Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US Pilots' Close Calls with Russian Aircraft Are Likely to Continue, Experts Say

04/26/2020

The U.S. Navy last week watched a single-seat Russian Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E come within 25 feet of a P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft while at high speed and inverted, causing wake turbulence and putting the U.S. "pilots and crew at risk" over the Mediterranean Sea. Days later, another Flanker mimicked the move over the same waters, zooming in front of a P-8 and exposing the sub hunter aircraft to its jet exhaust.

Indian Air Force Considers TU-160 To Counter Chinese Bomber H-6

04/26/2020

The Indian Air Force needs a strategic bomber such as the Russian TU-160 to counter a growing fleet of Chinese bombers. The Russian supersonic bomber Tu-160, also known as the White Swan, is the most powerful and largest missile carrier in the world.

Who Flies Away When an F-22 Raptor And Russia's Su-57 Do Battle?

04/26/2020

Russia’s official designation of the PAK-FA/T-50 jet as the Sukhoi Su-57 is just another reminder that the field of fifth generation fighters is about to get more crowded. The United States, China, Russia, Japan and Korea are all working on their own fifth generation designs, but so far only three planes, the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Chinese J-20 are operational.

Boeing-Embraer joint venture collapse throws cold water on C-390

04/26/2020

Collapse of a joint venture agreement between Boeing and Embraer to promote the Embraer C-390 Millennium will likely make it more difficult to sell the medium-lift transport outside of Brazil, seriously hurting the overall sales of the aircraft programme. The deal, in which Embraer would have owned a 51% stake and Boeing a 49% stake, was terminated after the two sides could not get past some final sticking points, said Boeing on 25 April.

SU-25 ACCIDENTALLY FIRES MISSILE WHILE ON GROUND, MISSES PARKED C-130, KILLS 5

04/25/2020

A Russian-made Su-25, belonging to the Chadian Air Force accidentally fired a missile that veered into a senior Chadian commander’s home, killing five people including three children. The video footage captures the firing of the missile at the Adji Kossei airbase as the aircraft was preparing to take off. The missile clips an empty fuel tanker, which made it veer just away from a parked French C-130 aircraft before disappearing from view. It then slammed into the home of General Mahamat Salah

Five F-35 issues have been downgraded, but they remain unsolved

04/25/2020

The F-35 Joint Program Office has put in place stopgap fixes for five key technical flaws plaguing America’s top-end fighter jet, but the problems have not been completely eliminated. Last June, Defense News reported exclusive details about 13 major technical issues, known as category 1 deficiencies, impacting the F-35. The JPO has since quietly downgraded five of those issues to the lesser category 2.

Training expands to meet need for Apache pilots

04/25/2020

The Army has found a viable alternative to assist Fort Rucker in the training of D model Apache instructor pilots and maintenance test pilots. The last D model IP/MTP courses at Fort Rucker ended in early April, which meant D model IPs/MTPs would have to be taught another way. Among those that needed training were pilots from 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, a unit scheduled to deploy later this year.

The Pentagon will have to live with limits on F-35’s supersonic flights

04/25/2020

An issue that risks damage to the F-35’s tail section if the aircraft needs to maintain supersonic speeds is not worth fixing and will instead be addressed by changing the operating parameters, the F-35 Joint Program Office told Defense News in a statement Friday.

Boeing delivers last Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the US Navy

04/25/2020

Boeing has delivered the final Block II F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the US Navy (USN), handing over the last aircraft on 17 April, says the service. “Aircraft E322 will leave Boeing’s production line and head straight to Strike Fighter Squadron 34 based in [Naval Air Station] Oceana,” says USN Commander Tyler Tennille, of the Defense Contract Management Agency, who supervises F/A-18 acceptance testing.

In shadow of coronavirus, China steps up manoeuvres near Taiwan

04/24/2020

Beijing has escalated the number and intensity of military drills around Taiwan in recent weeks, making risky manoeuvres that appear set to test the political waters in Taipei and Washington while signalling the mainland’s continuing animosity towards Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, who was re-elected in a landslide in January.

America’s bomber force is facing a crisis

04/24/2020

The nation faces a bomber crisis, and it is time to openly acknowledge the scale and scope of the problem. Tasked with deterrence and, if necessary, striking targets around the globe, Air Force crews operating these aircraft afford the nation’s security leaders unique options best embodied in the phrase: anytime, anyplace. Despite the criticality of this mission, the Air Force currently operates the smallest, oldest fleet of bombers since its 1947 founding.

Mission Capable: How More Ready Jets Is Helping the Navy Create Deadlier Pilots

04/24/2020

In 2015, Rear Adm. Rich Brophy was a captain who had just taken command of Carrier Air Wing 9 and was trying to usher the unit through pre-deployment training, while sitting at the bottom of a bathtub in naval aviation readiness.

NATO conducts live-fly training flights over Baltic

04/24/2020

On April 20 and 21, air forces from four Allies and two Partners and a NATO E-3A AWACS plane conducted live-fly training flights in segregated training areas and international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

Navy asks Raytheon to build lot-20 AIM-9X advanced air-to-air missiles for U.S. Navy, Air Force, and allies

04/24/2020

U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking Raytheon Technologies Corp. to build several hundred AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $392.4 million order announced last month.

Air Force and Honeywell make transition to full-scale development for GPS modernization in military aircraft

04/23/2020

U.S. Air Force satellite navigation experts are moving to full-scale development of a system that blends the Global Position System (GPS) navigation and guidance system with inertial navigation system (INS) technology.

In First, Marine Corps Crew Flies MQ-9 Reaper Drone in the Middle East

04/23/2020

A Marine Corps crew was, for the first time, behind an MQ-9 Reaper drone flight in the Middle East as they supported personnel on the ground from another continent. Members of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 carried out a Reaper flight in an undisclosed location late last month, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., which owns the aircraft, announced last week.

German Defense Minister Makes Tornado Replacement Plans Official

04/23/2020

Germany’s Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced toPparliament on April 21 the decision to split the replacement program for the Panavia Tornado combat aircraft into two platforms. The long-rumored purchase plans call for the acquisition of 93 Eurofighter Typhoons and 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, plus 15 Boeing EF-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.

Eielson AFB welcomes F-35A Lightning II

04/23/2020

It was a historic day for Eielson Air Force Base as the installation received its first two F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft April 21. With the arrival, Eielson AFB is now Pacific Air Forces’ first base to house the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. “This first aircraft is a milestone,” said Col. Benjamin Bishop, the 354th Fighter Wing commander. “Making the first aircraft arrival possible has been a long path, but it’s also just the first step in a journey that will continue at Eielson Air

USS America, 31st MEU with F-35B fighter aircraft operate in South China Sea

04/23/2020

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Reinforced), including the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft detachment, began conducting flight operations in the South China Sea, April 16, aboard forward deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6).

US Air Force battlefield network lacks goals, a budget and a plan: GAO

04/22/2020

The US Air Force’s (USAF) ambitious battlefield network development effort, called the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), lacks the organisational structure needed to be executed well. In particular, the service is moving forward with developing a key part of its future modernisation strategy without firm technical requirements, a plan, a cost estimate, authority clearly delegated to decision makers, or an analysis of affordability, says the Government Accountability Office.

Lockheed Martin projects fewer F-35 delivers due to coronavirus impact

04/22/2020

Lockheed Martin is projecting fewer F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter deliveries in 2020 due to impacts on its global supply chain caused by disruptions related to the coronavirus pandemic. The manufacturer is not yet sure exactly how much its deliveries will decrease, but is assessing likely outcomes, it says in an earnings call on 21 April.

Germany picks Super Hornet and more Eurofighters for Tornado replacement

04/22/2020

Germany is to pursue a split order for the replacement of its Panavia Tornado combat aircraft, selecting both European and US models for the requirement. Defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has written to the German parliament informing them of the government’s intention, according to the DPA news agency.

US Air Force ends Long-Range Standoff Weapon competition early, choosing Raytheon’s design

04/21/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) has ended its Long-Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) development competition early, issuing a sole-source contract to Raytheon. Raytheon was competing with Lockheed Martin to design and build the service’s stealthy long-range, nuclear-weapon-tipped cruise missile as part of a Technology Maturation and Risk (TMRR) phase. Each company was awarded $900 million in 2017.

Airbus advances automatic boom use after F-16 trial

04/21/2020

Certification testing of an automatic air-to-air refuelling boom technology for the A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) is on track to commence next year, following a recent campaign conducted by Airbus Defence & Space. The European company built on earlier fight tests with the so-called A3R system by conducting sorties involving its A310 tanker testbed and a Portuguese air force Lockheed Martin F-16.

The Royal Australian Navy Works Their MH-60R ‘Romeos’ Across Their Fleet

04/20/2020

MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopter may not be a stealth platform, but it has become a globally used platform by the US Navy and U.S. allies and has done so in barely noticed fashion. Globally is a key aspect of a platform, even with different systems onboard common platforms, common logistics and platform support across the demanding maritime environment is a clear plus for the US Navy and the global partners with whom they work.