Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Northrop Grumman Expands Composites Manufacturing Training for Major Turkish F-35 Supplier

03/10/2010

Northrop Grumman Corporation is adding momentum to Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc.'s (TAI) readiness to build complete center fuselages for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft by teaching its engineers how to build the complex composite structures used in the jet.

Boeing Receives Phase 1 of Contract for US Air Force QF-16 Drone

03/10/2010

Boeing has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract worth approximately $69.7 million for the initial engineering, manufacturing and development of QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Targets to replace the QF-4 fleet. Under the terms of the remainder of the contract, expected to be awarded in coming years, up to 126 QF-16 drones will deliver beginning in 2014.

Pak-US joint air exercises planned

03/09/2010

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the US Air Force (USAF) will conduct joint exercises in the US towards the end of this year and the F-16 aircraft of the PAF will participate in the manoeuvres, defence and diplomatic sources told The News here.

Statement From Northrop Grumman on U.S. Air Force Aerial Refueling Tanker Program

03/09/2010

"After a comprehensive analysis of the final RFP, Northrop Grumman has determined that it will not submit a bid to the Department of Defense for the KC-X program. We reached this conclusion based on the structure of the source selection methodology defined in the RFP, which clearly favors Boeing's smaller refueling tanker and does not provide adequate value recognition of the added capability of a larger tanker, precluding us from any competitive opportunity.

A400M Partners Sees Potential For 300 Export Orders

03/09/2010

European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (EAD.FR) and the seven governments involved in the long-delayed Airbus A400M military airlifter program reckon there is potential export demand for 300 of the planes, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said Monday.

'Over 24,000 cr spent on defence equipment purchase till Feb'

03/09/2010

Government on Monday said Rs 24,122 crores has been spent till February 2010 to procure various defence equipment for the armed forces during the current financial year.

Boeing 'Phantom Eye' Hydrogen Powered Vehicle Takes Shape

03/09/2010

The Boeing Company has begun to build Phantom Eye -- its first unmanned, liquid-hydrogen powered, high altitude long endurance (HALE) demonstrator aircraft.

UAE air force weighs up Italian and Korean options

03/08/2010

An Italian aerospace company’s campaign to sell 48 trainer jets and light attack aircraft to the UAE is under pressure after a high-level delegation visited South Korean defence companies last month, including the offices of its arch-rival.

Lockheed Martin, Pentagon, Say F-35 Program Back on Track

03/08/2010

Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Pentagon assured their international partners Thursday that problems in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program have been resolved and development of the next-generation warplane is back on track.

USAF considers options to preserve F-22 production tooling

03/08/2010

Five months after the US Congress approved the cancellation of the Lockheed Martin F-22, the air force is still deciding whether to preserve or scrap the production tooling.

Taiwan says China now has edge in air power

03/08/2010

China now has better fighter jets than Taiwan, according to a military report by the island's defence ministry as the air force Monday renewed its bid to obtain new F-16s from the United States.

U.S., NATO Intensify War Games Around Russia's Perimeter

03/08/2010

Along with plans to base anti-ballistic missile facilities in Poland near Russia's border (a 35 mile distance) and in Bulgaria and Romania across the Black Sea from Russia, Washington and the self-styled global military bloc it leads, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, have arranged a series of military exercises on and near Russia's borders this year.

India to sign $ 2bln Mirage upgrade deal

03/08/2010

India will sign a USD 2bln worth deal with France to upgrade its Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft by year end, a media report said.

DoD: U.S. Needs Stealthy Airlifter

03/08/2010

U.S. special-forces troops will need a stealthy new airlifter to sneak past ever-improving radar and missile systems into "denied areas," says the Pentagon's top civilian special operations official.

American Eurocopter celebrates its 100th helicopter delivery at Lowndes County plant

03/08/2010

The nation’s leading provider of helicopters — civilian and military — delivered its 100th Lakota light-utility helicopter to the U.S. Army.

Iran unveils new cruise missile

03/08/2010

Iran's defence minister has announced a new production line of short-range cruise missiles which he says are highly accurate and capable of evading radar.

Putin pushes ahead on modernizing military

03/08/2010

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia will build a new strategic bomber, a move that comes as the nation tries to upgrade its aging military arsenal.

Full Speed Ahead For Silicon Aviators

03/07/2010

The U.S. Navy has sped up its efforts to ready its X-47B UCAS (Unmanned Combat Aerial System), for carrier operations. This includes an additional $2 billion for development, in an attempt to have the X-47B demonstrating the ability to regularly operate from a carrier, and perform combat (including reconnaissance and surveillance) operations, within five years.

National Guard unveils 'way of the future for Army avaiation'

03/07/2010

It can stay up for six hours, act as a high-altitude antenna or provide real-time pictures of a battlefield to soldiers on the ground.

NY Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing waves goodbye to piloted flights

03/06/2010

In 2001, when Lt. Col. Dan Tester turned his F-16 south into a September sky over Syracuse, no one could have guessed that the end of the combat plane’s mission was beginning.

Two-year F-35 production delay hits Israel

03/06/2010

The two-year delay in the production of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the cost increase this will entail could jeopardize a crucial deal with Israel for 75 of the stealthy fifth-generation fighter.

Cantwell praises the 767 air frame selected by Boeing for the tanker competition

03/06/2010

Cantwell’s comments came as Boeing announced its selection of the mid-sized 767 as the air frame it will offer the U.S. military in the competition to build mid-air refueling aircraft.

EU assures military boost, pays for plane delay

03/06/2010

EU nations assured financing to bolster military transport strength on Friday by reaching a deal to cover cost overruns for the 3-year delay in the A400M heavy lift plane program.

Vanishing American Air Superiority

03/06/2010

The debate over the F-22 Raptor has been carried out at the customary level of simplemindedness we've become used to when Congress handles military questions. Since the early '60s, the favored method of killing a military program has been to come up with an argument easily expressed in a sound bite and stick with it. This time, the sound bite was, "Why do we need two fighter planes, anyway?"

India to order primary trainers to replace HPT-32s

03/06/2010

India has issued a request for proposals for primary trainer aircraft, an urgent requirement now that the country's fleet of Hindustan Aeronautics HPT-32 Deepaks has been grounded.