonardo's Yeovil, UK, manufacturing facility on 17 November for Sola air base in southern Norway.
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11/18/2017
At the start of this century, the then-EADS began exploring the potential for its A330 widebody to deliver air-to-air refuelling (AAR) services for military operators. In doing so the European company replicated its strategy for the airliner market, by going head to head for international sales with Boeing, which held a virtual monopoly in the tanker sector.
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11/18/2017
Northrop Grumman has performed the first flight of Japan's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning and surveillance aircraft. Completed in early October from the US airframer's facility in St Augustine, Florida, the milestone was announced by the company on 15 November.
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11/18/2017
Being developed for the US Army's future vertical lift programme, the V-280 is due to make its maiden sortie before year-end. But, says Vince Tobin, Bell's vice-president of military business, the manufacturer is now considering possible future applications for the tiltrotor. "With the help of the US government, we hope to look at flying the V-280 autonomously, hopefully in the next year or so," he says.
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11/18/2017
A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and a Sukhoi Su-35 shared a common runway ramp for the first time at the Dubai air show. As reports heat up of a budding competition between the Su-35 and the Lockheed F-35 for a United Arab Emirates air force contract, that unlikely pairing at Al Maktoum International seemed appropriate.
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11/16/2017
London-based BAE Systems Ltd. announced an agreement on Wednesday to maintain and support Hawk training planes in the United Arab Emirates. BAE will contract with the UAE-based Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, or AMMROC, to provide repairs and upgrades to Hawk Mk61, Mk102 and Mk63 aircraft at a facility in Abu Dhabi until 2020.
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11/16/2017
Airmen from multiple Air National Guard units of Texas, New York, Iowa, Ohio, California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and North Dakota supported and flew MQ-9 Reaper aircraft during Operation Combat Hammer, the first operational air-to-ground weapons evaluation for the Air National Guard to be a part of as the sole MQ-9 Reaper mission set.
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11/16/2017
I have dealt with the F-22 for many years and first visited the First Fighter Wing in 2007 as the plane was being stood up and introduced to the force. What was anticipated and hoped for with the introduction of the first fifth generation aircraft is clearly now being realized, although, unfortunately, at much lower numbers than the USAF desired or needed.
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11/16/2017
While its years-long search for a future fighter continues, the United Arab Emirates has revealed a plan to modernise its in-service fleet of French-supplied combat aircraft. During the Dubai air show on 14 November, Dassault confirmed that the UAE's armed forces "have announced their intention to sign a contract for the upgrade of their Mirage 2000-9 fleet."
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11/16/2017
The United Arab Emirates air force is to update its medium transport capabilities, with a new fleet of Airbus Defence & Space C295s to enter service from late next year. Announced at the Dubai air show on 15 November, the deal will deliver five of the twin-turboprop aircraft from the fourth quarter of 2018, Airbus says.
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11/16/2017
The Royal Norwegian Air Force has conducted its first domestic flights with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, after a trio of the fifth-generation type touched down at its Ørland air base early this month.
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11/16/2017
The internationalisation of the Italian air force’s jet pilot training school and advances in its Integrated Pilot Training System (IPTS) are combining with the advent of full capability for Leonardo’s M-346 lead-in-fighter trainer and the upcoming introduction of its M-345 basic/advanced trainer to propel Italy to the leading edge of fighter pilot training.
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11/16/2017
Bell Helicopter's immediate attentions at Dubai may be centred on the sale of AH-1Z attack helicopters, but back at its Amarillo, Texas facility the focus is on first flight of its latest rotorcraft.
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11/13/2017
The United States may be in talks with the United Arab Emirates over a potential Lockheed Martin F-35 sale, but the US Air Force’s head of Central Command doubts the UAE would be able to operate the Joint Strike Fighter alongside a fifth-generation Russian fighter.
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11/13/2017
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries C-2 is making its debut outside of Japan at the air show, as the country pushes for export sales of the military transport. Powered by General Electric CF6 engines, the aircraft has been developed as a successor to the Kawasaki C-1 in both strategic and tactical airlift missions.
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11/13/2017
The Royal Canadian Air Force expects to release a new request for proposals for its fifth-generation fighter competition by 2019 with a contract award by 2021, the RCAF’s commander says this week.
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11/11/2017
The unemployment rate for veterans is the lowest it has ever been since September 2001, and it continuing to fall. This achievement is due in part to the employers who have made a commitment to hire those who have served in our armed forces. In advance of Veterans Day, job site Monster worked with a panel of veteran hiring experts and Military.com to gather a list of the 10 best companies for veterans.
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11/11/2017
China will now be able to move ahead with its third aircraft carrier, after it announced a breakthrough on technology for launching aircraft. The new technology would be the most advanced jet launch system in the world that doesn’t use nuclear power, China's military said. The new developments on its integrated propulsion system would create more power for an electromagnetic catapult.
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11/11/2017
Norway on Friday received the first three of the 40 F-35 fighter jets it ordered from Lockheed-Martin as part of efforts to beef up its air force. Norway is the fourth country after the United States, Israel and Italy to receive the planes. “These warplanes will improve the entire Norwegian defense,” General Major Tonje Skinnarland, head of the Norwegian airforce, told broadcaster TV2. Their main task was to secure air control, to allow other parts of Norwegian defense to operate safely, she sai
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11/11/2017
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is no longer seeking a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) and is evaluating light combat aircraft (LCA) instead. In another change of policy, the service has grounded its remaining airworthy MiG-29s instead of upgrading them, although the government has not made a final decision about their future. The RMAF is also now seeking four-to-six new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).
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11/11/2017
The Indian Air Force has said that the domestically manufactured Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is not fit enough to protect the Indian skies. The IAF said the Tejas is far behind its competitors like the JAS 39 Gripen manufactured by the Swedish aerospace company Saab and the US made F-16 manufactured by Lockheed Martin, sources were quoted as saying by India Today Friday.
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11/10/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky - able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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11/10/2017
Develop it faster, build it cheaper and make it more available. From electronics to automobiles, the Asian doctrine of the 20th century. With the rush toward globalization and the blurring of borders in the internet age, manufactured products in every category move across borders and subvert political boundaries with impunity.
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11/10/2017
The US Navy’s commander of Naval Air Forces is sending a dire warning to Congress this week over the rampant cannibalisation of its fighter fleet could threaten the service’s ability to go to war.
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11/10/2017
State news agency Bernama reports that the Royal Malaysian Air Force has set up a team to evaluate MPAs. This follows a provision for the acquisition four aircraft in the government's 2018 budget. The report, quoting air force chief Affendi Buang, adds that the participation of local industry will be a key factor.
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11/09/2017
In an attempt to address this operational limitation and establish a sustainable aerial refueling program of its own, the PLAAF initiated an indigenous aerial refueling program via the Xi’an Y-20 “Kunpeng” (named after an ancient Chinese mythical bird that can fly for thousands of miles) heavy transport aircraft platform with the first Y-20 prototype, successfully making its first flight at Shaanxi Yanliang Aviation Base in January 2013.
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11/09/2017
India could be about to re-examine its decision to acquire fifth-generation fighters from Russia, after the Indian Air Force (IAF) produced a report questioning the reasoning behind the program. A number of Russian media reports in late October stated that India will decide not to press forward with participation in the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program.
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11/09/2017
Despite a plan to jointly develop its own fifth generation fighter jet with France, Germany is still very interested in joining the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, is looking hard at the American jet as it presses for purchases of an already in production or development design to replace its aging Panavia Tornado swing-wing combat aircraft.
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11/09/2017
Malaysia is seeking lightweight multi-role fighter options to complement its fleet of twin-engine medium and heavyweight fighters, an air force official said. “The Royal Malaysian Air Force [RMAF] is looking at its capabilities for the next 15-years-or-so, and how best we can suit our requirements,” the official was quoted as saying by IHS Jane's, adding that the new Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) procurement programme is looking to have some air-to-air and a full air-to-ground capability.
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11/09/2017
The House and Senate armed services committees released details of a conference report on a $700 billion National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) that boosts the number of Lockheed Martin F-35s and maintains the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS recapitalisation programme.
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11/09/2017
A communications system that can translate messages between the US Air Force’s most advanced and oldest fighters is back on the service’s expedited shopping list, according to a recent acquisition notice.
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11/09/2017
A flight-test campaign involving nine live firings of MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface missile from the Eurofighter Typhoon has been completed in the UK, with the combination on track to enter operational use with the Royal Air Force by March 2019.
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11/09/2017
In a third-quarter results statement issued on 27 October, Embraer said it "will be ramping up production of the KC-390" next year, "with first delivery of this jet expected in the second half of 2018". The Brazilian air force is its only confirmed buyer for the twinjet to date, with the service to field an eventually 28-strong fleet. The company has previously outlined a plan to hand over its first two customer aircraft in 2018.
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11/08/2017
Unmanned air giant General Atomics scored the contract for the first phase of the Missile Defense Agency’s low power laser demonstration contract this week, marking the first step on the road toward a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV with a high-energy laser.
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11/08/2017
Lockheed Martin will demonstrate an airborne laser generating tens of kilowatts of power for the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s podded electric laser concept for fifth- and sixth-generation fighter jets.
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11/08/2017
Israel's air force is due to receive its next two Lockheed Martin F-35Is before the end of this week, boosting its fleet of the type to nine. The aircraft will touch down at Nevatim air base in the south of the country.
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11/07/2017
Two years ago, the Dubai air show’s surprise deal followed the appearance of a nondescript press notice, which pointed simply to an “announcement” between the United Arab Emirates air force and Saab.
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11/07/2017
Lockheed Martin has received a $26.3 million contract to develop and produce a laser than can be tested on a fighter jet by 2021. The initiative will see Lockheed develop a high power fiber laser as part of US Air Force's Research Lab's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) programme, says Lockheed in a statement.
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11/04/2017
Textron AirLand's production-standard Scorpion light-attack aircraft appears set to make a debut appearance at the Dubai air show from 12-16 November, with the aircraft currently being flown in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
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11/04/2017
The existence of a two-year-old project to develop a new air-to-air missile capable of intercepting targets at great distances has emerged in US budget documents. The Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD) launched a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance”, according to budget documents released last March.
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11/04/2017
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Navy to jointly develop the of the Raytheon AN/ALQ-249 next generation jammer mid-band capability (NGJ-MB).
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11/03/2017
Pairing the Su-30 with the Brahmos missile will also drastically expand the striking power of the air leg of India’s nuclear triad. The Su-30 itself has a range of up to 1,800 kilometers while the Brahmos missile can strike targets nearly 300 kilometers away. Thus, the newly modified Su-30s will allow India’s nuclear aircraft to strike deep in the heart of China or Pakistan, Delhi’s two main adversaries.
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11/02/2017
A batch of helicopters delivered years late and allegedly with parts missing and broken has led to a second legal dispute between MD Helicopters (MDHI) and Boeing, two acrimonious neighbours and former corporate partners in Mesa, Arizona.
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11/02/2017
The US Air Force’s latest batch of six Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos for Afghanistan cost $174.5 million, a price tag includes aircraft transportation, maintenance spares and advanced sensors, the service tells FlightGlobal.
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11/02/2017
Lockheed Martin halted all F-35 deliveries for a month after discovering excessive corrosion on fasteners under an F-35A’s fuselage panels during maintenance at Hill AFB, Utah, the Defense Department confirmed this week.
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11/01/2017
The United States Air Force held a ceremony earlier this month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor’s first flight. The ceremony was held at Edwards Air Force Base in California on October 19. However, the actual 20th anniversary of the Raptor’s was on September 7.
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11/01/2017
Private red air contractor TacAir is the purchaser of the ex-Jordanian F-5Es that we wrote about being pulled off a 747-400F in Florida last February. The aircraft were going to be overhauled by the Northrop Grumman plant located in St. Augustine that also supports the Navy and Marine Corps' F-5Ns, and has upgraded other air arms' aging Tiger IIs with structural and avionics enhancements over the years. These aircraft were the only four delivered from Jordan to the U.S. via air.
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11/01/2017
A JF-17 Fierce Dragon fighter aircraft with the insignia of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on its tail has been conducting test flights in China's Chengdu airport, indicating that plans to induct them into MAF by end of this year may be on course. That will make Pakistan a military hardware exporter because the Fierce Dragon has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
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11/01/2017
The United States delivered two A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Lebanon's army on Tuesday, a sign of continued US support despite Israeli accusations that the Lebanese military is controlled by Hezbollah. The planes will be used as armed observation aircraft, a security source in Lebanon said, and represent a big upgrade for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
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