Military Aviation News Archive

Op Garuda: IAF tests skills against French, Singaporean air power

06/16/2010

Six Indian Sukhoi-30MKI multi-role fighters, supported by IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft and IL-78 midair refuellers, tore into the skies over France on Monday to kick off the joint combat exercise with the French and Singaporean air forces.

Navigator plans flights, aviation portion of exercise during AFRICAN LION 2010

06/16/2010

Clad in a tan flight suit, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Brett Trahan trades barbed jokes - the kind born of long hours spent working and living together - with his flight crew. Yet the group, no matter how familiar they may seem, treats him with a friendly respect. Trahan is legendary in his unit, and a hard worker; he is also marked.

Ukraine to start shipping military hardware to Iraq this autumn

06/16/2010

Ukraine is to begin this autumn the shipment of first batches of military hardware to Iraq under a large-scale contract worth over $550 million struck in 2009.

Two CN235s for the Navy of Mexico ferried to their Mexican base

06/16/2010

The two CN235s aircraft ordered by the Mexican Navy departed Airbus Military’s facility of San Pablo (Seville) with destination to the Navy’s air base of Tapachula, on Friday 11th June.

Could Kyrgyzstan Troubles Imperil US Troop Supplies?

06/16/2010

A wave of ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan isn't just a tragedy for the people of that Central Asian nation. It could also be yet one more headache for U.S. military troops whose surge in neighboring Afghanistan comes to a head this summer.

Lockheed Martin F-35B STOVL Breaks Sound Barrier

06/16/2010

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines. The price tag for the program has ballooned to much more than the DoD originally set aside for the aircraft.

Turkey suspends Elbit, IAI UAV deal

06/15/2010

Turkish newspaper "Zaman" reports that the Turkish Air Force has decided to use Turkish aircraft in intelligence gathering, after Israel withdrew officers who were training Turkish military officers on Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The Saudi Corridor and the Israeli Strike

06/15/2010

Tel Aviv and Tehran are separated by around 1,900 kilometers, which is the distance that separates the Israeli fighter jets from their Iranian targets in the event of war breaking out between the two countries.

Should U.S. Skies Open to Military Drones?

06/15/2010

Should U.S. skies be open to military drones? There is pressure to allow the unmanned aircraft to fly in the United States for law-enforcement functions, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is hesitant to act.

Lockheed Martin F-35 STOVL Variant Flies Supersonic

06/15/2010

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time June 10, achieving a significant milestone. The aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.07 (727 miles per hour) on the first in a long series of planned supersonic flights.

China Eats Russia Alive

06/14/2010

years of having their military technology blatantly stolen by China, Russia is no longer selling them much of anything. In addition, the state controlled Russian media is now featuring lots of pundits deploring the low performance of the Chinese arms industry, and how poorly they have copied Russian military technology.

Israel vs Iran: The Risk of War

06/14/2010

Iran is at the centre of a global storm: targeted by new sanctions, suspected by Washington, defended by Brazil and Turkey. But the complex diplomacy around its nuclear programme could be ended by decisions made not in the United States but in Israel, Paul Rogers writes for openDemocracy.

Antonov, Ilyushin and Tupolev Fading Away

06/14/2010

Russia is scrambling, without much success, to retain its Cold War era air transport manufacturing capability.

Scrapping S-300 deal could cost Moscow

06/14/2010

Moscow's decision to halt delivery of powerful S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran, citing the new U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic, may be politically convenient but it could carry a hefty cost for Russia in the Middle East.

The end of american hegemony in the Middle East

06/14/2010

The U.S. power in the Middle East are declining, however, discuss the possibility of a new cold war in the region is incorrect; powers such as Russia and Turkey are simply taking advantage of the power vacuum in the Middle East – English analyst writes Chris Phillips.

PAF to get F-16s with tough stipulations

06/14/2010

Despite being a key ally in the war against terrorism in which Pakistan have rendered innumerable sacrifices, the United States is extending military assistance to Islamabad under strict conditions and stipulations, reflecting the nature of relations between the two countries.

Iran Demands Russian S-300s to Make It ‘Invincible’ to Israel

06/14/2010

Russia must honor a contract to supply S-300 air-defense systems, an Iranian lawmaker said.

Saudis Upgrading Fighter Jets to Face Iranian Threat

06/13/2010

Saudi Arabia’s air force has signed a deal to upgrade its fleet of 150 strike aircraft and procure advanced weaponry to respond to an Iranian military threat while simultaneously denying reports that the country is coordinating with Israel over a possible strike against Iran’s nuclear sites.

Jerusalem blocking multi-million Russia drone deal

06/13/2010

The brakes have been put on talks between Israel Aerospace Industries and Russia over sales and the joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles, according to Israeli defense sources who wish to remain anonymous.

Super Hercules airlifters get ready for India, Globemaster evaluation to begin

06/13/2010

The first three of six C-130J Super Hercules airlifters purchased by India in a $1 billion deal with the US have taken their final positions on Lockheed Martin's assembly line in Marietta, Georgia, even as the evaluation is set to begin of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, with India intending to purchase 10 of the heavy-lift aircraft.

EADS set to open third research centre in Bangalore

06/13/2010

Bangalore is set to have another aerospace research centre from the stables of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). While talk about this has been doing the rounds for a while, the company said it's ready to open the EADS Defence and Security (EADS-DS) competence centre. It was announced at the ongoing Berlin air show.

China says farewell to J-6 fighters

06/13/2010

People's Liberation Army Air Force held on Saturday an official farewell ceremony for the J-6, a Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 Farmer fighter aircraft, Chinese television reported.

Romania cannot afford buying F-16 jets

06/12/2010

Crisis-hit Romania cannot afford to purchase second-hand F-16 combat aircraft this year, Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said.

Russia supplying Syria with combat jets

06/12/2010

Russia has agreed to supply Syria with combat aircraft and other defense equipment, saying a previous sale was legitimate.

Eurojet offers dual-use engine for LCA

06/12/2010

Eager to join hands with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and its associates in the development of India's Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas-Mark II,' the Eurojet consortium is offering its engine that could be tweaked to work on its naval version.