Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Military aircraft crashes, pilot dies during trainings: Military spox

01/16/2020

A military aircraft crashed on Tuesday during the training of the Air Forces and its pilot was announced dead,according to military spokesperson Colonel Tamer al-Rifai. Rifai added in his statement that the military craft crashed in one of the training locations, and that they are still figuring out the reason behind the crash.

US Navy flies F/A-18F Super Hornet with Infrared Search & Track Block II pod

01/16/2020

The US Navy (USN) for the first time in late 2019 flew an F/A-18F Super Hornet carrying an Infrared Search & Track (IRST) Block II pod under the centerline of its undercarriage. The IRST Block II is in the risk reduction phase of development, says Boeing on 15 January. Flights at Boeing’s facilities in the St. Louis, Missouri area are to be used to collect data on how the hardware is performing.

Dassault, Thales to provide France with SIGINT Falcon 8X

01/16/2020

Paris has tapped Dassault and Thales to provide three signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft based on the Falcon 8X business jet under its ARCHANGE requirement. The project will see the Thales CUGE system installed on two aircraft initially, with a third to follow, say the two companies.

The 'Super-Charged' F-15EX Fighter: Why This Combat Pilot Loves It

01/15/2020

By modifying an existing, proven airframe – with an undefeated air-to-air combat record - the Air Force can take advantage of an existing manufacturing process and ground support infrastructure without the need for extensive pilot-re-training. This will allow the military to deploy the F-15EX quickly with little added cost to the American taxpayer – saving valuable funds for F-35 production.

India’s LCA makes arrested landing, as twin-engined fighter planned

01/15/2020

The Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Light Combat Aircraft technology demonstrator has successfully performed an arrested landing on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, followed by a maiden ski jump take-off. The fighter is undergoing additional carrier trials, following which it will return to the Shore Base Test Facility (SBTF) at Goa. The flight represented a historic moment for Indian aviation, being the first time a locally-produced jet has arrested aboard a carrier.

Egypt demonstrates aerial refuelling for combat aircraft

01/15/2020

Egypt now has the capability to aerial refuel combat aircraft, with an official video released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) showing 'buddy-buddy' systems fitted to air force MiG-29M 'Fulcrum' fighters. The video, which was released on 13 January to highlight the capabilities of the Egyptian armed forces, shows a pair of MiG-29Ms equipped with centreline hose-and-drogue units preparing to offload fuel to two Dassault Rafale combat aircraft.

Multiple failures led to iran's accidental attack on Ukrainian jetliner

01/14/2020

Details about why Iran air defense forces mistook a Ukrainian airliner for a cruise missile remain murky, but one thing is clear: Safeguards for operating surface-to-air missiles are supposed to prevent that kind of mistaken identity and all of them failed. The error, which killed all 176 people aboard the plane on Wednesday, is probably the result of multiple layers of failure that extend into high levels of the government and military, said Steven Zaloga, senior analyst for missile systems at

RAF to launch swarming drone squadron in April

01/14/2020

The UK Royal Air Force in April is set to stand up a new squadron to bring swarming drones into service and assess their capabilities. The technology, originally announced by former Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, was due to be in service by the end of 2019; however, the capabilities will now be brought into service in April.

Lockheed Martin to deliver up to 50 C-130J Super Hercules to US military

01/14/2020

Lockheed Martin has won a $3 billion multiyear contract to deliver up to 50 C-130J Super Hercules to the US Air Force (USAF), US Marine Corps (USMC) and US Coast Guard. The Department of Defense awarded $1.5 billion for the first tranche of 21 C-130Js on 27 December, the company says on 13 January.

US Adding Firepower and Outreach in Pacific to Counter China

01/13/2020

While America's attention was firmly fixed on Iran, China had a large fishing fleet operating illegally in Indonesia's exclusive economic zone protected by China's coast guard, said Rear Adm. Ken Whitesell, deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet. Indonesia deployed fighter jets and warships to "drive out the foreign vessels, " News Corp Australia reported.

4 Iraqi Servicemen Wounded by Rocket Attack on Air Base

01/13/2020

Four members of Iraq's military were wounded Sunday in a rocket attack targeting an air base just north of Baghdad where American trainers are present, Iraqi security officials said. The attack by at least six rockets came just days after Iran fired ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq that house U.S. forces, causing no casualties.

India to acquire 200 fighter jets for Air Force: Defence secretary Ajay Kumar

01/13/2020

The government is in the process of acquiring around 200 aircraft to cope with the depleting aerial inventories of the Indian Air Force, defence secretary Ajay Kumar said here on Sunday. The contract for HAL-manufactured 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1 A advanced fighter jets are in the final stages, he said. Apart from these, Expression of Interest (EOI) has been floated for another 110 aircraft, based on which Request for Proposal (RFP) will be floated, Kumar said.

USAF F-16 aggressors from 18th AGRS fly south for mobile training

01/12/2020

The 18th Aggressor Squadron departed Eielson this week to participate in exercise Sentry Aloha 20-1, which is scheduled to take place Jan. 8-22 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawai, hosted by Hawaii Air National Guard. For more than 20 years, Sentry Aloha exercises have provided tailored, cost-effective and realistic combat training for the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and other military personnel.

Burkina Faso Super Tucano conducts first joint air op with French Mirage 2000 jets

01/12/2020

Burkina Faso’s air force conducted its first joint air operation with France, when an Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano worked alongside French Mirage 2000D fighter jets near Arbinda in December, the French Armed Forces Ministry said in a release.

Purchase of Military Fighter Jets Delayed Again?

01/12/2020

On 10 January 2019 the Director-General of the Israeli Defence Ministry, Udi Adam, confirmed officially in Zagreb that Israel could not sell Croatia its F-16 Barak jets as it could not obtain Washington's approval for the deal. A year later, by all accounts, Croatia is further away from buying a new generation of combat aircraft than it was a year ago, says the daily.

Why Russia's Su-57 Stealth Fighter Crashed

01/12/2020

On December 24, 2019, a sleek-looking Su-57 stealth fighter designated Blue 01 took to the skies for an engine test flight from Dzemgi airport in eastern Russia. Manufacturer Sukhoi had already built ten T-50 prototype aircraft for Russia’s PAK FA stealth fighter program, and had even twice deployed them to Syria for combat tests.

Naval Light Combat Aircraft makes its first successful landing on aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

01/12/2020

The Naval Light Combat Aircraft made its first successful landing on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday. The Defence Research and Development Organisation-developed fighter aircraft is expected to attempt its maiden take off from the carrier soon. The indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Aircraft (N) Mk1 made the successful arrested landing on the India's biggest warship INS Vikramaditya on Saturday.

In Germany, gridlock over nuclear-capable fighter jet

01/11/2020

Germany's Air Force has a special mission: deliver American nukes in the case of a nuclear strike. But its Tornado fleet is rapidly nearing the end of its shelf life. So why has Germany yet to decide on a replacement?

Experts detail factors that may have led Iranian missile crews to down Ukrainian 737

01/11/2020

Though the cause of the Ukraine International Airlines crash remains unconfirmed, defence experts suspect high stress and poor civilian-military coordination led ill-trained missile units to mistakenly shoot down the Boeing 737-800. US and Canadian officials have already said they believe Iranian surface-to-air-missiles (SAMs), possibly fired by accident, downed flight PS752 on 8 January, killing 176 people.

US Air Force requests information on new anti-radiation missile for F-35A

01/11/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) is requesting information for modifications to the US Navy’s (USN) Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) programme that would make that weapon suitable for its Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter.

Pakistan Completes Production of First Batch of JF-17B Fighter Aircraft

01/10/2020

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra completed production of the first batch of eight twin-seat Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17B Thunder for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in late December.

USA approves Singapore to buy up to 12 F-35B stealth fighters

01/10/2020

The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale of up to 12 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters to Singapore for an estimated $2.75 billion. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency says that it notified the US Congress on 9 January.

First Air National Guard F-16 receives AESA radar

01/10/2020

An Air National Guard F-16 recently received the fleet’s first active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The US Air Force (USAF) installed the Northrop Grumman-made AN/APG-83 SABR radar on an undisclosed recent date, says Northrop Grumman on 9 January. The recipient aircraft will be used as part of the service’s effort to declare initial operational capability of the AESA radars on the Air National Guard’s F-16 fleet.

Finland launches HX fighter evaluation work

01/10/2020

Finland has launched the latest stage of its HX fighter contest, with a first candidate type now involved in flight evaluation from the nation’s Pirkkala air base. Detailing the new phase in a blog post, Finnish defence ministry programme manager Lauri Puranen describes it as a “testing and verification event for HX candidates”. Intended to evaluate aircraft performance against the responses submitted following Helsinki’s earlier invitation to tender.

“Iran Likely Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner Near Tehran” US Defense Officials Say

01/10/2020

According to various U.S. media outlets, Pentagon has intelligence suggesting Iran may have mistakenly fired two surface-to-air missiles at the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 that crashed shortly after take-off from Iran’s Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran early in the morning on Jan. 8, 2020. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, registration UR-PSR, was flying with 176 people on board, to Kyiv as flight PS752. No one survived the crash.