Military Aviation News Archive

India discusses lifting foreign defence investment

05/18/2010

India's trade ministry has suggested almost tripling the foreign direct investment cap on defence equipment to 74 percent, a major policy change that would crowd many local companies out of the lucrative sector.

Ajai Shukla: Doing defence with Uncle Sam

05/18/2010

I spent this last week travelling in the US at the invitation of The Boeing Company’s defence arm, Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). I visited Boeing’s rotorcraft facilities in Philadelphia; a US Navy aircraft carrier (USS Harry S Truman) and naval air base (Oceana) in Norfolk, Virginia; Boeing’s space division in Florida; and its C-17 transport aircraft plant in California. With the US-India defence relationship on a high-growth trajectory, here are my perceptions on what India is dealing

Lockheed Martin F-35 Fighters Arrive Together At Edwards AFB

05/18/2010

Two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters flew nonstop from their final-assembly site in Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., today, signaling a further expansion of F-35 flight test operations.

Taiwan Sends Mixed Message on Fighters

05/17/2010

Comments made by Taiwan's Air Force chief of staff have confused the issue over whether Taiwan actually wants F-16s.

Strike at Boeing C-17 plant might lead to program's end

05/17/2010

The Pentagon has wrestled with Congress for years to cancel the C-17 military-transport jet program, but it could be a production-line strike at the Boeing facility where the giant planes are built that will finally kill it.

Russia to sell Syria warplanes, air defense systems

05/17/2010

Russia has signed deals to sell Syria warplanes, anti-tank weapons and air defense systems, a senior Russian arms trader said on Friday, prompting an outcry from Syria's foe Israel.

New robotic stealth fighter jet set to soar

05/17/2010

Boeing’s sleek fighter-size Phantom Ray stealth jet will make its first flight by year’s end. This unmanned airborne system is designed for a variety of warfighter roles ranging from reconnaissance and surveillance to aerial refueling, electronic attack and hunter/killer missions.

GPS glitch hit some military systems in January

05/17/2010

A software glitch in the military GPS network temporarily left some defense systems unable to lock onto locator signals from satellites in January, but the problem has been fixed, the Air Force said Friday.

Stealth Insurance

05/17/2010

The U.S. Air Force has spent billions of taxpayer dollars developing and procuring the F-22 so-called air dominance fighter on the pretext that non-stealthy legacy fighters cannot survive the opening stages of future conflicts against advanced air defense networks.

Ray Guns Near Crossroads to the Battlefield

05/17/2010

After more than a century of popular sci-fi fantasies that feature deadly energy weapons, including War of the Worlds, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Star Trek and Star Wars, it looks like the ray gun has finally arrived in the real world.

Chile wants transparency in Latin American arms buying

05/17/2010

Chile wants all Latin American countries to be as transparent as it considers itself to be to remove the specter of a developing arms race on the continent, senior officials said.

Chinese Navy Obtains Illegal Aircraft

05/17/2010

Satellite photos recently revealed that the Chinese Navy has received J-11 jet fighters. These are illegal Chinese copies of the Russian Su-27. This plagiarism has been a source of friction between Russia and China for over five years.

Romania considering new fighter jets

05/17/2010

Wooing Romania's lawmakers, Eurofighter pledged that more than 5,000 skilled jobs could be created in the country if Bucharest shelved plans to buy Lockheed Martin's F-16 fighter jets, opting instead for the Eurofighter Typhoon.

IAF's acquisition of Boeing C-17 transport aircraft heading for trouble

05/14/2010

An Indian Air Force order for 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft is looking like an uncertain acquisition with a production-line strike at the Boeing facility where the giant aircraft are built and clear hints from the Pentagon that the programme will soon shut down.

Top gun: Blacktown fighter pilot takes to Malaysian skies

05/14/2010

Eight F/A-18 fighters from 75 Squadron and one AP-3C Orion from 10 Squadron are training alongside more than 59 military aircraft, 19 warships and 2500 personnel from Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK.

Boeing's "F/A-XX" Aims For Future Fighter Contracts

05/14/2010

The Navy has its eyes on next generation replacement fighter aircraft that may be needed as early as 2025 to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and Boeing has publicly unveiled its latest design proposals.

Attack helicopter evaluation trials likely in summer

05/14/2010

With the Indian Air Force embarking on modernisation, the skies over different parts of the country will witness yet another high-profile test with evaluations of attack helicopters due to start this summer.

F/A 18 Super Hornet will fit the bill for IAF, says U.S

05/14/2010

As the race for the IAF bid to procure 126 Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft enters the home stretch, the United States Navy vouched for the versatility of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, one of the six aircraft in competition, with features closer to a fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

Russian company unveils plans for 5th-generation 'invisible' helicopters

05/14/2010

Russian Helicopters is planning to create the world's first fifth-generation combat helicopter which experts say would be able to attack fighter jets and be invisible for radars, Russian daily Gazeta said on Thursday.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Program Receives Major Award For 'Cutting-Edge Design'

05/14/2010

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program has been recognized for its “cutting-edge design and technology” with an award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

French warships for Russia may be armed with Ka-52 helicopters

05/13/2010

Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopters may be the best choice to arm Mistral helicopter carriers, which Russia plans to purchase from France, the chief of Russian helicopter holding said on Wednesday.

Multi Billion Programmes - Middle East and North Africa Developing Defences

05/13/2010

Local arms manufacturing in the Middle East and North Africa region is set to grow. Robert Bailey outlines some of the projects and collaborations that are underway.

Canadian firm says in deal for Vietnam navy aircraft

05/13/2010

A Canadian company says it has become the first Western firm to build fixed-wing aircraft for the military in communist Vietnam, which is seeking to upgrade its maritime defences.

NORDAM gets large Air Force contract

05/13/2010

NORDAM Group has been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to produce engine pylons and engine cowl doors for two Air Force E-8C Joint STARS surveillance aircraft, the Tulsa-based company announced Wednesday.

Farnborough deals likely to be slower

05/13/2010

Exhibition space for this year's Farnborough International Airshow has sold out, but organizers acknowledged Wednesday that they are unlikely to see a repeat of 2008's bumper orders for commercial aircraft.