Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

U.S. MUST THREATEN RUSSIA WITH MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IDLIB TO SECURE CEASEFIRE, FORMER ENVOY SAYS

02/29/2020

A former American special envoy to Syria has suggested that the U.S. should consider military intervention in the northwest of the country after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike there. The Turkish soldiers died Thursday when a Syrian airstrike hit a military base in the Behun area of Idlib province, where the Syrian regime—backed by its Russian and Iranian allies—is trying to crush the last significant area held by Turkish-backed rebels.

Azerbaijan strengthens its airspace with Italian aircraft

02/29/2020

Following President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Rome, Azerbaijan and Italy have reached a military agreement over Baku’s purchase of the 5th generation warplane Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master from Italy. A number of significant documents were also signed between countries during the visit that will strengthen the Azerbaijani Air Forces’ fleet.

‘The fighter jet era has passed’: Elon Musk

02/29/2020

Speaking in front of a crowd of fighter pilots for the US Air Force (USAF), technology entrepreneur Elon Musk pronounced the end to the manned fighter jet era. “The fighter jet era has passed,” says the founder of rocket builder SpaceX and artificial intelligence company OpenAI at the Air Force Association Air Warfare conference in Orlando, Florida on 28 February.

Safran works to correct Patroller UAV after December crash

02/29/2020

Safran believes it now understands the reasons behind the crash of a Patroller unmanned air vehicle (UAV) last December – an incident that took place shortly before the initial example was due to be delivered to the French army. The aircraft was destroyed when it came down near the town of Saint-Mitre-Les-Remparts on 6 December during an “industrial reception flight” from Istres air base in the south of the country.

F-35s for India: Is America About to Make a Big Stealth Sale?

02/28/2020

When the Times of India revealed that the Indian air force was revising its single-engine fighter competition to encompass twin-engine jet designs, a collective groan likely rang from New Delhi to Washington—and even Stockholm.

Dassault’s Trappier blames politics for demise of Anglo-French fighter project

02/28/2020

Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier regrets the breakdown of the UK-France defence partnership that would have seen his company team with BAE Systems on a next-generation fighter, saying a “political decision” was behind last year’s launch of the Franco-German Future Combat Air System initiative.

US government approves Tunisian AT-6C sale

02/28/2020

The US Government has cleared the sale of four Textron AT-6C Wolverine light attack aircraft to Tunisia in a deal worth $326 million. The approval of the potential Foreign Military Sale was announced in a Defense Security Cooperation Agency notification to Congress. In addition to the aircraft, the package will include a range of bombs, over 3,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) rockets, sensors, guns, training, technical support, and other products and services.

Tanker variant of China’s Y-20 set to emerge: report

02/28/2020

New variants of the Xian Y-20 strategic transport look set to make their public debut, as the four-engined type assists relief operations related to the Coronavirus outbreak in the city of Wuhan. In addition to the transport variant, a tanker variant and an airborne early warning (AEW) variant are planned, according to a Global Times report citing Teng Hui, who commands an air force aviation regiment and is a Y-20 pilot.

Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic ARRW set to pass critical design review

02/28/2020

Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) is wrapping its critical design review. ARRW wil officially pass the milestone on 27 February and the US Air Force (USAF) is pleased with the missile’s development progress, says John Varly, vice-president of hypersonics with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. ARRW development is being led by Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Orlando, Florida.

Exercise Cope North under way in Guam

02/27/2020

The Royal Australian Air Force has deployed aircraft to take part in Exercise Cope North in Guam. Thirteen aircraft in total - 11 F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a KC-30A multirole tanker transport – are taking part in the exercise at Andersen Air Force Base.

Yes Turkey Is Trying to Build Its Own "F-35" Like Stealth Fighter

02/27/2020

Turkey’s recent ejection from the F-35 program has spawned a wave of speculation as to the fate of Ankara’s procurement plans. The Su-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Saab JAS 39 Gripen were advanced as prospective alternatives, with the former being seen as a particularly attractive option on the heels of the diplomatic goodwill generated by Turkey’s decision to import Russia’s S-400 system.

Pakistan considers Chinese attack helicopters on back of stalled AH-1Z, T129 deals

02/27/2020

Pakistan looks set to turn to China for its attack helicopter replacement needs after US embargoes halted sales of rival Bell and Turkish Aerospace products. Islamabad had in 2015 ordered 12 Bell AH-1Zs under the USA’s Foreign Military Sales process and then followed that in 2018 with a deal for 30 Turkish Aerospace T129s worth $1.5 billion.

France confirms interest in Chinook acquisition

02/27/2020

The French air force has finally confirmed a long-rumoured interest in acquiring Boeing CH-47F Chinooks for special forces missions and hopes to lease a pair of the tandem-rotor helicopters as a trial before making any purchase. In addition, the service hopes to shortly outline an upgrade package for its fleet of Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracals and is also working to define possible tri-service requirements for a next-generation rotorcraft post-2040.

India AH-64E, MH-60R deals sealed during Trump visit

02/26/2020

New Delhi has concluded purchase agreements for 24 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters for the navy and six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters for the army. The deals were announced during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first state visit to India. Sikorsky is expected to conclude deliveries of all 24 MH-60Rs by 2023. AH-64E deliveries begin in 2023.

Leonardo to test manned-unmanned teaming with Wildcat helicopter

02/26/2020

Leonardo will in April begin a series of flight trials in the UK in which an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) will be controlled by the crew of Lynx Wildcat helicopter – so called Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T). To be carried out in conjunction with the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), the tests will build on simulator work last year which confirmed the feasibility of the effort.

Amid political tumult, Kuala Lumpur edges towards maritime patrol aircraft RFP

02/26/2020

Kuala Lumpur is getting close to issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for a new maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), with conversion work pending to convert a pair of CN235 tactical transports to perform maritime surveillance. The RFP shows an intention to revisit a previous MPA acquisition that was abruptly terminated by the Pakatan Harapan coalition that took power in 2018.

A day in the life of an A-10 fighter pilot

02/25/2020

Spend a day flying with Capt. Mike Shufeldt, one of the Idaho National Guard’s A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots, and feel firsthand what it is like to be an A-10 fighter pilot.

Indian Air Force to Procure 83 Tejas Jets for ?39,000cr

02/25/2020

Earlier, HAL had demanded a staggering Rs 56, 500 crore ($8.1 billion) as the overall cost for the same project. The defence ministry and IAF were initially taken aback at the “exorbitant price” being demanded by HAL to produce the 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets along with the maintenance and infrastructure package.

Commanders of ACC, AFRC visit Hill AFB to celebrate F-35 success

02/25/2020

Gen. Mike Holmes, commander of Air Combat Command, and Lt. Gen. Richard Scobee, commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of the Air Force Reserve, paid a visit to the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and reserve 419th Fighter Wing to help commemorate a key milestone in F-35A Lightning II operations. The Feb. 20 ceremony marked the 388th FW and 419th FW reaching “full warfighting capability,” which denotes success in three key areas: fully trained pilots and maintainers, a full complement

India Wants to Buy a Ton of Russian Weapons but There's 1 Big Problem

02/25/2020

While the IAF is mulling purchases of additional advanced Western jet fighter like the Dassault Rafale, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the Lockheed F-21 or Boeing Super Hornet, it’s meanwhile turning to its long-running relationship with Moscow to patch up the growing gap in its air defenses—even if that means it risks running afoul of U.S. CAATSA sanctions imposed on countries that import Russian weapons..

Report: Russia Has Developed Prototype of Air-to-Ground Hypersonic Missile for Su-57

02/25/2020

Russia has developed a hypersonic air-to-ground missile for its Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft, the country’s first purported indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter, according to Russian defense industry sources. The new weapon system can reportedly be fitted inside the Su-57s internal weapons bay.

France, Germany sign agreement to build sixth-generation fighter plane

02/25/2020

An agreement to advance construction of a joint advanced combat aircraft program was ceremonially signed by French and German defense ministers. A contract for the first phase of the program to build the main aircraft of the Future Combat Air System was awarded last week. It covers the plane's propulsion system, data architecture and simulation environment, the German Defense Ministry said. Airbus, MTU, Safran and Dassault are the lead contractors.

The Pentagon’s five principles for stopping artificial intelligence from running amok

02/25/2020

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has outlined five principles to help keep artificial intelligence (AI) technology from running amok. The principals, which the DoD released on 25 February, provide an ethical framework intended to guide the US defence industry’s development of AI, and the US military’s use of such emerging technologies.

Turkey Faces Major Idlib Dilemma

02/24/2020

Unsuccessful negotiations between Russian and Turkish diplomats, and the UN Security Council have doused all hope of easing tensions in Idlib, Syria. In anticipation, Ankara has asked the United States to deploy Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to the Turkey–Syrian border. The U.S. Embassy in Turkey has, however, declined to comment on the matter.

Iran’s Air Force Receives 8 Overhauled Military Aircraft

02/24/2020

American sanctions may have done some harsh damage to Iran’s economy, but that has not stopped the Iranian air force from seeing through a deal to overhaul eight military aircraft manufactured by foreign countries.