Military Aviation News Archive

Tejas test-fires missile successfully

12/01/2010

Preparing for the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC), the Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas,' on Tuesday conducted its last phase of flight trials by successfully test-firing air-to-air close combat missile at Goa.

Final AW159 Lynx Wildcat Test Aircraft Makes Its Maiden Flight

11/30/2010

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the third and final AW159 test aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight on November 19th at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in the UK. During its maiden flight a range of general handling checks were completed and it performed as expected.

Saudi Arabia National Guard to launch air wing with $25bn helicopter purchase

11/30/2010

Saudi Arabia's National Guard (SANG) is to be a key beneficiary of the mega arms deal with the USA and will directly lead to the creation of a new air arm.

UK Government underlines strong support for the Eurofighter Typhoon Campaign in India

11/30/2010

UK's Secretary of State for Defence Dr. Liam Fox visited the Eurofighter Typhoon Office in New Delhi today and met high-level company officials. Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Cassidian Air Systems and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eurofighter GmbH, briefed Dr. Liam Fox on the current status of the Eurofighter Typhoon campaign to win India’s tender for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).

S. Korea, U.S. to hold maritime interdiction, aerial interception drills

11/30/2010

South Korea and the United States plan to stage maritime interdiction and aerial interception drills Tuesday on the third day of major naval exercises in the Yellow Sea aimed at warning North Korea against any future provocations, military officials here said.

Dogfight Erupts Over Costly Jet Engine .

11/30/2010

At stake is a program to develop an alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, a stealthy, supersonic jet supposed to be the backbone of the U.S. fighter fleet for the next three decades. For the past four years, Congress has funded the development of the second engine against the wishes of the Pentagon, which maintains that only a Pratt & Whitney engine should be funded.

Army unit flies new unmanned aircraft in Iraq

11/29/2010

An Army unit deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, is shaping the future of the Army’s unmanned aircraft systems program with a handful of its newest aircraft, the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

Maintenance, security needs will cause fighter jet costs to soar

11/29/2010

Canada's new stealth fighter aircraft will require extensive maintenance, as well as very expensive changes to improve security at the military bases they operate from, according to Defence Department documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

Fightercraft makers battle for lucrative Turkish market

11/29/2010

The playing field, however, is unequal as Turkey has already selected the JSF as its next fighter aircraft type and plans to buy about 100 F-35 aircraft worth nearly $15 billion. Many Turkish companies are members of the nine-nation JSF consortium and are producing parts for the aircraft.

S. Korea, U.S. start naval drills near N. Korean border

11/29/2010

South Korea and the United States began on Sunday large-scale joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea just days after North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean island that killed four people, the Yonhap news agency said.

US and S.Korea plan naval show of force off tense peninsula

11/28/2010

US and South Korean naval forces plan to stage four days of war games from Sunday off the tense Korean peninsula, days after the North launched a deadly artillery strike against the South.

Schwartz: AF ready to respond to Korea attack

11/28/2010

The Air Force stands ready to respond if hostilities between North Korea and South Korea escalate, the service’s top uniformed officer said, but American fighter jets remained at their normal alert status a day after a North Korean artillery attack.

Tanker, F-35 and Korea Transfix USAF

11/28/2010

Could bad luck be coming in threes for the U.S. Air Force? This month, officials were sacked from the tanker-replacement program, concern grew about another slip in the F-35’s initial operating date, and South Korea is enduring the worst attack by North Korea in more than 50 years.

Russian-made cargo plane crashes in Pakistan, 8 crew dead

11/28/2010

A Russian-made Il-76 cargo plane crashed early Sunday in a Karachi residential neighborhood, killing all eight crewmembers and destroying several buildings under construction, CNN reported.

US delivers six F-16 aircraft to Pakistan

11/27/2010

Pakistan on Saturday received six new F-16 C/D Block 52 high tech aircraft from the United States.

Russia denies US reports of slip in Iraq helicopter deal

11/27/2010

Russian helicopter deliveries to Iraq are proceeding as planned, a source in the Russian aircraft industry said on Thursday, in response to American claims that deliveries are over-budget and late.

Russia wants NATO to resolve Afghan helicopter deal

11/27/2010

Russia hopes that NATO will resolve the problems in financing a deal on the delivery of Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

India made electronic warfare systems for IAF Mig-29s and LCA

11/25/2010

Indian Air Force(IAF)’s Mig-29 and the home-made ’Tejus’ Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will have electronic warfare(EW) systems developed by India’s DRDO from next year onwards. The older Mig-27 fighters are being equipped this year and operational trials are scheduled next year.

LCA Tejas Falls Short of Earlier Expectations

11/25/2010

As India’s homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Tejas) nears critical initial operational clearance next month, Indian air force officials say the aircraft will fail to meet performance requirements laid down by the service for the limited-profile Mk.1 platform.

Dive, dive, dive! How amateur pilot in a Cessna caused chaos to 29-plane RAF formation marking the Queen's Birthday

11/25/2010

An amateur pilot in a Cessna caused chaos to an RAF fly-past marking the Queen's Birthday when he strayed into its flight path.

Sweden to Sell More Gripen Fighters to Thailand

11/24/2010

Sweden Tuesday reached an agreement with Thailand on selling another six JAS 39 Gripen fighters with peripheral equipment, according to a statement from Swedish Ministry of Defense.

North Korea bombs South Korea's Yeonpyeong island; Seoul scrambles F-16 jets

11/23/2010

South Korea has launched F-16 fighter jets and returned fire after North Korea shot around 200 artillery shells on to a populated South Korean island near the countries' western border.

Poland to host U.S. jets and C-130s

11/23/2010

A senior military official in Poland says the U.S. Air Force will deploy F-16 jet fighters and C-130 Hercules transport planes in the country by 2013.

Pilot dies as UAE military plane crashes in RAK

11/23/2010

A UAE military aircraft crashed in Wadi Al Bih in Ras Al Khaimah on Monday morning, killing its pilot who was the only person on board.

Second prototype fifth-generation fighter to fly before yearend

11/23/2010

Flight trials of the second prototype of Sukhoi's fifth-generation T-50 fighter aircraft are due before the end of the year, Sukhoi holding CEO Mikhail Pogosyan said on Monday.