Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing asked to integrate Honeywell ADCP II avionics computer aboard Air National Guard F-15C jet fighters

04/07/2020

Military avionics experts at the Boeing Co. will integrate the Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II aboard versions of the U.S. Air Force F-15 combat jet under terms of a $8.2 million order announced last week. Officials of the Fighter/Bomber directorate of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are asking the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis to install and repair the environmental control system on the ADCP II boxes onto F

Battle for air supremacy heats up in Libya despite COVID-19 outbreak

04/07/2020

Renewed fighting in Libya, where both sides rely on drone support from foreign backers, has fueled a battle for air supremacy that augurs further escalation despite the coronavirus outbreak in the country. It also raises the prospect of Turkey sending more military aid to its allies.

Why Israel Was Not Allowed to Buy the F-22 Raptor

04/07/2020

Israel gets a large amount of defense aid from the United States in the form of both cash, weapons, and weapons platforms — but why doesn’t Israel have the F-22 stealth fighter? Perhaps the most prominent example of American-Israeli cooperation is the Israeli version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which Israel — and Israel alone — is allowed to modify to better fit Israeli requirements for the Middle East.

China develops fighter jet for training new generation of aircraft carrier pilots

04/06/2020

Chinese engineers have modified an old fighter jet to create a training aircraft for pilots who will serve on the country’s newest aircraft carrier – the Type 002 – which is currently in development, according to the plane’s manufacturer. The adapted JL-9 – also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle or “Shanying” – was produced by Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) specifically for use on the Type 002, which will have a catapult launch system, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said.

Crimean S-400s and Flankers Conduct Massive Drills to Counter Simulated Full Scale Missile Attack

04/06/2020

Russian forces in Crimea have carried out massive exercises simulating a full scale missile attack on facilities there. The drills were centred around S-400 battalions stationed in the newly claimed Russian territory - which is still hotly disputed by Ukraine and the Western Bloc and joined the Russian Federation in 2014. The peninsula is among the most heavily fortified of Russian territories, and is on the frontlines of a potential war with NATO or Ukraine.

Hill AFB fighter pilots continue flying, despite increasingly stringent COVID-19 measures on base

04/06/2020

Right now, Hill Air Force Base looks drastically different than it did just a few weeks ago. To help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, base brass has restricted access to the commissary and restaurants, closed all morale, recreation and welfare centers, and ordered a large percentage of Hill's workforce move to "mission essential reporting" duty status. That status requires that all nonessential base workers stay off the installation unless they are granted permission from a supervisor

China’s military and paramilitary forces have been employing lasers with increasing frequency since at least 2018.

04/05/2020

China is laser-focused on maritime primacy — quite literally. Beijing is leveraging lasers and other emerging technologies to expand and police its offshore sphere of influence and keep American and allied naval power at bay. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) finds it insufficient to fabricate law with expansive nine-dash line claims and coerce others the old-fashioned way via ramming and gunboat diplomacy.

US Navy will receive three additional MQ-25 unmanned refueling aircraft from Boeing

04/05/2020

“We’re honored to have the Navy’s confidence in our system design and performance that is evident from this additional order,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 program director. “This order establishes uninterrupted production of the first MQ-25 aircraft and lines up with the Navy’s MQ-25 test and training plans for fleet introduction. The MQ-25 program is vital in ensuring the Navy can deliver a critical unmanned aerial refueling capability to the carrier air wing.”

Boeing suspends production of Chinook and Osprey aircraft

04/04/2020

Boeing has suspended operations at its Ridley Township, Pennsylvania facilities due to the spread of coronavirus, the company said Thursday. The site includes manufacturing and production facilities for military rotorcraft such as the H-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf multi-mission helicopter and the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft for defense customers, Boeing said.

China's Air Force Is Being Held Back By Its Terrible Jet Engines

04/04/2020

The Chinese defense industrial base is infamous for its tendency to “borrow” from foreign designs, particularly in the aerospace industry. Almost the entirety of China’s modern fighter fleet have either borrowed liberally from or directly copied foreign models.

US Air Force Reserve receives first HC-130J Combat King II

04/04/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) Reserve has received its first Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II. The turboprop transport is to be operated by the 39th Rescue Squadron, part of the 920th Rescue Wing, at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, says Lockheed Martin on 2 April. The Reserve flies the older HC-130 P/N Combat King search-and-rescue transport. The USAF received its first HC-130J in 2011. The US Coast Guard also operates a fleet of HC-130Js for search and rescue.

Netherlands takes new CH-47F as Boeing pauses production

04/04/2020

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has taken delivery of its first Boeing CH-47F Chinook produced in the manufacturer’s latest standard, with its Defence Helicopter Command to eventually operate 20 of the tandem-rotor transports. “The RNLAF made it clear to us that they need the advanced, proven capability of the CH-47F now,” says Andy Builta, the manufacturer’s CH-47 programme manager.

US awards Lockheed $512 million for Bulgarian F-16 production

04/04/2020

The US government has awarded Lockheed Martin $512 million to produce eight F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria. The project is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027, says the US Department of Defense in a contract announcement. The work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and at Lockheed’s new F-16 line in Greenville, South Carolina.

Done deal: Boeing will have to rip and replace KC-46 sensor and camera systems on its own dime

04/03/2020

The agreement puts an end to years of negotiations between the Air Force and aerospace giant over the nature and extent of redesign work needed to correct the Remote Vision System, the collection of cameras and sensors that provide boom operators the imagery needed to steer the boom into another aircraft and safely transfer fuel.

Training in the Age of Corona: Israeli, American F-35 Pilots Meet in the Air, Debrief at a Distance

04/03/2020

Israeli and American fighter pilots held a joint F-35 training drill over southern Israel in recent days, meeting only in the air due to the coronavirus pandemic. Face-to-face meetings for briefings and after-drill reviews were instead conducted over the phone and video conferences. The one-day exercise, held on March 29, and dubbed “Enduring Lightening,” saw fifth-generation jets fly in joint squadrons and tackle a range of mock threats in Israeli skies.

Chinese air force’s drill ‘aimed at signalling deterrent around Taiwan’

04/03/2020

The Chinese military command responsible for patrols around Taiwan stepped up its drills by staging a long-endurance early-warning exercise in March, the official PLA Daily reported on Wednesday.

The Air Force is Cutting Tankers (That Seems Like a Big Mistake)

04/03/2020

The United States Air Force is now considering private contractors to help refuel its bombers and fighters within the next two years as it faces a near-term shortage of refueler aircraft. This comes as the USAF's 2021 budget proposal calls for cutting sixteen active-duty KC-10s and thirteen KC-135s from the active and reserve fleets.

US special forces Armed Overwatch light attack demo scheduled for November

04/03/2020

US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) plans to conduct a flight demonstration as part of its Armed Overwatch light-attack aircraft prototype project in November 2020. Should SOCOM decide to move forward with Overwatch after demonstrations, one company could be awarded a production contract for 75 aircraft to be delivered over a five- to seven-year period, the service says in a 2 April online notice.

NAVAIR fast tracks technology to help CH-53E in ‘brownouts’

04/03/2020

The US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is expediting the development of a system that improves low-speed performance of the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in poor visibility conditions. US Marine Corps (USMC) operations in the Middle East have showed that in “brownout” conditions caused by sand billowing up from landing zones, helicopters have a tendency to “drift” when attempting to land and take off, NAVAIR says.

AH-64E explores maritime attack role in Arabian Gulf

04/03/2020

The US military has conducted joint operations in the Arabian gulf to demonstrate army attack helicopters teaming with naval assets to engaged simulated surface targets. The work involved the army’s Boeing AH-64E attack helicopters operating from the USS Lewis B Puller, an Expeditionary Sea Base ship, says the US Naval Force Central Command.

The Bronco Is Back! A Fleet Of OV-10s Will Help Train Air Force Forward Air Controllers

04/02/2020

A quarter-century after the last OV-10 Broncos left U.S. military service – not counting experiments and a brief field test in Iraq involving a pair of heavily modified OV-10G+ variants on loan from NASA – U.S. Air Force Forward Air Controllers, now dubbed Joint Terminal Air Controllers (JTACs), may find themselves working with these light attack planes again soon during training programs and exercises.

Iran's F-7 Fighter Is A Copy of a J-7 Fighter from China (That Copies a MiG-21)

04/02/2020

One of their lesser-known, and indeed less-capable airframes is a copy…of a copy. Meet the J/F-7. The F-7 (or sometimes called J-7, after it’s Chinese parent) is an odd duck. The F-7 is a copy of the J-7, which is a copy of the MiG-21. This video of Albanian F-7’s or J-7s shows the decidedly Soviet and antiquated nature of the airframes.

Japan Rejects Lockheed Martin Plans for Next-Generation Fighter Aircraft

04/02/2020

Japan has rejected proposals by foreign aircraft manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, to develop a next-generation combat aircraft based on existing designs under the F-X future fighter program, according to a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA).

Northrop Grumman to start AARGM-ER production for US Navy

04/02/2020

The US Navy (USN) intends to award a sole source contract to Northrop Grumman to start production of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER). The quantity of the forthcoming order was not disclosed, but would be part of low rate initial production lot one, says the service in a notice posted online on 31 March.

UK Royal Navy sets course for Carrier Strike Group 21 test

04/02/2020

Moored nose-to-tail in Portsmouth harbour for the first time earlier this year, the UK’s two largest ever warships made an imposing presence, despite the absence of the Lockheed Martin F-35Bs which will in time deliver the Royal Navy (RN) vessels’ firepower during operations around the globe.