Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

PICTURES: SB-1 Defiant breaks cover

12/27/2018

Sikorsky and Boeing have unveiled the SB-1 Defiant helicopter, providing a pair of images showing the rotorcraft from the front and rear. The type had been expected to fly in 2018, but in mid-December the Sikorsky-Boeing team decided to push this into 2019.

Boeing tapped for SOCOM Helo support | Greece buys Viper-upgrades |Kuwait & Saudi Arabia: $3.4b deal incoming!

12/25/2018

Boeing is being awarded with a seven-year maintenance contract external link supporting US Special Operations Command aircraft. The IDIQ, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable contract is valued at $1.1 billion and allows for life cycle contractor support the MH-6, MH-47, and MH-60 aircraft.

PICTURES & VIDEO: Aero Vodochody L-39NG completes first flight

12/25/2018

The first pre-production L-39NG jet trainer (msn 7001) completed its maiden flight on 22 December from Vodochody airport in the Czech Republic. This new-generation derivative of Aero Vodochody's long-established trainer was flown by company test pilots David Jahoda and Vladimír Továrek.

Russian Fighter Jets Moved To Annexed Ukrainian Region

12/24/2018

More than a dozen advanced Russian fighter jets have arrived at a base in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, which Moscow occupied and annexed in 2014. The Reuters news agency cited witnesses who saw the Su-27 and Su-30 fighters arriving at the Belbek air base on December 22.

Bulgaria announces F-16V Block 70 procurement to replace ageing MiG-29s

12/24/2018

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a plan to procure eight F-16V Block 70 fighter jets aimed at replacing its ageing Soviet-designed MiG-29s. On Friday, Bulgaria’s defense ministry commission recommended that the government starts talks with the United States to buy new F-16V Block 70 fighter aircraft to improve its compliance with NATO standards.

USAF's Next Budget Request Will Include New F-15X Advanced Eagle Fighter Jets: Report

12/22/2018

Last July, I broke a story about the existence of Boeing's F-15X Advanced Eagle concept, one that the plane-maker had been in discussions with the USAF about for many months. That aircraft would be procured to replace America's existing F-15C/D aircraft, the vast majority of which are operated by the Air National Guard. Since my expose, the USAF has officially remained somewhat flippant about the F-15X and its talks with Boeing.

Leonardo flies first production-standard M-345

12/22/2018

Leonardo has flown the production-standard version of its M-345 jet trainer, as it works towards service entry with the Italian air force in 2020. Performed from the company's site in Venogono Superiore in the north of Italy, the sortie was conducted by test pilots Quirino Bucci and Giacomo Iannelli.

Video Alert: The Russian Air Force Is Showing Off Its Deadly Su-35 Fighter

12/20/2018

Footage recently released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows Russia's flagship fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Su-57, being aerially refueled by an Il-78 tanker. Before this, the Su-57 can be seen imitating a refueling formation behind an An-12 transport aircraft.

Super Stealth: Could the Air Force Eventually Have Over 200 New B-21 Bombers?

12/20/2018

The U.S. Air Force is getting bases ready for its new B-21 Raider stealth bomber. But it’s still unclear how many B-21s the flying branch might buy. The Air Force selected Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma as the primary maintenance facility for the new bomber, the service announced on November 16, 2018.

Venezuela Agreed To Let Russia Set Up A Bomber Outpost On This Caribbean Island: Reports

12/20/2018

Russian media outlets are reporting that the Kremlin is planning to establish a forward outpost on the Venezuelan island of La Orchila in the Caribbean Sea and base nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, two of which just wrapped up a recent deployment to the country, at the site. If true, this could help bolster the embattled regime of Venezuela’s dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and would significantly change the strategic reality in the Western Hemisphere for the United States.

China Holds Long-Range Air Combat Drill Near Taiwan

12/20/2018

The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) scrambled fighter jets to intercept and escort an undisclosed number of People’s Liberation Air Force (PLAAF) Xian H-6K bombers, Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft, and a Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane conducting a long-range patrol near Taiwan on December 18, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense.

Argentine Air Force Strengthens Airspace Defense

12/19/2018

The Argentine Air Force (FAA, in Spanish) strengthened its airspace defense capabilities during Exercise Integrador (Integrator in English ) 2018, as part of preparations for the 2018 G20 Buenos Aires Summit, carried out in the city of Buenos Aires, November 30th-December 1st. The event gathered the world’s main heads of state.

MQ-25 Stingray: the first drone to refuel fighter jets in flight

12/19/2018

Boeing Defense, Space & Security recently won a hotly contested contract to design, develop, fabricate, test, deliver, and support four MQ-25A Stingray unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), integrating them into the aircraft carrier air wing, something the US Navy has been looking at for some time.

Tokyo set to become second biggest F-35 operator

12/19/2018

The Japanese cabinet has approved a plan to add an additional 105 Lockheed Martin F-35s to its planned fleet of 42 examples, potentially making it the world’s second largest F-35 operator. In a press briefing, the chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga confirmed that the country’s Medium Term Defence Program has been approved by the cabinet.

Bell V-280 to focus on manoeuvrability after flying 250kt

12/19/2018

Bell’s V-280 demonstration programme plans to continue to expand the tiltrotor’s flight envelope, with additional focus on manoeuvrability, after reaching 250kt this September. So far, the aircraft has been tested on 50° banked turns at 200kt, which is the equivalent of 1.8g, says Vince Tobin, Bell executive vice-president for military business. During upcoming tests the manufacturer expects the aircraft to fly turns that generate more than 3g, he says.

CBO floats variety of cost cutting ideas, including fewer F-35s

12/18/2018

The Congressional Budget Office floated a number of cost-cutting ideas for the US federal government including reducing the number of additional Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II purchases, retiring the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor or Rockwell B-1B Lancer bomber fleets, and deferring development of the Northrop Grumman B-21 stealth bomber.

Boeing and Embraer agree on terms for planned tie-up

12/18/2018

Boeing and Embraer have agreed the terms of their planned joint venture under which the US manufacturer is set to take control of Embraer’s commercial aircraft activities in 2019. The deal still is subject to approval by Brazil’s government, shareholders and regulatory authorities, the two airframers say.

VIDEO: JF-17 breaks cover at Myanmar air force party

12/18/2018

The Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder has appeared at a celebration to mark the 71st anniversary of Myanmar’s air force. Images and video of the 15 December event on social media show four JF-17s are visible on static display in Myanmar’s distinctive blue camouflage scheme. One image shows a Myanmar officer inspecting a JF-17 cockpit, with a special ‘71’ logo visible on the jet’s fuselage.

Pilot killed in Su-27 fighter crash in Ukraine

12/16/2018

A pilot has been killed in a Su-27 fighter jet crash in Ukraine on 15 December, said in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to a statement of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Dec. 15, 2018, at around 3 p.m., the Su-27 fighter jet crashed on landing while making routine training mission.

Russian Tu-160 Bombers Fly 10-Hour Caribbean Patrol From Venezuela Drawing Ire From U.S.

12/16/2018

Russia says a pair of its Tu-160 Blackjacks flew a 10-hour patrol over the Caribbean Sea from a base in Venezuela. The Kremlin had recently sent the strategic bombers, along with other aircraft and supporting personnel, to the Latin American country, which is in the grips of a protracted political and economic crisis. The deployment also came in the wake of renewed criticism of Russia's intervention in Ukraine following a skirmish in the Kerch Strait in November 2018.

Bulgarian PM on fighter jet acquisition: ‘F-16 much better aircraft than all others available’ (updated)

12/15/2018

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov expressed hope on December 14 that the offer to supply his country with US-made F-16s would be improved “because I’ve talked with the pilots and a new F-16 is a much better aircraft than all the others available”. Borissov’s statement, against a background that Bulgaria’s decision on its choice of new fighter jets may be largely driven by political considerations, may deal a blow to the other two bids, Sweden’s Gripen and Italy’s Eurofighters.

Slovakia signs for 14 Lockheed Martin F-16 combat aircraft

12/15/2018

Slovakia has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin for 14 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 combat aircraft (12 single-seat and 2 two-seat models). Slovakia has signed the contract on Wednesday with Lockheed Martin vice president of international business development Ana Wugofski for new. F-16 Block 70/72 combat aircraftto replace its Russian made MiG-29 jets.

India Selects Israeli Radar and Electronic Warfare Suite For Tejas Light Combat Aircraft

12/15/2018

India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) concluded a deal on October 26 with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) subsidiary Elta Systems for the purchase of 83 ELM-2052 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and ELL-8222WB electronic warfare (EW) suites to be integrated with the Mark-IA Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), according to local media reports.

Counter hypersonic weapon possible by mid-2020s: DoD

12/15/2018

The USA could have a counter hypersonic weapon developed by the mid-2020s. However, creating a workable defense against hypersonic vehicles and missiles would require developing longer range radars and new space-based sensors to track and target an adversary’s weapons soon after they are launched, said Michael Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, at a National Defense Industrial Association event on 13 December, according to a transcript and press release from the Pe

CBO: US Air Force funding too little to replace aging aircraft

12/15/2018

The US Air Force’s average funding level in recent years is too little to replace, on a one-for-one basis, aging aircraft with new aircraft in the coming decades. That’s according to research by the Congressional Budget Office, which notes that costly-to-replace Lockheed Martin F-16C/D and Boeing F-15C/D fighters, F-15E multirole fighters, Lockheed Martin C-130 cargo aircraft, and Rockwell B-1B bombers are nearing the end of their service life.