Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Poland to buy F-35 stealth fighters from the US

01/25/2020

Poland’s defense minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced that Warsaw’s deal to buy dozens of fifth-generation F-35 stealth aircrafts from the US will be signed next week. “We’ve basically finalized the negotiations, with only minor procedural issues still pending. I’m convinced that in January we will sign an agreement with the United States for the purchase of 32 F-35 planes, the most modern aircraft in the world,” Blaszczak said in an interview.

US Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter upgrades start full-rate production

01/25/2020

The US Coast Guard’s MH-65D Dolphin helicopter upgrade programme began full-rate production on 21 November. Full-rate production means the US Coast Guard plans to convert 22 examples of the Eurocopter MH-65D per year into the “E” configuration, says the service on 16 January.

General Atomics to demo MQ-1C Gray Eagle as tactical ballistic missile spotter

01/25/2020

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems started a series of internally funded demonstration flights on 19 November 2019 with the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range unmanned air vehicle (UAV) serving as a tactical ballistic missile spotter.

BOEING SAYS BANGLADESH IS CONSIDERING AH-64E APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTERS

01/24/2020

Boeing confirmed to reports that its AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter was “down-selected” for a potential acquisition program with the Bangladeshi armed forces. Terry Jamison, the director of international vertical lift sales at Boeing, stated that Bangladesh is actively considering the Apache on both cost and capability grounds.

MoD: First Polish F-35 Jets Expected in 2024. Agreement to be Signed Next Week

01/24/2020

First F-35 fighter aircraft that Poland is planning to order would be “ready in 2024”, Head of the Polish Ministry of Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak said. He also confirmed the fact that conclusion of a relevant agreement on that matter (actual delivery of the aircraft) is planned to happen next week.

F-35 sensors help ground interceptors engage “air-breathing” targets

01/24/2020

The Lockheed Martin F-35 has demonstrated has demonstrated a capability to downlink targeting data about multiple “air-breathing threats” to ground forces. The work took place at White Sands Missile Range in December 2019, according to Lockheed Martin.

Saab commences production for T-7A Red Hawk programme

01/24/2020

Saab has commenced assembly production for the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer. The Swedish company says it is producing seven aft fuselage sections in Linköping, Sweden which will then undergo final assembly at Boeing’s factory in St. Louis, Missouri.

U.S. Air Force shows off ten A-10 Warthogs in massive ‘elephant walk’ exercise

01/23/2020

The U.S Air Force on Jan. 21 conducted a massive elephant walk at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, launching ten A-10 Thunderbolt II, or the more affectionate A-10 Warthogs, in a row. “A-10 Thunderbolt II fighter aircraft flown here by pilots of the 107th Fighter Squadron, perform an, “Elephant Walk,” on the runway as they deploy for Snowbird January 21, 2020,” according to a news release issued by the 127th Wing Public Affairs.

China is behind on production of its most advanced fighter jet

01/22/2020

China will need to speed up the production of its most advanced Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jets, with the supply of the "Powerful Dragons" well behind demand, military analysts said.

Meet the TF-X: Turkey's Wanna-Be F-22 Stealth Fighter

01/22/2020

Turkish Aerospace Industries revealed a mockup of a new stealth fighter at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2019. Don’t get excited. The mockup of the TF-X fighter bears a resemblance to the U.S. Air Force’s own F-22. But whereas the F-22 is a real, front-line warplane with an actual combat record, the TF-X is unlikely to even get built.

US Navy’s Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey completes first flight

01/22/2020

The US Navy CMV-22B Osprey made its initial flight at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center in Texas. The Bell Boeing CMV-22’s first flight comes ahead of its manufacturers’ plan to deliver the tiltrotor to the Naval Air Systems Command’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 in early 2020 for developmental testing, Bell and Boeing say on 21 January.

USMC Aviation: Looking Back to the 2010s and Forward to the 2020s

01/21/2020

The significant change in USMC aviation since the introduction of the Osprey has set in motion fundamental changes overall in USMC capabilities and concepts of operations. In the past decade, the Osprey has matured as a combat platform and fostered significant change in concepts of operations. No less than the virtual end of the ARG-MEU and the shaping of a new approach to amphibious warfare and shaping new concepts of operations for dealing with peer competitors is underway.

Sukhoi 30-MKI fighter aircraft equipped with BrahMos to be deployed in northern sector as per threat analysis, says Air Force Chief

01/21/2020

Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft, equipped with ' BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, was inducted at Thanjavur airbase on Monday. The missile can hit targets at around 300 kilometers with precision. Bhadauria said that the decision to deploy the Su-30 MKI at Thanjavur was taken due to its strategic location.

BAE launches $2.2bn bid for Collins, Raytheon units

01/21/2020

BAE Systems intends to acquire two parts of the Collins Aerospace and Raytheon portfolios which were mandated for sale as part of regulatory requirements enabling the US companies’ pending merger. Announcing the formal asset purchase agreements on 20 January, BAE values its proposed acquisition of Collins’ military GPS business at over $1.9 billion, and says obtaining Raytheon’s airborne tactical radios unit will cost $275 million.

The Israeli Air Force Has Inaugurated Its Second F-35I Adir Squadron

01/20/2020

The 116th Squadron “Lions of the South”, based at Nevatim in southern Israel, is the second Israeli Air Force unit to be equipped with the “Adir”. On Jan. 16, 2020, the IAF officially reopened the 116th (“Lions Of The South”) squadron. The unit joins the 140th “Golden Eagle” squadron, becoming the second to operate the “Adir” (as the Israeli Lightning II stealth aircraft are dubbed).

WHY IS THE PAKISTAN AIR FORCE PROCURING 26 JF-17B FIGHTERS?

01/20/2020

The PAF Chief of Air Staff (CAS), revealed the PAF’s plans to procure 26 JF-17Bs in an interview in May 2019.[1] According to the CAS, the primary purpose of inducting the JF-17B was to train new pilots on the JF-17 “without first putting them through the F-16, Mirage or F-7P/PG” as they are currently. In other words, as the JF-17 becomes the PAF’s most numerous aircraft, the PAF is adding twin-seat variants to convert pilots with limited experience in JF-17.

Here Comes the New F-16 Fighter: Thanks to F-22 and F-35

01/20/2020

The latest version of the F-16, officially dubbed the F-16 Block 70, is a thoroughly modern fighter jet. The original F-16 was introduced in the 1970s, but the new jet is a different beast thanks to advanced avionics. F-16 Block 70 fighter jet can be deployed in suppression of enemy air defences missions, air-to-ground and air-to-air combat, and deep interdiction and maritime interdiction missions.

Israel's F-35i 'Adir' Stealth Fighter Is a Beast (And Now A Second Squadron Is Ready)

01/19/2020

Israel unveiled its second F-35i squadron to coincide with the new year at its Nevatim Airbase where its F-35s are based. This is a milestone for Israel which received its first F-35s in 2016 and declared its first squadron operation in December 2017. Israel’s F-35i is a modified version with unique features. Israel is expected to acquire at least 50 of the Lockheed Martin jets amid rising tension with Iran. It fulfills Israel’s desire to have a qualitative military edge over adversaries thro

The B-52 Will No Longer Carry Certain Nuclear Weapons. Here's Why

01/19/2020

The B-52 Stratofortress will no longer carry the B61-7 and B83-1 nuclear gravity bombs as it prepares to carry the new long-range standoff weapon, known as LRSO. Following reports that the bomb variants had been removed from the Cold War-era aircraft's inventory, officials at Air Force Global Strike Command confirmed the move is in line with the bomber's transition into an era of modern warfare.

The Soviet's War In Afghanistan Had Russian Pilots Fighting Pakistani F-16s

01/19/2020

Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Washington found that Zia’s policies dovetailed conveniently with getting Pakistani assistance in supporting Mujahideen insurgents fighting Communist forces. Thus, Pakistani and U.S. agents collaborated in organizing and arming militants proliferating in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.

Why Russia Doesn't Like (Or Have) Many Aircraft Carriers

01/19/2020

Historically a land power, the Soviet Union grappled with the idea of a large naval aviation arm for most of its history, eventually settling on a series of hybrid aircraft carriers. Big plans for additional ships died with the Soviet collapse, but Russia inherited one large aircraft carrier at the end of the Cold War—that remains in service today.

USS Ford begins key flight deck training in bid to become combat-ready

01/18/2020

For the first time ever, an E-2D Hawkeye came in for a landing, testing the USS Gerald R. Ford's Advanced Arresting Gear, a system that is unique to the Navy's new Ford-class aircraft carrier. It was part of what's called "A.C.T." - Aircraft Compatibility Testing. The "trap" was successful, and that's a good thing, after several years of seemingly endless technological difficulties for the $12.9 billion Ford.

Israel's F-35I Adir Is Taking America's Stealth Fighter To A Whole Other Level

01/18/2020

On May 22, Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin announced that its F-35I stealth fighters had flown on two combat missions on “different fronts,” showing as proof a photograph of an F-35 overflying Beirut. While details on those missions have not been released—apparently, they were not deployed in a massive Israeli air attack on Iranian forces in Syria that took place on May 9—this nonetheless apparently confirmed the first combat operations undertaken by any variant.

New Russian Lightweight Air-Launched Missile Revealed

01/18/2020

The Russian Navy displayed a model of a new small missile during a Jan. 9 meeting in Sevastopol attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Joint Small-sized Modular Aviation Weapon, (Mezhvidovoye Malogabaritnoye Modulnoye Aviatsionnoye Sredstvo Porazheniya, or MMM ASP), according to the descriptive plate on the model, is being made to defeat “fuel depots, manpower, various naval surface targets, strongholds, aircraft and helicopters at the base site.”

New vertical lift capabilities take flight during demo

01/18/2020

The Army secretary along with senior Army officials joined industry leaders last week to get a closer look at cutting-edge capabilities for future vertical lift ahead of the fiscal year 2030 goal to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk. Developers from Bell Textron, a Texas-based aerospace manufacturer, demoed their part-aircraft, part-helicopter - Bell V-280 Valor - to leaders who will ultimately choose the force's newest chopper.