Military Aviation News Archive

Airdrop's HQ at Scott Air Force Base gets visit from the droppers

06/12/2010

From packages tossed out of open cockpits during World War I to pallets guided by Global Positioning System equipment and wireless controllers into remote areas, U.S. military airdrops have significantly changed.

Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites

06/12/2010

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

US Navy F-35 JSF Version Makes First Flight

06/12/2010

Almost one year since the US Navy’s first-ever stealth fighter, the F-35C Lightning II was rolled out at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant, the aircraft yesterday performed its first successful flight at the neighbouring Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.

Russian-Indian work on 5G fighter to go ahead without extra deal

06/12/2010

Russian aircraft holding Sukhoi has no plans to sign additional agreements creating a joint venture with its Indian partners in the production of a fifth-generation fighter, the general director said on Friday.

Indian Air Force to begin C-17 trials by month-end

06/11/2010

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to begin trials of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft, of which it intends to purchase 10, by the end of the month, an official said.

Russian $12 Billion European Arms Spree May Benefit DCNS, Iveco

06/11/2010

Russia may buy $12 billion of arms from European and Israeli companies, including DCNS and Iveco SpA, over the next five years as the world’s second-biggest arms exporter hunts for higher-quality weapons than domestic companies can provide, according to a Moscow research institute.

European defence consortium plans long-term investment in India

06/11/2010

European consortium EADS Defence and Security (DS) is embarking on a twin-pronged strategy of increasing its presence in India while expanding its share in New Delhi's growing defence market.

Navy’s P-8A Poseidon will be next generation radar and sensor plane

06/11/2010

P-8A Poseidon aircraft T2 successfully completed the program's first mission systems test flight on June 8 in Seattle. T2 will be used to verify integrated mission systems performance during flights in Seattle and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD.

Boeing Workers End Strike

06/11/2010

Workers at a Boeing Co. facility that builds large cargo jets have ratified a new labor contract and will return to work Thursday, ending a month-long strike that jeopardized the expensive military program's future.

EADS ropes in six firms to develop aircraft systems

06/11/2010

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV (EADS) has signed licensing contracts with six aerospace firms to develop military aircraft systems using its technologies, a company official said Thursday.

Boeing P-8A Poseidon Completes 1st In-flight Test of Mission Systems

06/11/2010

Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft T2 successfully completed the program's first mission systems test flight on June 8 in Seattle. T2 will be used to verify integrated mission systems performance during flights in Seattle and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Brazil Air Force May Buy 8 Airbus Military Planes, Valor Says

06/10/2010

Airbus Military is in talks to sell eight military transport aircraft to Brazil’s air force, Valor Economico reported, citing Domingo Urena-Raso, head of the unit of Airbus SAS.

NATO helicopter shot down in Afghanistan

06/10/2010

Four U.S. soldiers are killed in the attack in volatile Helmand province. A roadside bomb leaves another coalition service member dead and brings the number of troops killed in June to 29.

Russian strategic bombers carry out record nonstop flight

06/10/2010

Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers are carrying out a 23-hour patrol with a planned flight range of 18,000 kilometers (over 11,000 miles), an Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.

First Three C-130J Super Hercules for India Near Completion at Lockheed Martin Facility

06/10/2010

The first three C-130J Super Hercules for India take the final positions on Lockheed Martin’s assembly line in Marietta, Ga.

U.S. leans toward selling Iraq F-16s

06/10/2010

As the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq moves toward its final phase and Iran remains defiant over its nuclear program, U.S. officials say the Pentagon, after many months of hesitation, is expected to sell Baghdad late-model F-16 strike aircraft.

Pakistan launches homemade JF-17 jet

06/09/2010

Pakistan has announced plans to begin production of avionics and related gadgets for the Sino-Pak JF-17 Thunder fighter jet.

Lockheed Martin Inducts Third C-5 To Become Super Galaxy

06/09/2010

Lockheed Martin inducted its third C-5 Galaxy strategic airlifter into the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP) production line at its facility here today.

Third A400M Set To Join Test Fleet Soon

06/08/2010

Airbus Military Aircraft, which now has two flight-test A400Ms in the air following the first flight of aircraft MSN02 on April 8, expects its third airlifter to join the test program by the beginning of the summer.

Special Report: The incredible saga of Europe's A400M

06/08/2010

The first shot to be fired at Europe's 21st century army plane came not from the barrel of a gun but a safety inspector's clipboard. In 2008, weeks after the first A400M troop transporter rolled off a gleaming new assembly plant in Seville, a group of inspectors traveled to southern Germany to scrutinize an important component for the plane's huge turbo-prop engines.

How UAVs Will Change Aviation

06/08/2010

Are airplane pilots destined for the same fate as flight navigators and engineers? Will they be replaced by lines of code, electrons and data-linked commands from faceless controllers beyond the horizon?

Russian military: China's J-15 fighter jets not up to par

06/08/2010

China's J-15 carrier-based fighter will not be able to compete with Russia's SU- 33 fighter on global markets because it is inferior to the Russian aircraft, said Russian military analyst.

Sukhoi fighters to fly in India-France exercise

06/08/2010

India is sending its frontline Sukhoi fighter jets to France for a joint air exercise to be held in the European country next week.

Finmeccanica Gets $319M Order For 8 C-27Js For US Air Force

06/08/2010

Italy's defense and aerospace group, Finmeccanica SpA, said Monday it received an additional $319 million order for eight Joint Cargo Aircraft C-27Js for the U.S. Air Force.

Airbus military plane ready to make debut public flight

06/08/2010

Airbus’s first military transport aircraft, the A400M, is expected to make its debut public flight tomorrow, two years and up to £10billion behind schedule.