Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

RAF under fire as battle for shrinking defence budget turns vicious

09/16/2010

The official start of commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain yesterday was an occasion of poignancy and pride with the Prime Minister meeting the pilots who saved Britain in her darkest hour. But even as the celebrations got under way the RAF faces a struggle for survival in the face of savage military cuts.

Portugal joins KC-390 program

09/15/2010

Portugal and Brazil have signed a Declaration of Intent for Portugal's participation in the development of Embraer's KC-390 military transport.

EADS touts tanker's boom, cost per gallon of fuel delivered

09/15/2010

EADS North America's proposed KC-45 aircraft recently became the only entrant in the Air Force's aerial refueling tanker competition to show it satisfies the Air Force's requirement to offload fuel at 1,200 gallons per minute through its boom, the company said Tuesday.

Russian aircraft carrier readies for training mission

09/15/2010

Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, has left a dry dock after scheduled repairs and is getting ready for a training mission in the Barents Sea, the Northern Fleet said in a statement.

Future missile system for Gripen

09/14/2010

The integration means that Meteor will be adapted to other Gripen systems, such as the radar and displays. The order includes test flights and test firing, as well as the integration of Meteor with support and maintenance systems such as simulators and planning computers. The Swedish Gripen C/D aircraft will also have a two-way datalink for communication between the aircraft and the missile once it has been fired.

US Air Force takes 'cautious' approach to new bomber

09/14/2010

The US military remains committed to building a new long-range bomber but will take a "cautious" approach to avoid costly disasters from past weapons programs, the Air Force's top official said Monday.

Argentina in talks with Embraer over military plane

09/14/2010

Argentina could soon join with other countries in the region to help develop a military transport plane built by Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer, a defense ministry spokesman said on Monday.

C-5M Sports New Super Galaxy Tail Flash

09/14/2010

Lockheed Martin’s first production C-5M Super Galaxy sports a newly painted tail flash at the plant here.

Lockheed Martin Continues To Meet And Exceed F-22 Raptor Production And Delivery Schedule

09/14/2010

Lockheed Martin continues to meet and exceed the production and delivery schedule for the F-22 Raptor, with 86 straight aircraft delivered on or ahead of schedule to the U.S. Air Force. To date, the company has delivered 166 production F-22s, including 13 this year.

Saudi Arms Deal Advances

09/13/2010

The Obama administration is set to notify Congress of plans to offer advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia worth up to $60 billion, the largest U.S. arms deal ever, and is in talks with the kingdom about potential naval and missile-defense upgrades that could be worth tens of billions of dollars more.

Australia, China inspect fighter jets

09/13/2010

Australia and China have played show-and-tell with their jet fighter aircraft ... in a gesture of transparency.

Eurofighter offers Typhoon for Polish air force

09/13/2010

The Eurofighter consortium has made its debut appearance at Poland’s International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, with the Typhoon being promoted as a potential replacement for the nation’s RSK MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-22M4 strike aircraft.

UK May Borrow F-18s For Carriers; F-35Bs May Be Scrapped

09/13/2010

Britain’s Conservative government, faced with enormous deficits, may launch its Queen Elizabeth class carriers without airplanes to put on them as it considers early retirement for its Harrier jump jets.

UAE May Ditch Rafale

09/13/2010

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested technical information on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a surprise move that turns an anticipated order of Dassault Rafales into a $10 billion competition, an Arabian Gulf defense source said.

Southern California's fast-growing drone industry helping to bring in the big bucks

09/13/2010

Seeing an almost limitless market, dozens of defense contractors - Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. among them - are now vying to build drone aircraft. They are building surveillance drones the size of insects that can fly through open windows, and others as big as jetliners that can skim the stratosphere.

Mega defence buys lined up for Prez visits

09/13/2010

There is nothing like mega arms deals to sweeten presidential visits. With Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev slated to visit India in quick succession in November-December; India is fast-tracking major defence contracts with US, France and Russia.

BAE puts US aerospace unit up for sa

09/13/2010

BAE Systems has put parts of its US commercial aerospace business up for sale for $2bn (£1.3bn) as it prepares for swingeing cuts in defence spending.

Indo-Russian Military Transport Aircraft to fly by 2017

09/12/2010

India and Russia have pooled in $ 600.7 million to develop a medium, military transport aircraft to fly by 2017.

Ukraine may deliver engines for Russian UAVs

09/12/2010

Russia's Vega and Ukraine's Motor Sich are discussing the possible delivery of Ukrainian-made engines for Russia's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Vega CEO Vladimir Verba said on Saturday.

Russia's UAV market to see 'breakthrough' by 2013 - company head

09/12/2010

Russia will be able to produce advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) able to compete with those produced abroad by 2013, the head of a major UAV production company said on Friday.

Air Force to retire military training aircraft

09/11/2010

The U.S. Air Force has authorized the retirement of the military plane. The T-43 is the military version of the Boeing 737. The Air Force uses the T-43 as a training aircraft in its Combat Systems Officer curriculum under the 562nd and 563rd Flying Training Squadrons in San Antonio. The Air Force will hold its final flyby on Sept. 17.

Russian, Indian air forces may hold joint exercises soon

09/11/2010

Air forces of Russia and India may hold joint exercises in the next few years, Russian Air Force chief, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, said after his visit to India.

Embraer, Portugal in talks for defense plane order

09/11/2010

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer signed on Friday a letter of intent with Portugal's government to help develop a military transport plane, the fourth such agreement in two months as the company seeks to diversify away from regional commercial jets.

Russia's Federal Security Service 'happy' with indigenous UAVs

09/11/2010

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) is satisfied with the domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) it is using, a UAV maker said on Friday.

Italy Eyes Defense Cuts

09/10/2010

Italy is not immune to the defense cuts that are spreading across Europe. While the government has yet to present a plan for reducing military spending, Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa has revealed highlights of the reductions he will announce by the end of October.