Military Aviation News Archive

Turbulence ahead for Indian fighter jet: analysts

01/20/2011

India's homegrown fighter jet, the Tejas, has finally been cleared for operations but analysts say any celebration of India's entry into an elite club of military hardware producers is premature.

Russia, EADS continue fight for Indian aerial tanker

01/20/2011

Russia's Il-78 Midas and the EU's Airbus A330 MRTT are the only competitors in a re-tender to supply six aerial tankers to the Indian air force (IAF), the India Strategic defense magazine said.

Bring Back The F-22

01/20/2011

Only two years after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ decision to end production of the F-22 Raptor at 187 aircraft, the program may be poised to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. When Gates made his decision, it was on the assumption that other countries - notably Russia and China -- would not develop their own fifth-generation fighters for at least another decade or more.

Telecom tech could protect aircraft

01/20/2011

Infrared supercontinuum laser technology could soon help protect military helicopters from heat-seeking missiles designed to home in on IR radiation emitted by a helicopter’s engine. Built with off-the-shelf telecom fiber optics, the laser technology operates in the mid- and longer IR wavelengths.

Bolivia to receive combat aircraft from China

01/19/2011

BOLIVIA is set to receive six Chinese-made combat aircraft to be used to fight drug trafficking, the head of the Bolivian Air Force said on Tuesday.

New problems disclosed on 2 models of F-35

01/19/2011

The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter has previously undisclosed problems with its handling, avionics, afterburner and helmet-mounted display, according to a report by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

Kingdom to manufacture 70% of military hardware locally

01/19/2011

Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday its plans to produce most of the military hardware and spare parts within the Kingdom by transferring foreign technology.

Arms race is back on the radar

01/19/2011

The world may be in turmoil, but in the defense business there are signs of a return to normalcy. After dreary decades in which the U.S. military had to live without a presentable threat with which to justify its spending on high-technology weapons, the Chinese stepped up to the plate. With ominous talk gaining currency in Washington of actual cuts in the U.S. defense budget, our Asian friends have suddenly offered a titillating peek from an airfield in Chengdu at their newest warplane, describe

U.S. pitches jets to Japan

01/19/2011

Acting on his administration's drive to bolster military cooperation with Japan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested Tokyo consider buying U.S. combat aircraft.

IAI delivers 12 UAVs to Russia in key deal

01/18/2011

Israeli Aerospace Industries has delivered a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia under a $400 million contract that will eventually allow Moscow to manufacture advanced drones that will significantly enhance its military capabilities.

Chinese jet fighter highlights need for intelligence, dialogue

01/18/2011

As far as stealth fighters are concerned, the Chinese prototype J-20 is perhaps too eye-attracting. On Dec. 22, 2010, photos of a taxiing test at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the fifth-generation twin-engine fighter aircraft emerged on the Internet and triggered a firestorm in the international media. On Jan. 11, hours before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing, the prototype was taken for a 20-minute test flight.

KC-135 readied for anti-missile system

01/18/2011

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air National Guard are modifying a KC-135 air refueling aircraft for testing of an infrared anti-missile system.

Chinese Plane Spurs Interest in U.S. Fighter .

01/18/2011

New evidence of China's military buildup has spurred interest in sales of the U.S.'s next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, U.S. defense and industry officials said.

India lucrative military aircraft market: analysts

01/18/2011

Aviation companies have set their sight on India to expand their military aircraft businesses in Asia.

Attack of the drones

01/17/2011

There is a second-and-a-half delay between the RAF operator pressing his button and the Hellfire rocket erupting from the aircraft he is controlling, circling in the sky above Afghanistan.

US firm sweetens Turkey helicopter bid

01/17/2011

A helicopter manufacturer from the United States, competing with an Italian rival for a Turkish tender to jointly produce 109 mostly military-utility helicopters worth around $4 billion, sweetened its bid over the weekend.

Shore Up America's Air Superiority

01/17/2011

After the Chinese military tested its new stealthy fighter during U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit to Beijing, most attention focused on whether or not President Hu Jintao had advance knowledge of the test. The fact that Mr. Hu appeared surprised when Mr. Gates brought it up led to speculation on the relative independence of the PLA and its potential role in next year's change in China's leadership. These are obviously important issues but they should not make us lose sight of the test

Chinese stealth fighter makes first test flight

01/17/2011

China's radar–eluding stealth fighter made its first–known test flight Tuesday, marking dramatic progress in the country's efforts to develop cutting–edge military technologies.

Lockheed buys into UAE's AMMROC aircraft repair firm

01/17/2011

The US defence giant Lockheed Martin yesterday bought a stake in the UAE's military aircraft repair and maintenance company.

Stealthy Chinese J-20 Vulnerable

01/16/2011

China’s newest combat aircraft prototype, the J-20, will require an intense development program if it is going to catch up with fast-moving anti-stealth advances.

We never had a single failure in 1,500 flights of Tejas: ADE

01/16/2011

India ensured its place among an elite group of countries making a fighter jet from scratch when the indigenous multi-role Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas got initial operational clearance this week. A key part in this success was placed by the avionics and flight control systems that were designed by DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).

Military aircraft flying to all-fiber network gear

01/16/2011

Looking to significantly reduce weight, improve on-board communications and make it easier to upgrade avionics, the US military is developing prototype photonic gear for use in all aircraft.

NASA reveals strange, bomberlike planes of 2025

01/16/2011

It seems that in the darker parts of 2010, NASA gave Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Brumman money to ponder what improvements might be made to our current aerial cattle carriers.

Russia lifts ban on Tu-95 bomber flights

01/16/2011

The Russian Air Force has lifted a ban on the flights of Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers imposed after an An-22 Cock transport plane was destroyed in a crash last December.

Russian Air Force to receive Ka-52 helicopters

01/04/2011

Russia's Defense Ministry plans to start procuring Ka-52 Alligator helicopters for the national Air Force in 2011, ministry's official spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Sunday.