Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Australia to buy armed Reaper drones in shift towards pilotless future

11/16/2018

Australia will buy at least a dozen armed Reaper drones in a major step towards a future in which air strikes are increasingly carried out remotely. The aircraft, made by US company General Atomics, will be used mainly to provide cover to Australian soldiers on operations, flying overhead while looking for threats and striking them with bombs or missiles.

QF-16 delivered to hurricane-ravaged Tyndall AFB

11/16/2018

Boeing delivered a QF-16 to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. on Oct. 24. The QF-16 enables live fire weapons testing during Combat Archer. Combat Archer evaluations are conducted to prepare and evaluate operational fighter squadrons' readiness for combat operations. The program evaluates all phases of combat operations from weapons loading to aircraft performance, aircrew performance and weapons performance.

Sikorsky receives $382 million contract for eight MH-60R Seahawks

11/16/2018

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky received a $382 million contract for eight MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the US Navy. Work on the helicopters is expected to be complete by September 2020, says the US Department of Defense in an online notice on 14 November. Some $147 million will be obligated initially from fiscal 2018 USN aircraft procurement funds, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

UK confirms new deal for 17 F-35Bs

11/16/2018

The UK Ministry of Defence has ordered its next 17 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, as part of a 255-unit, multinational framework agreement announced by the US Department of Defense. Confirming the development on 15 November, the MoD said: "The 17 new F-35B aircraft will be delivered between 2020 and 2022." This corresponds with the programme's 12th through 14th lots of low-rate initial production.

Bahrain confirms purchase of 12 AH-1Z Vipers

11/16/2018

Bahrain has confirmed its order for 12 Bell AH-1Z Vipers, six months after the US Department of State approved the deal, worth an estimated $912 million, under the Foreign Military Sales process. The attack helicopters will be delivered from the second half of 2022, the Royal Bahraini Air Force said at the Bahrain air show. Bell chief executive Mitch Snyder said the "most advanced helicopter in production" would "help protect the country for decades to come".

Lockheed sees 400-strong market for new F-16s

11/16/2018

Lockheed Martin sees a market for 400 new F-16s – mainly in the Middle East – after securing Bahrain as launch customer for the Block 70 variant. The Royal Bahraini Air Force committed in June to 16 examples of the single-engine fighter, to be built at a new final assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina. The deal, agreed months after President Trump overturned his predecessor’s ban on a sale to Bahrain over human rights concerns.

Massive F-35 deal covers production into 2023

11/16/2018

Lockheed Martin has won a $22.7 billion contract to supply 255 F-35 Lightning II fighters for the three branches of the US armed services and international operators. The contract covers 106 F-35s for the USA, comprising 64 F-35As for the air force, 26 F-35Bs for the marines, and 16 F-35Cs for the navy, a US Department of Defense contract announcement states.

US Air Force moves to fortify F-35 weak points against hacking

11/15/2018

The USAF is devoting fresh energy to plugging cybersecurity holes in the F-35's external support systems, as they are deemed the easiest entry points for hackers into the fifth-generation combat jet, according to a key service official. “It’s a software-based aircraft, and any software-based platform is going to be susceptible to hacking,” Brig. Gen. Stephen Jost, director of the Air Force F-35 Integration Office.

One pilot dead, another injured in the fifth T-38 Talon crash in a year

11/15/2018

One pilot was killed and another was hospitalized when their T-38C Talon crashed late Tuesday at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, service officials said. It was the fifth crash of the training jet in the last 12 months. The aircraft, which is used for training student pilots to fly fighter or bomber jets, crashed about 7:40 p.m. local time on the south Texas base just outside Del Rio, according to a statement posted on Laughlin’s Facebook page.

PICTURE: Bahrain receives ex-Royal Air Force Hercules

11/15/2018

Bahrain has taken delivery of its first of two ex-UK Royal Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports. Acquired via the UK Ministry of Defence following its retirement from service, the aircraft underwent depth maintenance at Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group's Cambridge airport site before being approved for a return to operational use. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the aircraft – which now carries the Royal Bahraini Air Force registration 702 – is 19 years old.

U.S. Navy F/A-18F From USS Ronald Reagan Crashes at Sea, Crewmen Rescued. Sixth U.S. Super Hornet crash in 2 years.

11/13/2018

A two-seat U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet has crashed at sea while operating from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). The crash occurred at an unspecified location northeast of the Philippines on Monday, November 12, 2018. Reports indicate both crew members ejected and were rescued from the sea by helicopter.

ASSAULT WITHDRAWS FROM CANADA FIGHTER COMP

11/13/2018

French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has withdrawn its Rafale fighter from Canada’s fighter replacement program. The withdrawal reportedly comes after Dassault raised concerns over its ability to meet Canada’s interoperability and intelligence sharing requirements. “On November 8, the French government officially notified Canada of its withdrawal from the competitive process to replace Canada’s fighter jet fleet,” a Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesperson told DefenseNews.

USAF Reserve and Air National Guard F-16s to be upgraded with anti-jam GPS

11/13/2018

The US Air Force awarded Rockwell Collins a contract to upgrade US Air National Guard and US Air Force Reserve F-16 aircraft with anti-jam GPS receivers. The digital GPS anti-jam receivers are intended to provide reliable navigation for Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft operating in contested electromagnetic environments. This will be the first combat fighter aircraft to be installed with the latest version of the receiver, Rockwell Collins says.

F3-R-standard Rafale gains French approval

11/13/2018

Dassault has achieved French military qualification for the F3-R-standard variant of the Rafale combat aircraft. Launched at the end of 2013, and based on operational feedback, the upgrade sees the fighter gain a number of enhancements, including the integration of MBDA's Meteor air-to-air missile, the laser-guided version of the Safran AASM air-to-ground munition and Thales's Talios laser designator pod.

PICTURE: First Korean A330 MRTT arrives in Busan

11/13/2018

The first of four Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTT) has arrived in South Korea, where it will undergo acceptance tests. Piloted by an Airbus and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) South Korean air force crew, the aircraft conducted its ferry flight to Gimhae air base from Getafe, Spain with a stop in Vancouver, Canada. Gimhae Airbase is located next to Busan’s Gimhae International Airport.

China warns US to avoid islands it claims in South China Sea

11/11/2018

China bluntly told the United States to stop sending ships and military aircraft close to islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, during talks Friday that set the stage for a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping later this month. The U.S. pushed back, insisting it will continue to “fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.” In late September, U.S. and Chinese vessels nearly collided near a disputed reef.

A rare look at what this DFW company hopes will be its aircraft of the future (Video)

11/11/2018

Fort Worth-based Bell has big hopes for the V-280 Valor. The company is developing the tiltrotor for a major U.S. Army deal scheduled to be awarded next decade. If the Army picks Bell for its future vertical lift program, that could lead to other branches or foreign militaries also selecting the V-280 for their fleets.

Air show deals highlight Russia’s prospects for arms sales to China in spite of US sanctions

11/11/2018

Russia’s prospects for arms sales to China remain undiminished by US sanctions after the countries signed new weapons contracts at China’s major air show. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms seller, said it signed three more weapons contracts with China during the Zhuhai Airshow, which is being held in south China’s Guangdong province until Sunday.

Modi Govt's Rafale Deal Was 40% More Expensive Per Aircraft Than Dassault's Earlier Offer: Report

11/11/2018

The haze surrounding the Rafale deal finally appears to be clearing up a bit. The price for 36 aircraft purchased by the NDA government in 2016 was 40% higher per aircraft than what Dassault initially offered for 126 Rafales back in 2012, according to a report published in Business Standard. While Dassault offered each aircraft for Euro 155 million in 2012, during the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) tender.

India’s HAL to Double Annual Production Rate of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft From 8 to 16

11/11/2018

India’s state-owned aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will set up a new production facility at Nashik in Maharashtra by 2020 to increase its annual output of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the head of HAL told The Economic Times on November 2.

DARPA asks for counter-hypersonic weapons proposals

11/10/2018

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is asking companies to submit ideas for counter-hypersonic weapons as part of its Glide Breaker programme. The Glide Breaker programme aims to rapidly develop a low-cost enabling technology critical for an advanced interceptor capable of defeating manoeuvring hypersonic vehicles in the upper atmosphere, according to a 6 November online broad agency announcement by DARPA.

VIDEO: China intent on AESA radar upgrades

11/10/2018

Chinese Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars are in evidence at this year’s Airshow China, both for fighters and a potential carrier capable airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft. At its stand, China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) displayed a model of its KLJ-7A AESA radar, which was developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET).

North Korea's Air Force Is Complete Junk. But It Can Still Kill.

11/08/2018

Both the J-5 and the J-6 are hopelessly obsolete, and if anything, during regular combat operations would simply be missile sponges for American and South Korean fighters and surface-to-air missile batteries. North Korea’s Korean People's Army Air Force (KPAAF)—referred to as the Air and Anti-Air Force Command in South Korean documents —is not in the top ranks of the world’s air forces.

Why this company is bringing dozens of French-built fighter jets to Fort Worth Alliance Airport

11/08/2018

For 40 years, the Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet saw action in combat zones in Africa and the Middle East as a staple of the French military. Now, more than 60 of the jets will find a home near Fort Worth where they’ll be taking on a new kind of mission as part of a multibillion-dollar opportunity for Alliance Airport’s newest tenant.

China’s Beating the US to Market on Combat Drones, By Copying US Technology

11/08/2018

The mockup of China’s CH-7 combat drone unveiled at Zhuhai Airshow this week looks a lot like one the U.S. Navy was developing — until it dropped the project, allowing China to position itself to beat the U.S. and other allies in fielding a long-range, high-altitude combat drone. That’s despite the fact that—in the words of one expert—the United States had a “ten-year head start.”