Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Ongoing feud between Gibraltar and Spain affects US military

04/03/2011

GIBRALTAR has been a sore point for Spain since it was muscled away by Britain nearly three centuries ago. One of the most recent examples of these tensions was the new agreement which came into force on February 1 and was published in the Official State Bulletin on Monday. It states that United States military aircraft that have Gibraltar airport as their origin or destination are prohibited from flying over Spanish airspace or make stops in its territory.

Libya mission

04/03/2011

Two weeks after a dark-of-night barrage of mostly U.S. missiles and bombs opened the international air assault on Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, the American combat role is ending, the ragtag rebels are reeling and the Pentagon is betting its European allies can finish the job.

‘No complications in the sale of Globemaster aircraft to IAF’

04/03/2011

A senior official of Boeing Military Aircraft brushed aside claims that complications had arisen in the proposed $5.8 billion sale of ten C-17 Globemaster-III transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force, and said that the global defence vendor expected the deal to close by mid-2011.

F-35 Promises Revolution In NATO Air Operations

04/02/2011

The current Libyan air operation may be the last of its kind. What I mean by this is an operation involving fourth-generation aircraft against Soviet-era defenses or single-digit surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). To date, the campaign has been as much an air show as combat operation with an array of fourth-generation fighters including the Rafale, Mirage 2000, Tornado, Typhoon, Harrier, F-16 and F-15E making an appearance. In some cases, such as the Tornado and Harrier, this is likely their victor

Initial Libya Mission Complete, Successful, Gates Says

04/02/2011

U.S. aircraft will remain on standby as NATO takes over multilateral operations in Libya and the coalition considers its future role there, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a Senate committee yesterday.

Arms deal diplomacy

04/02/2011

As India’s military establishment sits on the cusp of a potentially game-changing strategic partnership through a $12-billion air force deal, the man who was at the centre of forging defence ties with both Russia and the US, Ronen Sen, today explained what it takes to leverage arms acquisitions for diplomatic gain. The air force contract for 126 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) is now at a decisive phase, seven years after the efforts for the acquisition began.

11 injured in aircraft carrier fire

04/02/2011

Military officials on Thursday were trying to determine what caused the engine of a fighter jet to fail and catch fire as it prepared to take off from an aircraft carrier off the California coast.

US military jet crashes in Germany

04/02/2011

A US military jet has crashed in western Germany, injuring the pilot who ejected from the jet.

First Iraqi Instructor pilot leads the way towards self-sustaining Iraqi air force

04/02/2011

The first Iraqi air force instructor pilot to graduate from the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron at Tirkrit Air Base, Iraq, Lt. Col. Hamid Hussein, has flown his first official training mission with an Iraqi student pilot in a Hawker Beechcraft T-6.

Does al Qaeda have some Libyan missiles?

04/01/2011

There are certainly plenty of SAMs in Libya. Video and photographs have shown rebel fighters posing with shoulder-fired surface to air missiles including SA-7s, the same type fired in Kenya.

Danish Military Wants To Restart Fighter Program

04/01/2011

Denmark's military wants the government to restart the country's Fighter Replacement Program (FRP), citing the armed forces' need for a more advanced stealth fighter jet than the Air Force's current stock of F-16s.

NATO in full charge, future remains elusive

04/01/2011

NATO on Thursday took full command and control of military operations in Libya from the United States, however, the endgame of the military campaigns remains elusive.

Boeing Gets India OK For Four More P-8I Maritime Planes

04/01/2011

India's federal government has approved the purchase of four more P-8I long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Boeing Co., a senior executive at the U.S. defense contractor said Thursday.

U.S. MILITARY: Three sailors hospitalized following jet engine explosion

04/01/2011

Three sailors remained hospitalized Thursday morning after the engine of a Marine Corps fighter jet exploded and the plane caught fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis on Wednesday, a Navy spokesman said.

Libyan rebels flee as Obama authorizes covert support

03/31/2011

As Libyan rebels fled in headlong retreat from the superior arms and tactics of Muammar Gaddafi's troops on Wednesday, U.S. officials said President Barack Obama had signed a secret order authorizing covert support for the rebels.

Strategist: Guam in reach of Chinese missiles

03/31/2011

Advancements in Chinese military capabilities mean Guam has lost its status as a safe haven for American forces in the Western Pacific, a top war strategist says.

Libya strikes showcase French warplane

03/31/2011

Many commentators believe the Libya air strikes are a pre-election advert for President Nicolas Sarkozy. Some believe they are also an advert for France's badly-selling Rafale jet fighter.

Growler Does It All Over Libya

03/31/2011

Two years after entering squadron service, the U.S. Navy's EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft has seen combat for the first time in Libya. The EA-18G is equipped with the ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and a a APG-79 phased array (AESA) radar, which also has some jamming capability (with the right software) as well as the ability to fry electronics.

Netherlands help in enforcing Libyan arms embargo

03/31/2011

The Dutch government decided yesterday evening that the Netherlands will participate in the NATO enforcement of the UN arms embargo against Libya. Its contribution will consist of a minehunter, a KDC-10 tanker aircraft and six F-16 fighter aircraft. The total contribution of the mission will involve approximately 200 Dutch military personnel.

U.S. Military Deploys Drones Above Fukushima, Libya

03/31/2011

When the U.S. military wanted to survey the damage above Japan's stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant earlier this month, it sent a Global Hawk pilotless aircraft. Just days later, commanders sent a Global Hawk to assess how effective U.S. strikes in Libya had been. In a Pentagon briefing Friday, Vice Adm. William Gortney confirmed that the Global Hawk, known formally as the RQ-4, was providing "persistent surveillance" of Libyan territory.

Libyan foreign minister quits, flees to U.K.

03/31/2011

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived in London late on Wednesday and told British authorities he was going to resign from his post, the British Foreign Office said.

US Navy to field full-on robot war-jets as soon as 2018

03/30/2011

The US Navy has indicated that it would like to have unmanned, robotic spyplane/bombers operating from its aircraft carriers "in the 2018 timeframe", which suggests that flying kill-robots will soon be in the same league as the most powerful manned combat aircraft.

Complex task for air traffic control

03/30/2011

While civil aviation traffic has gone down slightly, military traffic in the flight information region handled by Malta Aviation Traffic Services (MATS) has gone up “exponentially”, according to chief operations officer Robert Sant.

For no-fly zone, four NATO sorties: US military

03/30/2011

Enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya required four sorties by NATO aircraft in the past 24 hours, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

F-22 Raptor Goes Mach 1.5 on 50% Biofuel Blend

03/30/2011

A lot of self-proclaimed “patriots” seem to love oil as much as they love America. Maybe the military’s use of biofuels can change some minds, as a F-22 Raptor was able to go Mach 1.5 times on 50% camelina oil blend.