Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

UK F-35Bs flying combat missions over Syria, Iraq

06/26/2019

Britain’s most advanced military aircraft, the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, has flown its first missions over Syria and Iraq as part of ongoing operations against remnants of the Islamic State group, the U.K.'s defense secretary said. Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt said in a statement released Tuesday that that the jets’ first operational mission from a British air base in Cyprus was made following a highly successful training period.

UK’s newest F-35B combat aircraft successfully completed its first operational missions

06/26/2019

The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its newest and most advanced fighter jet, the Lightning F-35B, has successfully completed its first operational missions. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defense has announced F-35Bs have flown alongside Typhoon aircraft on operational flights over the skies of Syria and Iraq, as part of the ongoing fight against Daesh.

Probe begins into fatal German Eurofighter crash

06/26/2019

An investigation is under way into a fatal collision involving of a pair of German air force Eurofighter combat aircraft near Rostock on 24 June. The two jets were part of a formation of three single-seat Eurofighters from the Luftwaffe's 73 Squadron, which had taken off for a training flight from their base at Rostock airport, close to the Baltic Sea.

Japan Says Fighter Jets Scramble After Russian Military Aircraft Violate Airspace

06/24/2019

The Japanese military says its fighter jets were forced to scramble after two Russian military aircraft violated its airspace. The Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 20 that two Russian TU-95 bombers approached southern Japanese islands, including Kyushu, from the north before heading north toward the Japanese mainland.

Donald Trump says military action against Iran still 'on the table'

06/23/2019

President Donald Trump said Saturday he's still considering military action against Iran after it downed an unmanned US military aircraft, saying the use of force is "always on the table until we get this solved." The president said he aborted a military strike set for Thursday after learning 150 people would be killed. "I don't want to kill 150 Iranians. I don't want to kill 150 of anything or anybody unless it's absolutely necessary," he told reporters as he left the White House for a weekend.

UK RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets intercept Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighters near Estonian airspace

06/22/2019

United Kingdom's Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets have been regularly tracking, monitoring and intercepting Russian fighters in the skies near the Estonian border as part of Operation AZOTIZE of the Baltic Air Policing mission. RAF Typhoon jets on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) intercepted Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft flying to the north of Estonia twice in two days.

South China Sea: Satellite image shows Chinese fighter jets deployed to contested island

06/22/2019

A satellite image obtained by CNN shows China has deployed at least four J-10 fighter jets to the contested Woody Island in the South China Sea, the first known deployment of fighter jets there since 2017. The image was taken Wednesday and represents the first time J-10s have been seen on Woody or any Chinese-controlled islands in the South China Sea, according to ImageSat International, which supplied the image to CNN.

These are the jets Iran would use in a fight with the US

06/22/2019

After 40 years of sanctions and arms embargoes, Iran's air force has slowly become an eclectic mishmash of aging platforms sourced through various channels. If war were to break out between Iran and the United States today, US pilots would find themselves squaring off with Iranian pilots in a swarm of old American, Soviet, and Chinese jets. Some of these planes, like the Northrop F-5 Tiger II, have seen update efforts over the years. Others, however, are thought to be barely sky-worthy.

PARIS: Eurofighter launches long-term enhancement programme

06/22/2019

The long-serving Eurofighter Typhoon could soon see additional enhancements as part of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) effort, which aims to boost the platform’s capabilities until next-generation assets – such as the Franco-German New Generation Fighter revealed earlier this week – are brought into service.

PARIS: Airbus defence chief targets technological edge

06/22/2019

After six months in position as Airbus Defence & Space’s head of military aircraft, Alberto Gutierrez was at the show in upbeat mood, buoyed by a new contractual agreement with customers of the A400M tactical transport and the swift progress being made with a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme for France, Germany and Spain.

Iran claims shoot down of RQ-4 Global Hawk

06/20/2019

Further raising tensions in the Middle East, the government of Iran claims to have shot down a Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) over Kuh Mubarak, a coastal area of Iran at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

PARIS: Boeing looks to F/A-18 E/F Block III for overseas boost

06/20/2019

Boeing is optimistic on the international prospects for the Block III version of its F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. The company sees an opportunity to sell more than 350 aircraft across six major fighter competitions, and is in discussions with other unspecified countries, Boeing vice-president Thom Breckenridge says.

PARIS: Lockheed Martin juggles F-35 upgrades with fixing issues

06/20/2019

The company plans to modernise the aircraft over the next several years with a progression of enhancements. Additions will include Automated Ground Collision Avoidance Software, several new pieces of electronics hardware – such as an integrated core processor, cockpit display unit and aircraft memory system – new software to control loyal wingman unmanned air vehicles, anti-ballistic missile capabilities, extended-range fuel tanks and several undisclosed classified features.

PARIS: Bell-Boeing tries to sell V-22 despite lacklustre interest

06/19/2019

With its ability to offer bulk discounts to foreign militaries closing within about a year, the Bell-Boeing joint venture that makes and sells the V-22 Osprey hopes to close deals for up to 50 aircraft. Boeing says that about a dozen prospective customers are on its radar, and it is encouraging them to sign a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for the tiltrotor by the third quarter of 2020. Prospective customers include Israel and possibly blue water navies that need to resupply ships on long

PARIS: F-35 to take about half of fighter market over next decade

06/19/2019

The worldwide fighter market could grow by 17.2% over the next decade, representing a total output of 3,401 aircraft. That production volume would be worth $264 billion in FY2019 dollars, according to a report by Forecast International.

PARIS: NATO tanker fleet passes countermeasures test

06/18/2019

Officials involved in the multinational multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) fleet (MMF) – which will see eight adapted Airbus A330s pooled between five European nations – are keen to introduce more countries to the capability-sharing agreement.

PARIS: USAF still finding FOD in Boeing KC-46 and expects more

06/18/2019

The US Air Force (USAF) continues to find foreign object debris (FOD) inside the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tanker, including loose material found this week, and it expects to discover objects for the foreseeable future.

PARIS: Turkish Fighter emerges, as US spat intensifies

06/18/2019

Turkish Aerospace is one of the many companies at this year’s show to have pulled the covers off a new full-scale aircraft model – its fifth-generation Turkish Fighter (or TF-X) – and even stole some of the limelight from the unveiling of the Franco-German Future Combat Air System at the same time.

PARIS: Dassault and Airbus unveil New Generation Fighter

06/18/2019

Dassault kicked off its home show attendance in some style, unveiling a full-scale model of a proposed next-generation fighter that it and industrial partner Airbus Defence & Space soon expect to advance towards a first demonstration phase.

Saudi crown prince accuses rival Iran of tanker attacks

06/17/2019

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that the kingdom will not hesitate to confront threats to its security and joined the U.S. in accusing its bitter rival Iran of being behind the attacks on two vessels traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route for Arabian energy exports in Asia.

Russian EW Weaknesses Endure While Other Nations Innovate

06/17/2019

Airborne electronic warfare (EW) systems are becoming an increasingly important part of the electronic systems in fighter aircraft. Moreover, the functionality of many airborne EW designs are no longer just limited to being a self-protection system. One of the secondary—but growing in importance—features of this technology is to be able to record all the signals and electronic emissions that the aircraft is either subjected to or in range of during its mission.

Iranian threat to shipping is real and growing, as US ‘smoking gun’ video evidence shows

06/15/2019

The U.S. military released an aerial video last night that shows an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing a magnetic mine from the hull of the Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous after it apparently failed to explode. The video, recorded by a U.S Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, appears to have caught the Iranians red-handed, trying to remove the evidence that would directly link the Guard Corps to the coordinated attack on two tankers yesterday in the Gulf of Oman.

2,000 air force personnel from 4 nations join Red Flag-Alaska exercises

06/15/2019

Red Flag-Alaska, an exercise involving 2,000 personnel, 85 aircraft and the air forces of four Pacific Rim countries, is underway, the U.S. Air Force announced. The majority of the aircraft, from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, the South Korean Air Force, the Royal Thai Air Force and the U.S. Air Force, are flying from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base, both in Alaska.

Revised contract signature restores A400M prospects

06/15/2019

Airbus’s launch partners for the A400M Atlas tactical transport have signed a key contract amendment via Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) defence procurement agency, concluding a process initiated by the airframer more than two years ago.

USAF does carry test of hypersonic ARRW missile on B-52 bomber

06/14/2019

The US Air Force (USAF) conducted a carry test flight of its AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on 12 June at Edwards AFB in California. The prototype did not have explosives and was not released from the B-52 during the flight test, says the USAF. Instead, a sensor-only version of the ARRW prototype was carried externally by a B-52 during the test to gather environmental and aircraft handling data.