Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Captain of Aircraft Carrier Pleads for Help as Virus Cases Increase Onboard

04/01/2020

The captain of an American aircraft carrier deployed to the Pacific Ocean has pleaded with the Pentagon for more help as a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship continues to spread, officials said Tuesday. Military officials say dozens of sailors have been infected.

Lockheed awarded $4.9B for work on F-35s

04/01/2020

Lockheed Martin picked up three contracts totaling $4.9 billion for work on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft Tuesday, according to the Pentagon. The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter -- a single-engine stealth multirole combat aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps - is considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the sky.

Swedish training transition to engage Gripen C/Ds

04/01/2020

The Swedish air force is poised to begin modernising its pilot training system, with the process from later this decade to involve the interim use of Saab Gripen C/Ds during advanced instruction phases. Stockholm has employed the Saab 105 (Sk 60) for both basic and advanced/tactical training since 1986, but Colonel Torgny Falthammar, Gripen programme head at the nation’s air staff organisation, says steps will be taken to replace the aged type.

USA approves new IFF, datalink for Korean F-16s

04/01/2020

The US government has cleared a potential sale of Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) and the Link 16 tactical datalink to South Korea for its Lockheed Martin F-16s. The deal is worth $194 million, and includes a range of services and equipment related to the acquisition, says the US State Department.

Dassault aims to begin gradual restart of production at French sites after coronavirus shutdown

04/01/2020

Dassault hopes to begin gradually recommencing production at its French facilities in the coming days following an agreement with workforce unions. Final assembly of Rafale combat aircraft and Falcon business jets has been suspended since 18 March, with parts manufacturing similarly halted four days later, in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel and America Just Conducted F-35 Drills (Iran, Take Notice?)

03/31/2020

Israel’s F-35 Adir fighters conducted a training exercise called 'Enduring Lightning' over southern Israel amid the global pandemic. They were joined by the U.S. Air Force American F-35s, pairing the two countries' fifth-generation fighter capabilities at a time of tension in the region

NEWEST MV-22B OSPREY SQUADRON, THE “UGLY ANGELS,” ARE READY

03/31/2020

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 362, known as the “Ugly Angels,” were declared fully operational capable on Feb. 28, 2020, signifying that the Marine Corps’ newest MV-22B Osprey squadron is prepared to support the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Following the certification, they continued to work together to accomplish additional training and readiness objectives while conducting precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Boeing wins $1.5bn contract for 18 P-8A patrol aircraft for South Korea, New Zealand and US Navy

03/31/2020

The US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a $1.5 billion contract for 18 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The deal is for six aircraft for the South Korean navy, four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and eight aircraft for the USN, Boeing says on 30 March. New Zealand and South Korea are scheduled to received their first aircraft in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Fuel is leaking from the Boeing KC-46A in-flight refuelling tanker

03/31/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) says fuel is leaking from its Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tanker. The problem, which was first discovered in July 2019, was recently upgraded to a category 1 deficiency, says the service on 30 March.

Airbus suspends Spanish production as outbreak restrictions tighten

03/31/2020

Airbus is suspending most of its production in Spain for more than a week, as it continues its efforts to address the coronavirus situation. Spain has been particularly hard-hit among European countries. Airbus says it is to suspend the “majority of production” until 9 April, in the aftermath of new measures imposed by the Spanish government from 30 March.

Pentagon seeks $76 million next year to start replacing Offutt-based 'Doomsday' jets

03/30/2020

The day is coming when Offutt Air Force Base’s giant “Doomsday” planes will fly off into the sunset. The Air Force has started a program to replace the four E-4B Nightwatch jets — also known as the National Airborne Operations Center — within 10 years. The Doomsday moniker is because their primary mission is to take off and maintain control of nuclear weapons in the event of nuclear war. They also frequently are used as a transport plane for the secretary of defense.

Hill fighter wings continue flying operations amid COVID-19 crisis

03/30/2020

The active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing are continuing to train and fly the F-35A Lightning II at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, despite the current global Coronavirus outbreak. There has been one confirmed case on Hill AFB. As cases continue to spread in America and more and more local and national guidelines and restrictions are put in place to prevent the spread of the disease, the wings implemented their own measures two weeks ago. The largest was, “segmented” OPS.

Yes the F-35 Would Wipe out an F-15 or F-16 (But Maybe Not Every Single Time)

03/29/2020

The F-35 wins at long-range due to its stealth capabilities. But it is no dogfighter and if another plane got close enough, maybe the F-35 would lose.

Japan rejecting foreign suitors in favor of homegrown design for new stealth jet, sources say

03/29/2020

Japan wants to develop a stealth fighter domestically, rejecting designs from Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. in the United States and Britain’s BAE Systems PLC, three sources with knowledge of the program said.

Defense forces disagree with claims Russia is suspending military exercises

03/29/2020

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Russia has halted military exercises in the vicinity of its western borders, and its military aircraft are flying in the Baltic airspace with their onboard transponders switched on. But the Estonian defense forces do not agree with this assessment.

First Marine F-35C squadron received Safe-For-Flight Operations Certification

03/28/2020

The first F-35C squadron of the United States Marine Corps, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, received on March 20, 2020 its Safe-For-Flight Operations Certification (SFFOC) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar. VMFA-314 reached this milestone after working with the U.S. Navy’s F-35C Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125, which helped the Marines with the transition from the F/A-18A++ Hornet to the new F-35C Lightning II.

USAF Rebuilds Precision Munition Stockpiles

03/28/2020

After an intense period of restocking, Air Force precision weapon inventories are almost back to acceptable levels, Air Force leaders say. Now they are throttling back planned purchases for fiscal 2021.

Nukes, Trump, Russian Missiles: The Weird Reasons Germany May Buy Three Jet Fighter Types from Eurofighter and Boeing

03/28/2020

Germany’s Defense Ministry is likely to replace its Tornado jets by 2025 with three different types of jets—two of them built in the United States, German business paper Handelsblatt reported Thursday. For years, Germany’s Air Force, the Luftwaffe, has been bedeviled by atrociously low readiness levels in its fleet of combat aircraft. Currently, the service operates 141 modern Eurofighter Typhoon jets optimized for air-to-air combat, and 93 Panavia Tornados.

US Air Force wants to use private in-flight refuelling tankers in two years

03/28/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) aims to start using private in-flight refuelling tankers in two years. The service wants to contract 5,000 flight hours to support around 1,100 sorties annually, it says in an industry day brief that was released 3 March. The brief was a summary of an industry day held in December 2019.

Saab commences production of first Brazilian Gripen F

03/28/2020

Saab has cut metal on the first two-seat Gripen F for the Brazilian air force. The first part cut for the aircraft will form part of the jet’s air duct section, just behind the fighter’s cockpit, says Saab. “This milestone is important for the Gripen project because it demonstrates that the development phase is proceeding properly,” says Colonel Renato Leite, head of the Monitoring and Control Group (GAC-Saab) at the Brazilian Air Force.

ACC to Award ‘Red Air’ Contracts for Six Bases

03/26/2020

Air Combat Command plans to award multiple contracts for adversary air support at six bases as early as April. But the scope of the project, once anticipated to be worth up to $6 billion, will be much smaller than hoped.

US Army selects Bell and Sikorsky to build FARA prototypes

03/26/2020

The US Army has selected Bell and Sikorsky to design and test Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototypes. The two companies advanced to phase two where each is to complete a detailed design, build and test helicopters. The winner of the FARA contest will be selected in a fly-off competition no later than the fall of 2023.

Taiwan holds joint air drill featuring simulated air scramble

03/25/2020

Taiwan's Armed Forces held large-scale military exercises throughout the country on Tuesday, with eight F-16 fighter jets from Hualien Air Base conducting simulated long-range intercept missions above Taiwan. The drill was primarily held to test the military's combat readiness against an all-out Chinese aerial invasion, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.

Naval Air: Italian Trainers Over The South China Sea

03/25/2020

In early 2020 the Philippines Air Force again assigned Italian made S211 jet trainers to maritime patrol duty. Only three of these elderly aircraft are still flyable and they will remain assigned to maritime patrol until they are no longer able to fly at all. This is not the first time these S211s were assigned to maritime patrol.

Why the US Marine Corps plans big downsizing, including some F-35s, MV-22s and all tanks

03/25/2020

The US Marine Corps (USMC) believes it needs to be leaner and meaner to defeat China in a hypothetical war in the Pacific Ocean. Over the next 10 years, the service plans to drastically downsize its force, cutting 12,000 personnel and reducing its number of aircraft, including a significant number of its bespoke Lockheed Martin F-35B stealth fighters, Bell Boeing MV-22 tiltrotors and Sikorsky CH-53 heavy lift helicopters.