Military Aviation News Archive

Taiwan wants more US weapons despite latest sales

02/05/2010

Far from being satisfied with a $6.4 billion arms package proposed by Washington last week, Taiwan said on Wednesday it wants more weapons, and more advanced ones at that, a move sure to further infuriate China.

IAF to get missile-armed Su-30 MKI fighters by '12

02/05/2010

Indian Air Force's multi-role Su-30 MKI fighters could be armed with supersonic cruise missiles by 2012, giving them the capability to strike ground targets from stand-off distance.

S. Korea to give Peru eight military aircraft

02/05/2010

South Korea will supply eight ageing, ground-attack aircraft free to Peru to try to encourage arms deals with Central and South American nations, defence officials said Thursday.

Gates defends F-35, rejects increase in F/A-18s

02/05/2010

Top Pentagon leaders on Wednesday underscored their commitment to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter program and challenged some of the arguments Boeing Co is hoping could help it sell more of its F/A-18 fighters before production of the F-35 gets into full swing.

Lockheed Martin Receives $243 Million from the U.S. Air Force for Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Lot 8 Production

02/05/2010

Lockheed Martin has received a U.S. Air Force contract valued at $243.5 million for an eighth production lot of the JASSM cruise missile. The award brings the total contracted quantities of the cruise missile to over 1200.

Boeing Connects 1st F-22 Mission Training Center to US Air Force Network

02/05/2010

Boeing connected the F-22 Mission Training Center (MTC) at Langley Air Force Base, Va., to the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) in November, allowing F-22 pilots at the base to train virtually with pilots in other aircraft platforms for the first time. The MTC at Langley is the first of four F-22 training centers that Boeing will link to the network over the next three years.

Does Russia Have a Fifth-Generation Fighter?

02/04/2010

On Jan. 29, a Russian pilot conducted a test flight of the first warplane entirely designed and built by Russian companies since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The plane, formally known as the Prospective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA), is manufactured by the state-owned Sukhoi aircraft corporation. Russian sources describe the PAK FA as the first fifth-generation multi-role fighter/attack warplane built outside the United States, but some analysts doubt it meets that categ

Malaysia on track to get orders of Airbus aircraft

02/04/2010

Malaysia, which had ordered four Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, is likely to receive its orders on time, according to Airbus Military defence capability marketing vice-president Peter Scoffham.

Light Airplanes Boost Close Air Support

02/04/2010

As mechanized forces bog down in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan, low-tech solutions to problems become more attractive. One of these is the use of small, simple aircraft to replace jets for the close air support (CAS), armed reconnaissance and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that dominate air operations.

Asia-Pacific Recapitalizes Its Fighter Fleets

02/04/2010

A swath of Asia-Pacific states is in the throes of revamping their fighter inventories. As a result, Western and Russian manufacturers are either wrestling to sustain market share or vying with rival fighter builders in traditional client markets.

STOVL Jet Is Fifth Lockheed Martin F-35 To Enter Flight Testing

02/04/2010

A Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter today became the fifth F-35 to begin flight operations.

Boeing Awarded Contract for Major Upgrade to French AWACS Fleet

02/04/2010

The Boeing Company today announced that it has been awarded a $324 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the Electronics Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., to upgrade France's fleet of four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, as well as the fleet's ground system.

Boeing NC3S Project Vigilare Completes 1st Data Transmission With Wedgetail

02/04/2010

Boeing Defence Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, today announced that Project Vigilare, a Network Centric Command and Control System (NC3S) solution for Australia, recently completed its first data transmission with a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft using Link 16.

Airbus close to agreement on delayed A400m military transport plane

02/03/2010

Ministers are expected to meet again in Berlin on Thursday, after talks between the countries and the company broke down last week. Airbus had set a deadline of January 31 to reach a resolution.

Lockheed vows to beat performance targets on F-35

02/03/2010

Lockheed Martin Corp said on Tuesday it was working closely with the Pentagon to ensure its $300 billion F-35 fighter jet program met, or beat, new schedule and cost targets after a Pentagon shake-up.

F-50 and M-346 face off in Singapore trainer bid

02/03/2010

Singapore’s choice of an advanced jet training system is due next month and could be crucial to the future export prospects of Italy’s M-346 Master and Korea’s T-50 Golden Eagle. These dissimilar training jets have been bid here by rival prime contractors, ST Aero and Lockheed Martin, respectively. The decision here is likely to influence the United Arab Emirates, which notably failed last November to confirm its previously announced selection of the M-346 over the T-50.

On for 27 yrs, LCA project gets Rs 8,000 crore more

02/03/2010

What Tejas wants, Tejas gets. The much-delayed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme will get an additional funding of Rs 8,000 crore.

FACTBOX: Russia's fifth-generation fighter T-50 (PAK FA)

02/03/2010

Russia's fifth-generation fighter performed its maiden flight on Friday.

Sudanese Air Force deploys Russian military aircraft

02/02/2010

Sudanese Air Force has been deploying Russian fixed- and rotary-wing platforms for conventional warfare and counter-insurgency operations, according to worldtribune.com .

Gates Shakes Up Leadership for F-35

02/02/2010

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that he was replacing the general in charge of the Pentagon’s largest weapons program — the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter — and withholding $614 million in award fees from the contractor, Lockheed Martin.

Pentagon budget calls for more unmanned aircraft

02/02/2010

U.S. Defense officials outlined plans to double production of unmanned aircraft, part of an expanded 2011 budget unveiled Monday that emphasizes the importance of international hot spots and natural disasters as well as large-scale warfare, as provided under a new strategy document.

Unmanned Black Hawk?

02/02/2010

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced a billion-dollar venture Monday that it hopes will respond to military demand for technology to fight two wars, including Black Hawk helicopters that can see and fly on their own.

Russia successfully tests Sukhoi T-50 Stealth fighter jet

02/02/2010

On December 29, 2010, a prototype Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter took off on its maiden flight at 11.19 a.m. in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia's Far East.

Lockheed Martin Receives $59 Million For Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods

02/01/2010

Lockheed Martin has received $59 million from the U.S. Air Force for additional Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP). This order represents the second increment on the U.S. Air Force’s Sniper ATP Lot 9 contract, originally awarded in September 2009, bringing the total value of the Lot 9 buy to $95 million.

Pilot error likely to blame for Russian jet fighter Jan. 14 crash

02/01/2010

A Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter crash in the Far East earlier this month was likely caused by pilot error, a source close to the investigation said on Saturday.