Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Israel wants production role in F-35

11/13/2009

While Israel is interested in purchasing the fifth-generation stealth Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin, it will likely hinge its order on US acceptance of its demand that Israeli defense industries be allowed to participate in the aircraft's production, senior defense officials said Thursday.

Raytheon Eyes International Contract Award for its F-16 AESA Radar

11/13/2009

Raytheon Company moves closer to its first international sale of RACR (Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar) following approval for the company to move forward with technical discussions with at least two potential customers.

Boeing Receives Contract to Develop Miniature Weapon Technology

11/13/2009

The Boeing Company received a $500,000 U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract on Sept. 30 for the first phase of a program to demonstrate miniature weapon technology for use on unmanned airborne vehicles (UAV).

Saudi Jets Attack Rebel Targets In Yemen

11/12/2009

Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes against rebel positions in northern Yemen, hitting dozens of targets, and has moved thousands of troops to the border.

Boeing to Showcase a Tailored Portfolio of Products and Services at Dubai 2009

11/12/2009

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] at this year’s Dubai Air Show will showcase a range of advanced commercial and defense products and services designed to meet the needs of customers in the Middle East. The show runs Nov. 15-19.

Engine failure could be responsible for Tu-142 crash

11/12/2009

Engine failure could have caused Friday's crash of a Russian military Tu-142 plane in the Tatar Strait, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Wednesday.

Boeing Receives Study Contract for Submarine-Tracking Unmanned Aerial System

11/12/2009

The Boeing Company on Sept. 28 received a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing's MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company's ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS.

Lockheed Martin Announces Briefing Schedule For The Dubai Airshow

11/11/2009

Lockheed Martin will present a variety of program briefings for members of the media at the "Dubai Airshow." The show takes place Monday, Nov. 16, through Thursday, Nov. 19.

Veterans Day recollections of fighter shootouts over Vietnam

11/10/2009

Capt. Steve Ritchie, left, piloted an F-4 Phantom in Vietnam with Capt. Charles DeBellevue as his weapons systems officer. The two shot down five MiGs together during the war. (Courtesy photo) “There are two saddest days in a pilot’s life,” says Chuck DeBellevue. “The day he walks out to an airplane knowing it’s his last flight and the day he walks out to an airplane not knowing it’s his last flight.”

Software prevents fatal crashes, scientists say

11/10/2009

An F-16 pilot takes aim at a ground target, losing track of just how steep and low his jet is. Too confused to eject, he crashes.

Northrop Grumman Highlights Global Security Capabilities at the Dubai Airshow 2009

11/10/2009

Northrop Grumman Corporation is participating in the Dubai Airshow 2009 where it will highlight its global security capabilities and programmes, including its world leading expertise in airborne early warning and control systems, fire control radars and infrared countermeasures.

Russia's Pacific Fleet suspends flights of its naval planes

11/10/2009

The Russian Pacific Fleet suspended on Saturday all flights of its naval aviation following the crash of a Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance plane in Russia's Far East, the fleet spokesman said.

USAF Europe And Africa Command Add Another Proven C-130J Super Hercules To Their Airlift Fleet

11/10/2009

Maj. Gen. Michael Snodgrass, chief of staff, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, today accepted the seventh of 14 Lockheed Martin C-130Js to be based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The USAF Europe C-130Js based at Ramstein also support the airlift needs of Africa Command.

Boeing Awarded $72 Million JDAM Production Contract

11/10/2009

The Boeing Company has been awarded a $72 million U.S. Air Force contract for more than 2,900 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits.

Boeing Completes Key Tests of Self-Protection System Aboard Australian Wedgetail AEW&C Aircraft

11/09/2009

The Boeing Company announced today that it has successfully completed tests of the Counter Measures Dispenser System (CMDS) for Project Wedgetail, Australia's Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system. The tests were conducted in September and October off the Washington coast and over Puget Sound, Wash.

Crew of crashed Russian Tu-142 did not use life raft

11/08/2009

There is no indication that the crew of a Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed late on Friday made use of emergency equipment, a highly-placed Air Force source told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

Eleven people missing in Russian military plane crash

11/07/2009

There were 11 people on board the Pacific Fleet's Tu-142 plane that has crashed off Russia's Pacific coast, an Air Force source in the Far Eastern Military District said on Saturday.

Lockheed Martin Receives Contracts To Continue A-10 Modernization And Sustainment

11/07/2009

Lockheed Martin has received three contracts totaling $7.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for the continued modernization and sustainment of the A-10 close air support fighter jet.

Boeing Submits Small Diameter Bomb II Contract Proposal to US Air Force

11/07/2009

Boeing submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 5 for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II weapon system program, following the completion of a successful 42-month risk reduction program.

Boeing Team Delivers 1st Remote Aerial Refueling Operator Trainer for Japan Tanker

11/07/2009

Boeing and development teammate ACME Worldwide Enterprises delivered the first Remote Aerial Refueling Operator (RARO) Trainer to the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) on Oct. 12.

Boeing Delivers 3rd Australian F/A-18F Super Hornet Ahead of Schedule

11/06/2009

Boeing today announced that it delivered the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) third F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet three months ahead of schedule on Sept. 30, after completing production on the multirole fighter at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' St. Louis facility.

The Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master makes its 1,000th flight.

11/05/2009

The new M-346 Master advanced trainer designed by Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has reached the symbolic 1,000-flight milestone.

Boeing Delivers Final Deeper Maintenance Program F-111 to Royal Australian Air Force

11/05/2009

Boeing today delivered F-111 A08-135 to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at a ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley. The jet is the 28th and final F-111 serviced by Boeing under the Deeper Maintenance program.

Raytheon Completes Free Flight of Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range

11/02/2009

Raytheon Company and the U.S. Navy completed the first free-flight demonstration of the Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range air-to-surface precision guided missile.

Russian military plane crashes, 11 dead

11/01/2009

A Russian heavy-lift military cargo plane crashed on takeoff Sunday in Siberia, killing all 11 crew members on board, officials said.