Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Weird: Why the Heck Did India Send an Ancient MiG-21 to Fight an F-16?

05/13/2019

The Indian air force defended its decision to send old MiG-21 fighters up against much more modern Pakistani F-16s during recent aerial skirmishes. On Feb. 26, 2019 Indian planes crossed the line of control at India's border with Pakistan and bombed what New Dehli described as a terrorist training camp near Balakot. Several days of aerial fighting followed the bombing raid. On Feb. 27, 2019, Pakistani F-16s and other planes crossed the line of control to attack Indian forces, New Delhi claimed

DARPA cancels ARES cargo drone project with Lockheed Martin

05/13/2019

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) canceled its ARES research programme with Lockheed Martin and Piasecki Aircraft due to cost. The project was aimed at developing a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft with twin, tilting ducted fans for hauling military cargo.

Qatar gains approval for repeat Apache purchase

05/13/2019

Qatar could be set to double the strength of its incoming fleet of Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, with the US Department of State having approved a potential 24-unit follow-on buy worth $3 billion. Doha has already ordered 24 Apaches, with Cirium's Fleets Analyzer showing that the first three of these were delivered earlier this year.

AI targeting upgrade planned for Su-25SM3 attack jets: report

05/09/2019

Moscow plans to upgrade its Sukhoi Su-25SM3 attack aircraft with a targeting system that uses artificial intelligence (AI), and continues to work on the cruise missile capabilities of its bombers. The system will allow pilots to select a target, and then let an AI engine prosecute the attack, according to a report by Russian news agency TASS quoting an unnamed defence official.

Saab to set up Indiana factory for T-X work

05/09/2019

Saab will open a new manufacturing site in Indiana to support its contribution to the T-X advanced jet trainer, which it jointly developed with prime contractor Boeing, and other advanced projects. The facility will be located in West Lafayette, at the Discovery Park District, which is affiliated with Purdue University. From 2020, when construction will start, Saab says it has earmarked $37 million for the development. Ultimately the new facility will create up to 300 jobs.

New Delhi approves navy Ka-31 buy

05/09/2019

India’s defence ministry has given its nod for a navy procurement of 10 additional Russian-built Kamov Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopters. The purchase approval came from the Defence Acquisition Council, which is led by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The deal is valued at approximately $515 million.

What’s killing the US Navy’s air wing?

05/06/2019

The U.S. Navy is on the brink of an explosion in research and development funding for its next-generation fighter program — an effort that could make or break the mainstay of the fleet’s powerful strike arm. The service this year proposed quadrupling funding for its next-generation air dominance program from last year’s paltry $5 million to $20.7 million, with plans to increase funding every year to at least 2024, when it peaks at $372 million, according to the Navy’s fiscal 2020 budget documen

Inside the Air Force's Plan to Revolutionize Pilot Training

05/06/2019

When Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson visited AFWERX's Pilot Training Next program in Austin, Texas, last year, she watched as trainees took flight from the seats in front of her -- through the use of virtual reality. It piqued her interest enough to ask service officials to explore ways that similar flight simulator programs could be introduced to high schools to get young students involved in the nation's endeavors to create more pilots.

Venezuelan military helicopter crashes, 7 officers killed

05/05/2019

Seven Venezuelan military officers have been killed when their helicopter crashed while heading to a state where President Nicolas Maduro appeared alongside troops Saturday. The Cougar helicopter hurtled into a mountain outside Caracas in the early hours of an overcast day in the capital.

Kim oversees missile firing drills, tells troops to be alert

05/05/2019

North Korean state media on Sunday showed leader Kim Jong Un observing live-fire drills of long-range multiple rocket launchers and what appeared to be a new short-range ballistic missile, a day after South Korea expressed concern that the launches were a violation of an inter-Korean agreement to cease all hostile acts.

The U.S. Military's Future: 6th Generation Fighters Firing Laser Weapons?

05/04/2019

U.S. arms-maker Lockheed Martin is developing a laser that could be small enough to arm a future, “sixth-generation” fighter plane, company officials told reporters on May 1, 2019. But it’s not clear when the Pentagon might develop a new fighter. The laser could be ready before the plane is.

US Strategic Drone, Aircraft Spotted In Ukraine: Report

05/04/2019

Aircraft and strategic drone belonging to the United States (US) have been conducting reconnaissance operations close to Russian borders in Ukraine, several reports have claimed. An online aircraft monitoring resource PlaneRadar stated that at least three American reconnaissance aircraft were spotted near Russia’s southern and western borders on May 1- the RQ-4B Global Hawk drone, Boeing RC-135V and the P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft.

USAF Research Laboratory shoots down multiple missiles with laser

05/04/2019

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) successfully used a laser weapon to shoot down multiple air-launched missiles in flight. The AFRL Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) Advanced Technology Demonstration Programme downed the missiles using a ground-based laser demonstrator. The SHiELD programme is developing a directed energy laser system to be installed on an aircraft for self-defence against surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.

China 'rapidly closing' gap with Western air forces: Pentagon

05/04/2019

Beijing continues to make strides in developing modern airpower capabilities across the full spectrum of platforms, from strategic bombers to armed UAVs. In its most recent report to Congress, the US Department of Defense notes progress with fighters such as the Chengdu J-20 and AVIC FC-31, the Xian H-6K bomber, the development stealth bomber to be designated H-20, and well as the greater integration of special mission aircraft. In addition, combat training in China is becoming more realistic.

Fighting Over Fighter Jets: Pentagon Plan to Buy F-15EX Sparks Controversy

05/03/2019

A battle is brewing between the Pentagon, congressional purse-holders and two of the country’s top defense contractors over President Donald Trump’s controversial 2020 budget request calling for the Air Force to acquire a souped-up variant of the F-15 jet fighter.

Afghan pilot training ends after almost half went AWOL in America

05/03/2019

A program to train Afghan attack pilots has been ended after the airmen kept going absent without leave, or AWOL, while training in the United States. More than 40 percent of the Afghan Air Force students enrolled in the U.S.-based training program to fly the AC-208 Combat Caravan, a light attack combat aircraft, went AWOL, according to a quarterly report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR.

IDEF: Aselsan pitches AESA radar at F-16 upgrade market

05/03/2019

Aselsan used the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul to showcase its latest airborne radar developments, including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) design that is being pitched for integration on the Turkish air force's fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s.

USAF looks to help Taiwan with F-5 spares

05/03/2019

The US Air Force wants to assess sources that can provide spare parts for Taiwan’s fleet of Northrop F-5E fighters. The Proven Aircraft Office of the Air Force Materiel Command has issued a list of 37 separate F-5 parts required, ranging from windshield panels and fuel tanks to air data computers.

Boeing awarded $5.7B for KC-46 Pegasus combat capability work

05/02/2019

Boeing has been awarded a $5.7 billion post-production contract for combat capability for the U.S. Air Force's troubled K-46 Pegasus refueling tanker aircraft. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, announced Monday by the Department of Defense, includes non-recurring and recurring requirements centered on user-directed and Federal Aviation Administration-mandated KC-46 air vehicle needs.

China's Stealth Jet May Be Ready This Year, U.S. Commander Says

05/02/2019

China may declare its first stealth fighter operational this year as it also develops long-range bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons, part of a regional buildup by Beijing that the U.S. is closely monitoring, according to the U.S. Air Force’s Pacific commander.

French air force receives first ‘tactical’ A400M transport plane

05/02/2019

The French air force has taken delivery of its 15th A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, the first directly outfitted to the “tactical standard,” including an expanded ability to land and take off from unprepared terrain and the capacity to make landing approaches under automatic pilot in all weather.

Further GlobalEye sales already on radar, says Saab chief

05/02/2019

With the first delivery of its GlobalEye surveillance system still more than a year away, Saab is already talking to several potential additional customers, chief executive Hakan Buskhe has revealed. Buskhe says the Swedish company’s GlobalEye flight test campaign is “going extremely well”.

Sweden weighs extending Gripen C/D operations by a decade

05/02/2019

Sweden could be poised to approve an extension to operations with part of its Saab Gripen C/D fleet until beyond 2030, in a step that would bolster the size of its fighter inventory beyond the 60 E-model examples currently on order for its air force.

Coalition and Iraqi forces attack ISIS sleeper cells in Hamrin mountains

05/01/2019

In what it described as the largest combined operation since the March capture of Baghuz, Islamic State’s last bastion in eastern Syria, the Coalition said CJTF-OIR and Iraqi forces on April 24 attacked ISIS sleeper cells in northern Iraq. Separately, in the first acknowledged combat employment of the aircraft by the U.S. military, two U.S. Air Force F-35A joint strike fighters conducted an airstrike in the same area on April 30.

U.S. Air Force F-35As conduct first combat employment

05/01/2019

Two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft conducted an air strike at Wadi Ashai, Iraq, in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, April 30. This strike marked the F-35A’s first combat employment. The F-35As conducted the airstrike using a Joint Direct Attack Munition to strike an entrenched Daesh tunnel network and weapons cache deep in the Hamrin Mountains, a location able to threaten friendly forces.