Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Denmark, Greenland and the F-35

05/31/2019

The Russians have expanded the perimeter of their defense capabilities in the Arctic and in so doing have raised concerns from the other Arctic powers. This is clearly a core concern for the Nordics and an important input to their defense modernization efforts, nationally and collectively.

Saab ready to offer Canadian-built Gripen fighters to Ottawa

05/31/2019

Saab is ready to sell the Canadian government 88 Canada-built Gripen fighters should Ottawa require home-built aircraft. The Swedish combat aircraft manufacturer cautions nothing is finalised and its offer will ultimately reflect Canada’s formal request for proposal (RFP). The company expects the final RFP to be issued around midyear by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Malaysia More Inclined Towards Indian HAL Tejas Over Pakistani JF-17 Thunder – Reports

05/30/2019

Will Malaysia eventually purchase the Indian HAL Tejas over other competitors including Pakistani/Chinese JF-17 Thunder? According to the key sources, the Malaysian Government is quite keen on evaluating the HAL Tejas and is making a lot of enquiries which are being promptly answered.

Boeing and Sikorsky confirm bids for German CH-53G replacement

05/30/2019

Germany’s effort to replace its ageing heavy transport helicopter fleet is gathering pace, with both Boeing and Sikorsky formally confirming their interest in the requirement. Berlin in February issued a “call for competition” for the Schwerer Transporthubscrauber (STH) programme, requiring responses by late May.

Middle East demand could boost F-35 sales to 4,600 units: Lockheed

05/30/2019

Lockheed Martin believes that worldwide sales of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter could reach 4,600 units, a 15% increase from its previous projection. The company said as recently as 24 May that it projected the F-35 to have a lifetime sales potential of 4,000 aircraft. The current programme of record for the F-35 is around 3,200 examples; though that count includes planned purchases as well as signed orders.

KAI lands contract for Thai T-50TH work

05/30/2019

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has entered a $52 million contract related to Bangkok’s purchase of T-50TH advanced jet trainers. “The deal is an Upgrade & Modification program which aims to equip the T-50TH Jet trainers which RTAF operates with radars and the [radar warning receiver], and [counter measures dispenser system],” says KAI.

Poland reaffirms interest in F-35

05/30/2019

Poland has deepened its interest in the Lockheed Martin F-35, with the country’s defence minister indicating that it intends to purchase 32 examples of the fifth-generation fighter. Mariusz Blaszczak says it intends to acquire the A-model variant to replace its Soviet-era RAC MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft under the Harpia programme.

Australian military aircraft targeted with lasers during South China Sea flights

05/29/2019

Chinese maritime militia vessels are believed responsible for a series of laser attacks on Australian Navy pilots during a recent voyage through the hotly contested South China Sea. Defence sources have confirmed helicopters were targeted during night flights, forcing the pilots to temporarily return to their ship for medical check-ups.

Update: Poland formally requests F-35A combat aircraft

05/29/2019

Poland has issued a formal request to the US for the procurement of 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) combat aircraft, the country's defence minister announced on 28 May.

Boeing wins $259m USAF weapon planning software contract

05/29/2019

Boeing subsidiary Tapestry Solutions has won a 10-year contract worth up to $259 million from the US Air Force (USAF) to provide Weapon Planning Software for the service’s combat aircraft. Also called mission planning software, Tapestry’s programme is designed to help the USAF and allied air forces plan the details of combat missions, including routes, the location of threats and the points at which precision-guided weapons are launched.

France accelerates H160M helicopter acquisition

05/29/2019

France has advanced by 12 months the launch of its tri-service helicoptere interarmees leger (HIL) programme, enabling first delivery of the Airbus Helicopters H160M in 2026. Paris had previously planned a 2022 launch for its rotorcraft renewal effort, which will replace five types with just one, with deliveries set for later that decade.

AIRBUS 50: The future of Airbus Defence & Space

05/29/2019

Today’s Airbus Defence & Space can trace its corporate heritage back to roughly the same point as its parent company’s creation as a commercial aerospace entity, when Germany’s Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) was formed in 1969.

Russian experts to visit Turkey to help putting S-400 systems into operation

05/28/2019

Russian technical specialists will pay a visit to Turkey to help putting Russian-made S-400 missile systems into operation, Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar told the Haber Turk TV channel on Monday.

Israel Strikes Syrian Target After Anti-aircraft Fire at Fighter Jet; Syria Says One Officer Killed

05/28/2019

Israel struck a Syrian military target in Quneitra on Monday after an anti-aircraft missile was launched earlier at an Israeli fighter jet, the Israeli army said. Also Monday, a report in the Lebanese media outlet Al Mayadeen said an israeli drone struck a reconnaissance compound in southern Lebanon. An additional report said the Lebanese army was at the scene investigating the compound, which is said to be Israeli.

PICTURES: India conducts second air-launched Brahmos test

05/28/2019

The Indian air force recently conducted the second launch of the Mach 2.8 Brahmos cruise missile from a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter, and the country's weapons developers have also tested a new 500kg guided bomb. India’s defence ministry says the 22 May Brahmos launch went well and the aircraft scored a direct hit on a land target.

Strafing sorties to begin for F-35 pilots

05/26/2019

The introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter into service with the Royal Australian Air Force is on track to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) in December 2020, despite the recent unexplained crash of a Japanese aircraft.

Finland Works Its Fighter Replacement Program

05/25/2019

At the beginning of the 1990s, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland established a stance of enhanced independence when it purchased Hornets from the United States and began a process of working with Western allied airpower.

Gripen E testing ahead of schedule, vendor claims

05/25/2019

Flight-testing of Saab’s Gripen E combat aircraft is moving faster than anticipated, according to Eddy de la Motte, vice president and head of the Gripen E/F business unit at Swedish manufacturer Saab. De la Motte told a media briefing that tests to fire MBDA’s Meteor missile had been carried out by test aircraft 39-8 and 39-9 in northern Sweden. “We’d planned two weeks for the testing and were able to get everything done in one,” the executive remarked.

Pompeo pushes $8.1bn in arms sales citing unnamed Iranian threats

05/25/2019

In a controversial move, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, citing unnamed threats from Iran, bypassed approval from the US Congress and pushed through the sale of $8.1 billion of arms to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

USAF claims 100 years cut from weapons development cycles

05/25/2019

The US Air Force claims to have cut 100.5 years of what it deems “unnecessary schedule” from its weapons development programmes since May 2018. As part of its “Century Challenge” goal, the service is trying to streamline and accelerate development programmes to keep pace with adversaries such as Russia and China who are rapidly innovating in areas such as hypersonic missiles and anti-aircraft defences.

F-35 and F-15EX fighter jets could get drone wingmen in the coming years as part of the Skyborg programme

05/24/2019

Unmanned drones, powered by artificial intelligence, may soon accompany US Air Force Pilots on missions as autonomous wingmen. Both Boeing's F-15 and Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets are being considered for the 'Skyborg' drone support program. The scheme would cut down on the amount of people in the jets and could both reduce the risk to pilots and be more economical.

China Overhauls Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Fighter Jet

05/24/2019

China has reportedly overhauled a Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 “Thunder” Block I multirole fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force in March, according to media reports. Citing a report by China Aviation News, the website Defense World.Net states that the overhaul of the aircraft was carried out by Changsha 5712 Aircraft Industry Company, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

US Navy awards Raytheon $235m for 23 JPALS units

05/24/2019

The US Navy (USN) awarded Raytheon a $235 million contract for 23 units of the company’s Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems (JPALS). The fixed-price-incentive contract was anticipated for several months now. It will pay for launch of serial production, as well as installation of JPALS on the USN’s 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and eight amphibious assault ships.

Lack of situational awareness blamed for RAF C-130J write-off

05/23/2019

UK military investigators have attributed a 2017 incident, in which a Lockheed Martin C-130J operated by the Royal Air Force’s 47 Sqn was written off, to the flightcrew’s lack of situational awareness as they attempted to land on a temporary strip in darkness. However, the Defence Safety Authority (DSA) notes that a “variety of inter-linked factors compounded this lack of [situational awareness] making the accident more likely.”

US intercepts Russian bombers ‘snooping’ around Northern Edge war-games in Alaska

05/22/2019

The US has scrambled a flight of F-22 Raptor interceptors in response to four Russian bombers and two fighters prying off the coast of Alaska. It was all fair, safe and ‘professional’. But when Russian bombers loiter off the United States’ front gate, people get nervous. Yesterday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)— a joint effort between the US and Canada — detected two flights of Russian aircraft approaching Alaska.