Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Norway makes progress with NH90 ASW introduction

03/06/2020

Norway is making progress with the introduction of the NH Industries NH90 NFH maritime helicopter for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions, having taken delivery of the first aircraft in August last year. Although the Royal Norwegian Air Force previously operated the Westland Lynx from its navy’s frigate fleet, these were not deployed in an ASW capacity.

“Erdogan's army destroys Putin's high-tech weapons,” German daily Bild says

03/05/2020

A reporter from one of Germany’s highest-circulating dailies Bild, Julian Röpcke, has written an article on Turkey's drone capabilities. The piece, titled “Erdogan’s army destroys Putin’s high-tech weapons,” points to the success of the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles in the battleground.

Australia To Sell Retired F/A-18 Hornet Fighters To Private Aggressor Firm Air USA

03/05/2020

Air USA, a private contractor that offers "red air" adversary support, is buying up to 46 soon-to-be-retired F/A-18A/B Hornets from the Royal Australian Air Force. Last year, the U.S. Air Force hired the company, along with six others, under a massive multi-billion dollar training support contract.

Goldfein Defends USAF Decision to Retire Legacy Aircraft

03/05/2020

Air Force leaders are urging members of Congress to participate in classified briefings in order to fully understand the thinking behind the service’s fiscal 2021 budget request, which once again attempts to retire a host of legacy platforms to free up funding for new technology.

Coronavirus fears to shut down Lockheed Martin F-35 production in Japan

03/05/2020

Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plan to shut down production at the F-35’s Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility in Nagoya, Japan the week of 9-13 March due to fears of coronavirus contagion. The number of coronavirus cases in Japan climbed past 1,000 on 4 March, according to the World Health Organization and local media reports. The country has the fifth highest number of confirmed cases worldwide, behind China, South Korea, Italy and Iran.

Lockheed delivers 500th F-35

03/05/2020

Lockheed Martin has delivered the 500th F-35 fighter, with the fleet also surpassing the 250,000 flight hour mark. The 500th example delivered is an F-35A that will serve with the Vermont Air National Guard, says Lockheed. An image of the jet shows it bears the registration number AF5343.

Syrian L-39 Shot Down By Turkish Air Force F-16 Over Syria

03/04/2020

Both the Turkish Ministry of Defense and the Syrian News Agency SANA have confirmed that a Syrian L-39 Albatros was shot down in the Idlib region, around 12.03LT on Mar. 3, 2020. The downing of the advanced jet trainer (that the Syrian Arab Air Force has often been using in combat with an under fuselage gun pod and external stores since 2012, when the first images of SyAAF L-39s attacking rebel positions started appearing online).

Finns Analyzing Fighter Trials Data

03/04/2020

Finnish procurement officials say they expect all five contenders in the country’s HX Fighter competition to remain in the race until the end. The comments by the Finnish defense ministry’s head of strategic projects, Lauri Puranen, emerged following the conclusion of the HX Challenge. The challenge saw each of the aircraft types deployed to Finland in January and February for flight trials to confirm that the proposed aircraft have met the specifications promised by the manufacturers.

Saab partners with Canadian companies for fighter jet deal

03/04/2020

Saab has partnered with several Canadian aerospace companies for the Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) deal. Known as the ‘Gripen for Canada Team’, the companies include IMP Aerospace & Defence, CAE, Peraton Canada and GE Aviation. The Saab-led team has been formed to provide a genuine ‘Made in Canada’ solution for the fighter capability project and help comply with the terms set out in the Canadian request for proposal.

US State Department approves sale of 8 Boeing KC-46A tankers to Israel

03/04/2020

The US State Department has approved the sale of eight Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tankers to Israel for an estimated $2.4 billion. The US Congress has been notified of the possible sale, says the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on 3 March.

US Navy F-16A aggressor jets receive structural upgrade

03/04/2020

The US Navy has completed update work on 10 Lockheed Martin F-16A fighters that are used in the aggressor role. The work was undertaken by the Specialized and Proven Aircraft Program office, says the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

Saab bids for Canada’s Future Fighter Capability Project

03/03/2020

Saab is bidding for the Canadian Future Fighter Capability Project (FFCP) which will see the replacement of the RCAF’s existing CF-18 Hornet fighter fleet. If successful, the bid will see 88 of Saab’s Gripen E aircraft being delivered which offers full NATO interoperability.

Tunisian AT-6C aircraft purchase approved

03/03/2020

The United States has approved a possible military sale to Tunisia of four AT-6C Wolverine light attack aircraft worth an estimated $325 million including associated equipment. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale on 25 February after Tunisia requested four AT-6C aircraft.

Ten Spanish Typhoons Enroute To Nellis Air Force Base For Red Flag 20-2

03/03/2020

Ten Spanish Air Force EF2000 “Tifóns”, pooled from ALA11 and 14, split in two cells and supported by 2x RAF A330 Voyager tankers are currently on their way to Nellis AFB where they will take part in RF 20-2.

Singapore in 'final stages' of buying 4 F-35 fighter jets

03/03/2020

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is in the “final stages” of acquiring four F-35B Lighting II multi-role combat aircraft, with an option to buy eight more, after receiving approval from the US government and Congress. This was revealed by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Monday (2 March), during his ministry’s Committee of Supply (COS) debate.

Sorry, Elon, fighter pilots will fly and fight for a long time

03/03/2020

In a room packed full of U.S. Air Force personnel this past week, SpaceX founder Elon Musk issued a bold pronouncement: “The fighter jet era has passed. ... Locally autonomous drone warfare is where it’s at, where the future will be.” The reaction in the room was immediate — a collective pause.

Boeing resurrects effort to turn JDAM bomb into cheap cruise missile

03/03/2020

Boeing has resurrected and is showing off its Powered JDAM concept believing that the US Air Force (USAF) is keen to buy low-cost cruise missiles. The company has increased development work on the concept within the last 18 months, it says at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida on 28 February. The project was originally begun about eight years ago, but had been put on the back burner due to lukewarm interest from the service.

Turkey shoots down two Syrian fighter jets over Idlib

03/02/2020

Turkey's military shot down two Syrian government fighter jets over northwest Idlib, hours after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad brought down a Turkish drone over the region. In a Twitter post on Sunday, Turkey's defence ministry said its forces struck two SU-24 aircraft in response to the downing of the drone.

General Atomics Wants To Give Aerial Tankers Their Own Missile-Laden Loyal Wingmen Drones

03/02/2020

General Atomics has revealed what appears to be a previously unknown unmanned aircraft concept, called Defender, that is capable of air-to-air combat and mid-air refueling. The company says that its primary mission would be to protect "high-value airborne assets," such as airborne early warning and control aircraft, standoff reconnaissance planes, and aerial refueling tankers.

Test War: How Russia's Air Force Brutally Used Syria for Target Practice

03/02/2020

In 2008, military observers within and outside of Russia noted the poor performance of the Russian Air Force (VVS) in the five-day Russo Georgian War. In the aftermath of the conflict, Moscow instituted a vigorous new round of military modernization and reforms. These reforms were put to the test when in September 2015 Putin committed the newly reorganized Aerospace Force (VKS) to its first expeditionary war, a bid to prop up the faltering regime of Bashar-al Assad in Syria.

Why India Might Fly French Dassault Rafales Over Lockheed's 'Super F-16s' In The Near Future

03/02/2020

Lockheed Martin is developing a new variant of its iconic F-16 single-engine fighter in order to compete in India’s 2019 tender for 110 new warplanes. But don’t count on the American firm’s “F-21” to win the contract. According to journalist Angad Singh, the likely winner is French company Dassault’s Rafale twin-engine fighter.

F-35 profitability could suffer after losing cheap manufacturing in Turkey

03/02/2020

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II’s profitability could suffer due to the programme losing access to less expensive parts suppliers in Turkey. Ankara was booted from the Joint Strike Fighter programme in July 2019 after the country decided to buy the Russian-made Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile battery. That weapon system is advertised as being anti-stealth, a capability the US Department of Defense takes seriously and wants the F-35 to avoid.

Triple Nickel completes historic deployment to AUAB

03/01/2020

More than 300 Airmen with the 555th Fighter Squadron, also known as the “world famous, highly-respected” Triple Nickel, completed the first leg of their deployment after departing Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar in late Feb. 2020. The Triple Nickel is an F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron that provides combat air power and performs air and space control and force application roles including air interdiction and close-air support in support of joint, NATO, and combined operations.

5 Ways China Has Turned Pakistan Into a Military Monster

03/01/2020

As Pakistan’s relationship has soured with the United States in the past two decades, Pakistan’s armed forces have largely looked towards Chinese suppliers for equipment. While China has long supplied Pakistan’s armed forces, the relationship has deepened in recent years, with Pakistan making major purchases of top-of-the-line Chinese export equipment.

Russian anti-sub aircraft on combat training further south in the GIUK gap than normal

03/01/2020

The two Tu-142 planes came south outside Norwegian air space on February 26th and 27th. Major Brynjar Stordal, press spokesperson with the Norwegian Armed Forces, said to the Barents Observer that “these Russian aircraft operates relatively routinely over the seas north of Norway,” but, he added “it is not common that they fly as far south as they did this week.”