Military Aviation News Archive

Iran builds own aerial drones with strike capabilities

02/09/2010

Iran started on Monday production of two domestically-developed unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering high-precision bombing strikes and performing reconnaissance missions, the Fars news agency said.

Team K-MAX Demonstrates Successful Unmanned Helicopter Cargo Resupply to U.S. Marine Corps

02/09/2010

Lockheed Martin Corporation and Kaman Aerospace Corporation, a subsidiary of Kaman Corporation [NASDAQ GS: KAMN] have successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Marine Corps the capability of the Unmanned K-MAX® helicopter to resupply troops by unmanned helicopter at forward operating bases in Afghanistan.

Boeing to Continue Providing F/A-18 Engineering Services to Royal Australian Air Force

02/09/2010

Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, has been awarded a $1.5 million contract for the provision of engineering support services for the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) fleet of F/A-18A/B Hornet aircraft.

China To Fit Attack Helo With European Engine

02/08/2010

China is outfitting a new attack helicopter with a European engine despite export restrictions put in place after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The move comes as European officials push hard for lifting restrictions on defense exports to China.

Brazil denies jet deal done after reported Rafale price cut

02/08/2010

Brazil's government denied Thursday it had made a final decision to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France after a news report said the planes' maker, Dassault, had lopped two billion dollars off their price. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva "still has not decided on the selection process," the state news agency Agencia Brasil said.

RAF 'relying' on drones in Afghanistan

02/08/2010

British forces are relying increasingly on unmanned drones to attack targets in Afghanistan, mirroring controversial tactics used by the US.

C-130 Crew Makes Impression at Singapore Airshow

02/07/2010

41st Airlift Squadron loadmaster Staff Sgt. Lindsey Thornton had the honor of flying with local Singapore media, the Brunei Minister of Defence and Jori Haji Abdullah, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force aboard his aircraft which has been the highlight of his crew's trip to Singapore.

US, Turkey Agree to Up Military Exchange

02/07/2010

The US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, met Saturday in Ankara with the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan.

Taiwan Air Force to buy 3 Eurocopters

02/06/2010

The Taiwan Air Force said Friday it would buy three Eurocopters for search and rescue operations, the first arms deal with Europe since the sale of Mirage warplanes and Lafayette frigates in the 1990s. "We invited international tenders. The Eurocopter Group won the bid because its price was lower than our bottom price," air force press officer Yin Shih-hsien said by phone.

C130 To Remain Competitive In Market

02/06/2010

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) is in talks with seven customers outside the U.S. to sell 35 C130J transport planes and will ramp up its production to meet demand, an executive told Dow Jones on Tuesday.

Gates to Congress: Kill the C-17

02/06/2010

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in no uncertain terms today that if Congress attempts to put back money for the C-17, the military cargo plane built in Boeing’s Long Beach plant, he will recommend to his boss, President Barack Obama, that he vetoes the whole defense spending bill.

Airbus A400M Countries Call for Speedy End to Talks

02/06/2010

The seven governments behind the troubled Airbus A400M military airlifter program Friday called for a "rapid conclusion" to their negotiations with the military aircraft division of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.

Boeing Sets Sights on Japan Fighter Jet Contract Due in Spring

02/06/2010

Boeing Co. said Japan may initiate a contract to procure a new fleet of 40 fighter jets as early as next month, a potential opportunity to sell its F-15 or Super Hornet models.

Brazil denies jet deal done after reported Rafale price cut

02/05/2010

Taiwan wants more US weapons despite latest sales

02/05/2010

Far from being satisfied with a $6.4 billion arms package proposed by Washington last week, Taiwan said on Wednesday it wants more weapons, and more advanced ones at that, a move sure to further infuriate China.

IAF to get missile-armed Su-30 MKI fighters by '12

02/05/2010

Indian Air Force's multi-role Su-30 MKI fighters could be armed with supersonic cruise missiles by 2012, giving them the capability to strike ground targets from stand-off distance.

S. Korea to give Peru eight military aircraft

02/05/2010

South Korea will supply eight ageing, ground-attack aircraft free to Peru to try to encourage arms deals with Central and South American nations, defence officials said Thursday.

Gates defends F-35, rejects increase in F/A-18s

02/05/2010

Top Pentagon leaders on Wednesday underscored their commitment to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter program and challenged some of the arguments Boeing Co is hoping could help it sell more of its F/A-18 fighters before production of the F-35 gets into full swing.

Lockheed Martin Receives $243 Million from the U.S. Air Force for Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Lot 8 Production

02/05/2010

Lockheed Martin has received a U.S. Air Force contract valued at $243.5 million for an eighth production lot of the JASSM cruise missile. The award brings the total contracted quantities of the cruise missile to over 1200.

Boeing Connects 1st F-22 Mission Training Center to US Air Force Network

02/05/2010

Boeing connected the F-22 Mission Training Center (MTC) at Langley Air Force Base, Va., to the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) in November, allowing F-22 pilots at the base to train virtually with pilots in other aircraft platforms for the first time. The MTC at Langley is the first of four F-22 training centers that Boeing will link to the network over the next three years.

Does Russia Have a Fifth-Generation Fighter?

02/04/2010

On Jan. 29, a Russian pilot conducted a test flight of the first warplane entirely designed and built by Russian companies since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The plane, formally known as the Prospective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA), is manufactured by the state-owned Sukhoi aircraft corporation. Russian sources describe the PAK FA as the first fifth-generation multi-role fighter/attack warplane built outside the United States, but some analysts doubt it meets that categ

Malaysia on track to get orders of Airbus aircraft

02/04/2010

Malaysia, which had ordered four Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, is likely to receive its orders on time, according to Airbus Military defence capability marketing vice-president Peter Scoffham.

Light Airplanes Boost Close Air Support

02/04/2010

As mechanized forces bog down in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan, low-tech solutions to problems become more attractive. One of these is the use of small, simple aircraft to replace jets for the close air support (CAS), armed reconnaissance and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that dominate air operations.

Asia-Pacific Recapitalizes Its Fighter Fleets

02/04/2010

A swath of Asia-Pacific states is in the throes of revamping their fighter inventories. As a result, Western and Russian manufacturers are either wrestling to sustain market share or vying with rival fighter builders in traditional client markets.

STOVL Jet Is Fifth Lockheed Martin F-35 To Enter Flight Testing

02/04/2010

A Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter today became the fifth F-35 to begin flight operations.