Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing Committed to Funding F-15 Silent Eagle Development

06/18/2009

The Boeing Company will dedicate funding to further development of the F-15 Silent Eagle program, with the goal of a flight demonstration in the third quarter of 2010. The announcement came at the Paris Air Show following meetings with potential customers and reaffirmed a commitment to the prototype program made by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh at the air show on June 14.

International demand for Russian combat aircraft growing

06/17/2009

“The demand for Russian aircraft and helicopters grows despite the ongoing global financial crunch. It makes us feel special obligations and responsibility both as a supplier, and as a reliable time-tested partner,” head of the Rosoboronexport delegation Alexander Mikheev emphasised. “We take every necessary measure and constantly revise every line of defence cooperation, which nowadays actively expands, among other things due to developing relations with NATO member-states.”

E-2D Hawkeye: The Navy’s New AWACS

06/17/2009

Northrop Grumman’s E-2C Hawkeye serves as the US Navy and French Navy’s carrier-capable “mini-AWACS” aircraft. Its primary role is advance warning of incoming aerial threats; ship-based radars are far larger and more powerful, but cannot scan below the angle of the horizon. Secondary roles include strike command and control, land and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, communications relay, and even civil air traffic control during emergencies. E-2C Hawkeyes began replacing previous Hawkey

BAE SYSTEMS WINS $33 MILLION CONTRACT FOR AIRBORNE COUNTERMEASURES

06/17/2009

BAE Systems has been awarded a $33.6 million low-rate initial production contract for the ALE-55. The AN/ALE-55 is part of the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) system that provides fighter aircraft with electronic defense against radar guided missiles.

Boeing Completes Communications and Air Traffic Management Upgrade for US Air Force AWACS Fleet

06/17/2009

The Boeing Company announced today that it has completed satellite communications and air traffic management upgrades on the U.S. Air Force's 32 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft as part of the Integrated DAMA/GATM (IDG) program.

Embraer Launches KC-390 Tactical Air Transport Program

06/16/2009

Global competition in the 20-ton air transport segment continues to intensify, with Brazil’s launch of its KC-390 program. Embraer figures reportedly place the global C-130 replacement market at around 700 aircraft. In response, it will develop a jet-powered rival to compete with Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, the larger Airbus A400M, Russia’s AN-12 and its Chinese copy the Yunshu-8, and the bi-national Irkut/HAL MRTA project. Smaller aircraft like the EADS-CASA C-295M and Alenia C-27J may also repre

Medvedev makes sales pitch for Russian warplane

06/16/2009

Russia would like to expand sales of such warplanes as the Su-34 throughout the world, President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Chinese TV released on Monday.

Turkey to buy Russian Night Hunters

06/16/2009

A Turkish military delegation has come to Russia to discuss the possible acquisition of Mi-28 attack helicopters. This is not the first time the two countries have discussed cooperation.

Bell Boeing Team Awarded Contract for Next Phase of V-22 Osprey Support

06/15/2009

The Bell Boeing Program Office announced today that it has been awarded Phase 1.5 of a two-phase Joint Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to support the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the Marine Corps (MV-22), and Air Force Special Operations Command (CV-22).

Saudis take delivery of first Eurofighter Typhoon Jets

06/15/2009

Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Defence and Aviation Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan received the Kingdom’s first two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft at a ceremony hosted by BAE Systems at its Warton plant near Preston on June 10.

US Military Orders More King Air 350ER Aircraft

06/15/2009

Despite all of the high-tech fighter hours flown in theater, Hawker Beechcraft’s twin-propeller King Air 350 continues to gain traction as an affordable, long-endurance option for light cargo delivery in remote areas – and effective manned battlefield surveillance and attack. Iraq’s Air Force was the first to order them, and an initial 6-plane order from the US Marines/Navy followed in July 2008.

P-3 Orion’s SMIP Program Keeps on Rolling

06/13/2009

The P-3 Orion remains the USA’s main maritime patrol aircraft, and is also finding use in overland surveillance roles despite the fleet’s age. Earlier DID articles have noted the extra effort required to preserve the USA’s P-3C Orion maritime surveillance & patrol aircraft, along with radar and weapons upgrades. Lockheed has even opened a new production line for the international fleet to cover wings that have to be replaced.

BAE Acquires UAV Maker ACR for $14.7M

06/13/2009

BAE Systems recently completed its $14.7 million acquisition of Advanced Ceramics Research, a Tucson, AZ-based maker of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ceramic materials for military and commercial application. The initial agreement was originally announced on March 12/09; this latest step represents its finalization and approval. The company will now become part of BAE Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rockville, MD.

Brazil Buys UH-60L Black Hawks

06/12/2009

Brazil has now made a pair of requests for UH-60Ls to fulfill its strategic commitments for search and rescue, air mobility, “and provide for the defense of vital installations and close air support for ground forces.”

Germany and France Delay Decision on Airbus Military Transport

06/12/2009

France and Germany said Thursday that they were giving themselves another six months to decide whether to proceed with Airbus’s troubled A400M military transport plane, prolonging the agony — and the costs — for the European aircraft manufacturer, which is already grappling with the worst industry downturn in decades.

Switzerland Replacing its F-5s?

06/11/2009

The F-5E/F Tiger II was a follow-on upgrade to the wildly successful F-5 Freedom Fighter, a low-budget aircraft designed to capture the lower tier of the non-Soviet global fighter market in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of countries still operate F-5s, but the airframes are very old. The Swiss bought 72 F-5E/F fighters in 1976, and another 38 in 1981, for a total of 110 (98 single-seat F5E, 12 two-seat F-5F). Switzerland currently flies about 54 F-5s; A squadron of 12 were leased to Austria whil

Boeing Receives US Air Force A-10 Sustainment and Integration Contract

06/11/2009

The Boeing Company has been awarded a four-year U.S. Air Force contract to sustain the A-10 Thunderbolt II weapon system and integrate current and future upgrades into the aircraft’s avionics, mechanical and structural systems. Boeing is one of three contractors that will fulfill A-10 Thunderbolt Life-Cycle Program Support (TLPS) task and delivery orders for the Air Force. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity TLPS contract will allow the Air Force to authorize up to $1.6 billion of aircra

Boeing Team Delivers 1st Block II Super Hornet Flight Trainers to US Navy

06/11/2009

Boeing and teammate L-3 have delivered four Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Tactical Operation Flight Trainers (TOFT) to the U.S. Navy and declared them “Ready for Training.” Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Va., has two of the trainers, and two are located at NAS Lemoore, Calif.

Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Begins Next Phase of Flight Testing

06/10/2009

Almost 22 months after its first flight over the skies of St. Augustine, Fla., Northrop Grumman's (NYSE:NOC) first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye test aircraft flew north to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, in Maryland, to begin the next phase of testing in preparation for Initial Operational Test and Evaluation in 2011.

India military air crash kills 13

06/10/2009

The Indian Air Force says no one survived when one of its transport planes carrying 13 people crashed near the border with China.

Readiness a Problem for Canada’s Aircraft

06/10/2009

Despite a slew of upgrades that recently got 2 of its P-3/CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft sent to map key areas in Afghanistan, only 45% (9/20) are available at any one time. That fleet’s other duties include patrolling Canada’s long Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Ocean coasts. Its 1960s-era H-3/CH-124 Sea Kings, which have been described as “10,000 nuts and bolts flying in formation,” have an availability rate of just 35.7% (10/28).

Pentagon Reports Mistakes by Bomber Crew in Afghan Incident

06/10/2009

The U.S. Defense Department says one of the aircraft involved in bombing an Afghan village a month ago, during an operation that caused numerous civilian casualties, violated rules designed to protect civilians. But a spokesman says there is no indication that the violation caused the casualties. Procedures for protecting civilians will be part of a 60-day review that the new U.S. commanders heading for Afghanistan have been ordered to conduct.

F-22 Raptors to Japan?

06/10/2009

Back in February 2006, InsideDefense.com’s Inside The Air Force (ITAF) reported that momentum was building within the Air Force to sell the ultra-advanced F-22A Raptor abroad to trusted U.S. allies, as a way of plussing up numbers and production. The USAF originally initially intended to purchase 700-800 F-22 fighters, but that was cut to 442, then 381, and recently cut again to just over 180. These cuts have had obvious effects on the cost per aircraft, and on the ratio of aircraft to total R&D

Aging Array of American Aircraft Attracting Attention

06/09/2009

The current US Air Force fleet, whose planes are more than 23 years old on average, is the oldest in USAF history. It won’t keep that title for very long. Many transport aircraft and aerial refueling tankers are more than 40 years old – and under current plans, some may be as many as 70-80 years old before they retire. Since the price for next-generation planes has risen faster than inflation, average aircraft age will climb even if the US military gets every plane it asks for in its future plan

AMC begins moving Strykers into Afghanistan

06/09/2009

Air Mobility Command's hub for global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation is "all in" with its commitment to support joint worldwide operations, kicking off efforts this week to airlift more than 300 Stryker vehicles to military forces in Afghanistan.