Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

The Strange Case of the (Nearby) But Missing F-22s Over Libya

04/19/2011

Retired Air Force lieutenant general Dave Deptula, a former fighter pilot, air war boss and Air Force intel chief, says politics kept the F-22 on the sidelines. "The F-22 could have established a no-fly zone over Libya without any other airplanes being required to overfly Libya," he says. "That would have obviated the need for any other coalition partner from participating, and therefore was not a desirable option politically."

Mystery jet 'flies' again

04/19/2011

Photos of China's J-20 stealth fighter prototype are all the rage on online military forums, after word emerged that another test flight was completed Sunday when officials in Beijing celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China's aviation industry.

Britain receives its largest military aircraft

04/19/2011

Britain's largest military aircraft, which is nearly 60 metres long and has a wingspan of 60 metres, arrived in the country from Madrid to undergo intensive trials, media reports said. This strategic tanker named Voyager will play the dual role of transport aircraft and an air to air tanker for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It can carry up to 290 troops. The aircraft is expected to replace the long-serving VC-10 and Tristar following its intensive testing programme.

Unmanned military aircraft get a boost with new contract

04/19/2011

Unmanned military aircraft running on lithium-ion batteries received a boost for future development with a new a U.S. Air Force contract designed to fund work on longer lasting and cheaper batteries of the mineral compound. Lithium-ion batteries are seen by military industry analysts as a major, stable source of power for operating small to medium-sized machines. Success with the ongoing research will mean that lithium-ion batteries could also run consumer items at lower costs and with greater

Czech Republic may sell combat jets to Iraq

04/19/2011

The Czech Republic is planning to offer Iraq a number of light attack aircraft and help Baghdad to modernize its helicopter fleet, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said. Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas will visit Iraq on May 23-24 to promote closer economic cooperation with Baghdad and sign an agreement on mutual protection of investments.

UAE's MRTT takes successful first flight

04/19/2011

The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT for the United Arab Emirates Air Force has successfully completed its maiden flight following conversion of the aircraft in Madrid.

Republic of Korea Air Force Receives First Lockheed Martin Sniper® Pods

04/19/2011

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) recently received Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Sniper pods for their F-15K aircraft. Delivered to Daegu Air Base, South Korea, these pods will be immediately deployed into full flight operations with the ROKAF F-15K fleet.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First F-35 Full Mission Simulator to Eglin Air Force Base

04/19/2011

Lockheed Martin marked the delivery of the first F-35 Lightning II Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system to Eglin Air Force Base’s 33rd Fighter Wing. Preparation and assembly is underway at the base’s F-35 Integrated Training Center (ITC) for training to commence this fall. The Joint Strike Fighter FMS includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system and a reconfigurable cockpit that simulates all three aircraft variants for U.S. and international partner services. The system is the high

Boeing, Australia Announce Order for 5th C-17 Globemaster III

04/19/2011

Boeing announced today that the Commonwealth of Australia has signed an agreement with the U.S. government to acquire a fifth Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter. The Foreign Military Sale allows the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to expand its C-17 fleet as it faces an increased demand for humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

The Afghan Syndrome Comes To Libya

04/18/2011

The Libyan rebels are complaining that the NATO air support is inadequate. While there were over a hundred fighters and bombers sent into action, by 17 nations (14 of 28 NATO members plus the UAE, Qatar and Sweden), most of the contributing nations have restrictions on how their aircraft could be used. As a result, six of the nations (mostly Britain and France) provide nearly all the actual bombing support to the rebels on the ground. The other nations restrict their aircraft to recon missions,

Forty nations made a pact on Libya – now they have to act on it

04/16/2011

At the last count, around 40 countries had committed themselves to support the Nato mission to protect Libya’s civilian population. But when it comes to the altogether more challenging business of launching air strikes, only a handful are prepared to allow their planes to take part.

Dyess would lose four B-1 bombers under Obama's proposal

04/16/2011

President Barack Obama’s proposed B-1 bomber cuts could shrink the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base by four aircraft. Abilene Rep. Randy Neugebauer made a case for not cutting B-1s at all during a hearing Thursday morning on Capitol Hill. “It’s the least expensive bomber in the fleet,” the Lubbock Republican told the House Armed Services Committee.

Typhoon factfile: the RAF's most deadly combat aircraft

04/16/2011

Costing £70 million each, they can reach a top speed of around Mach 2 (1,550 mph) making them considerably faster than the RAF’s workhorse Tornado jets, which can fly at just over Mach 1.

Spare parts shortage grounds RAF jets

04/16/2011

Pilots of the RAF's top fighter jets - currently in action over Libya - are being grounded as a lack of spare parts means they cannot put in the flying hours to keep their skills up to date, MPs warn.

Green Flag West military exercise runs through April 29

04/16/2011

Residents in Southern Nevada and areas of California can expect military aircraft noise to increase today through April 29 while Nellis Air Force Base conducts a Green Flag air combat training exercise.

Canadian suppliers working to make new fighter jet more affordable, says CEO

04/16/2011

Canadian suppliers are cutting expenses to help make the Joint Strike Fighter warplane more affordable, the head of landing gear company Heroux-Devtek said Friday.

Boeing to Promote Innovative Solutions at Army Aviation Exposition

04/16/2011

The Boeing Company will showcase a wide array of aviation, training, support and technology solutions at the 2011 Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition. This year’s event takes place April 17-20 in Nashville.

INTERVIEW-UK's Hague hopeful on Libya combat planes

04/15/2011

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday he was hopeful other NATO members would provide more ground attack planes for the Libya mission, even though some have rebuffed calls to do more.

Pilot safe after jet catches fire on Navy carrier

04/15/2011

The engine of a jet fighter caught fire in the air over an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, but sailors quickly doused the flames after it touched down and the pilot escaped unharmed, the Navy said Thursday. The fire on the USS Carl Vinson on Monday was the second involving an F/A-18C Hornet aboard an aircraft carrier in less than a month. Authorities did not immediately indicate whether the causes might be related.

Nellis Air Force jets gear up battle exercises

04/15/2011

Southern Nevada and Southern California residents will continue to see increased military aircraft activity as the Air Force flies Green Flag West 11-6. Missions, which take place April 15-29 at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., will be flown between 3 p.m. and midnight the first week and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. the second week. The exercise flight path includes areas within the Las Vegas valley, to and from Nellis AFB and the NTC, near Mount Charleston, and north of Pahrump in Nevad

Canada mulls call for more jets for Libya campaign

04/15/2011

NATO has made an appeal for more aircraft as the war against the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to have stalled. But the Canadian Forces has yet to indicate whether more CF-18 fighter jets will be joining the campaign. Britain and France have been lobbying NATO members to provide more military resources while NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a foreign ministers' summit the alliance needs more aircraft for the Libyan mission.

Aero lands major contract for Brazilian military plane

04/15/2011

In a statement, the major Brazilian producer of civil and military aircraft said that Aero would supply rear fuselage sections, crew and parachute doors, emergency doors, hatches and cargo ramps for prototypes of the KC-390 and for future commercial production.

UK uses Typhoon jet in attack role for first time

04/14/2011

Britain used the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet in active combat for the first time, a senior military official said on Wednesday. British Air Vice-Marshal Phil Osborn said the aircraft had been used on Tuesday to bomb targets over Libya, where NATO forces are attacking military assets belonging to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and enforcing a no-fly zone and arms embargo.

Jet Catches Fire Aboard USS Carl Vinson

04/14/2011

On the heels of a recent explosion and fire aboard one aircraft carrier, the Navy reports a second fighter jet fire aboard San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson. An F/A-18C Hornet made an emergency landing using one engine on USS Carl Vinson April 11. Once the jet landed on deck, it engulfed into flames.

U.S. jets have struck at Libyan targets, even after NATO takeover

04/14/2011

U.S. fighter jets have been flying bombing and strike missions against Libyan air defenses even after control of the operation was handed over to NATO, Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said Wednesday. The U.S. aircraft assigned to NATO for these roles include six F-16 fighter jets and five EA-18 jets, which are equipped to jam electronic signals but also are capable of firing missiles. They have flown 97 sorties since April 4, and on three occasions U.S. aircraft fired ordnance, according to