Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed wins second Long Range Anti-Ship Missile contract

01/16/2019

Lockheed Martin has won a $172 million contract from the US Navy and US Air Force for the second production lot of its stealthy Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The contract continues production for the air-launched variant of LRASM, including engineering support, the manufacturer says in a statement. The first set of LRASMs were delivered to the USAF in December, a milestone reached as part of Early Operational Capability for the weapon.

Austria allocates funding for helicopter fleet upgrade

01/16/2019

Austria's government has committed funding for the acquisition of a total of 15 new helicopters in the coming years as it renews its rotorcraft capabilities. Vienna has assigned more than €300 million ($343 million) for the purchases, which cover 12 light multirole helicopters – replacing 21 Aerospatiale Alouette IIIs – and an additional three Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks, adding to the nine examples already in service.

Eurofighter Typhoon to bid to replace Canadian CF-18 fleet

01/15/2019

Eurofighter intends to pitch its Typhoon aircraft to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of Boeing CF-18A/B Hornet fighters. Eurofighter, a joint venture among Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, was assumed to be one of the bidders in the competition to replace the RCAF’s fighter fleet with 88 advanced jets, but it hadn’t yet publicly acknowledged its desire to play for the contract.

Dassault gains Rafale F4 development contract

01/15/2019

Dassault has been contracted by the French government to begin development work on the new F4 standard for the Rafale fighter. Upgrades over the current F3 and F3R variants include the integration of MBDA's Mica NG air-to-air missile and the Safran Defence 2,200lb (1,000kg) AASM air-to-surface weapon, alongside improvements to sensors, including radar and connectivity.

?Boeing 707 crashes near Tehran

01/15/2019

Preliminary information from Iran indicates fatalities resulted from a Boeing 707 crash in the west of Tehran, according to news agency reports. Local media reports suggest that the aircraft was carrying from 10-16 passengers, and that only one survived.

Kawasaki C-2 to get an electronic warfare variant

01/15/2019

Tokyo plans a major investment in electronic warfare (EW) to help counter rising threats in the region. According to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo plans to adapt the Kawasaki C-2 tactical transport aircraft as an EW platform, with deployment planned for 2027.

How the F-5E “Tiger” Fighter Jet Keeps Getting Better (Despite Getting Older)

01/14/2019

The F-5E “Tiger” is one of U.S. aerospace industry’s largest export successes. Designed as a budget lightweight fighter, the F-5E is still operated by many nations around the world despite the availability of more modern fighters.

Russian Air Force got 50 new combat aircraft in 2018

01/14/2019

The Russian air force in 2018 received more than 36 new+bild combat aircraft, included modern Su-35S fighter jets. According to the report of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), the Russian Air Force took the delivery in 2018 of 14 Su-30SM and ten Su-35S fighter aircraft, 12 Su-34 Su-34 fighter-bombers, and 14 Yak-130 advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft.

Lao Air Force receives first Yak-130 advanced jet trainer aircraft

01/12/2019

The Royal Lao Air Force has received the batch of three Yak-130 advanced jet trainer aircraft from Russia. Lao media released a photo of three Russian-made Yak-130 trainer aircraft received by the People’s Army of Laos at the Vientiane airfield. Aircraft have Lao tail numbers “044”, “045” and “046”.

Northrop Grumman wins $1.3 billion targeting pod upgrade contract

01/12/2019

The US Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.3 billion upgrade and sustainment contract for its Litening advanced targeting pod. The Litening pod is carried aboard a variety of USAF and US Marine Corps aircraft including the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Boeing granted CH-47F Block II contract after cancellation fears

01/12/2019

The US Army intends to grant Boeing a low-rate initial production contract for the CH-47F Block II Chinook cargo helicopter, despite rumours that the upgrade programme might be cancelled in order to shift funds to the service’s modernisation priorities.

Israel halts F-16 sale to Croatia

01/12/2019

Israel's government has abandoned a plan to sell surplus Lockheed Martin F-16s to Croatia, as the Middle Eastern country could not obtain approval from the USA to transfer the second-hand fighters fitted with Israeli equipment.

These Israeli pilots managed to land an F-15 after the canopy flew off at 30,000 fleet — listen to the audio of their struggle to keep control

01/11/2019

The new year isn't even a week old, but two Israeli airmen may have already pulled off the aviation feat of 2019. Haaretz reported Monday that the pair of aviators from Israel's air force got a rude surprise on Jan. 2, when without warning, the canopy flew off their F-15. They were at 30,000 feet on a routine training mission, and had just taken off from the Tel Nof air base in central Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Yemen soldiers killed in Houthi drone attack on base

01/11/2019

A drone attack on a Yemeni government base by the rebel Houthi movement has reportedly killed six soldiers. The drone exploded above a podium at al-Anad base, in the southern province of Lahj, where high-ranking officers and officials were watching a parade.

New RAF F35 jets to be sent to Cyprus base after being declared 'combat ready'

01/11/2019

Sky News understands a plan is being drawn up for the jets to be sent to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus this spring. If initial operations run smoothly, it is possible that they could be used on strike missions against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria by the summer.

French air force says 2 on missing fighter jet are dead

01/11/2019

After a two-day search for a missing fighter jet, French military authorities said Thursday the pilot and a navigator were killed when the plane disappeared during a training flight. The Mirage 2000D vanished from radar Wednesday while flying in a snowstorm near the Swiss border. More than 100 rescuers, police officers and others searched icy mountains for the aircraft and the two-person crew.

Turkey refuses to cancel S-400 order, risking F-35 delivery again

01/11/2019

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country would consider buying Raytheon-made Patriot missiles from the US government, but would not cancel its order of S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia as a condition of the deal.

USAF accepts Boeing KC-46A air tanker after years of delays

01/11/2019

The US Air Force formally accepted the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus air tanker and will receive delivery of the aircraft at McConnell Air Force Base, in Wichita, Kansas, in the next several weeks. Boeing said that the USAF signed a DD Form 250, a material inspection and receiving report, on 10 January, officially ending years of missed delivery deadlines for the aircraft.

PICTURE: UK F-35s, Typhoon update hit operational milestones

01/11/2019

The UK has met its initial operational capability target for the Lockheed Martin F-35B, with nine examples assigned to the Royal Air Force's 617 Sqn now deemed "ready to be deployed on operations around the world".

Russia's next moves in Venezuela should be closely monitored

01/09/2019

In December, two supersonic nuclear-capable Russian bombers visited Venezuela, the third such excursion for the warplanes since 2008. Might Moscow intend to pose a threat, perhaps even nuclear, to the Western Hemisphere? If so, how could Washington respond?

Coming Soon to China's Aircraft Carriers: The JC-31 Stealth Fighter?

01/09/2019

The Chinese navy reportedly is considering acquiring a new stealth fighter to replace existing carrier-launched warplanes that have proved unreliable and unsafe. The People's Liberation Army Navy could buy "fourth-generation" FC-31 fighters from the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute to replace older J-15s, state-run Global Times reported.

Dutch F-16s return from Middle East as F-35 ambitions grow

01/09/2019

Six Royal Netherlands Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16s returned to the service's Leeuwarden and Volkel air bases on 2 January, after completing a year-long deployment to Jordan as part of an international coalition conducting operations against Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Predator drone crashed after signal loss, report says

01/08/2019

An MQ-1B Predator drone crashed in 2017 after its crew lost contact with the remotely piloted aircraft, a report released Monday said — but the reason why remains a mystery. The Predator, which was from the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, crashed Sept. 4, 2017, in an unidentified part of U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East and parts of North Africa and Central and Southwest Asia.

PICTURES: Saab's second GlobalEye makes flight debut for UAE

01/08/2019

Saab's second of three GlobalEye surveillance aircraft on order for launch customer the United Arab Emirates (UAE) completed a 2h 54min debut flight from its Linkoping site in Sweden on 3 January.

ANALYSIS: How Gripen became prize Thai fighter

01/08/2019

Last year brought twin milestones for the Royal Thai Air Force’s fleet of Saab Gripen C/Ds, with the service having marked a decade since ordering the Swedish-built fighter, and completed its first 10,000 flying hours with the single-engined type.