Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

US Navy to buy two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft

12/12/2018

Northrop Grumman was awarded a $49.9 million contract by the US Navy for long-lead parts and associated support for the production of two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. The aircraft are expected to be completed by December 2023 and will be funded with fiscal 2019 procurement funds, according to a Department of Defense notice online.

USAF completes critical design review of B-21 stealth bomber

12/12/2018

The US Air Force has completed its critical design review of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, marking another milestone in development of the next-generation stealth bomber. The technical review, completed on 30 November, ensured the proposed aircraft has a stable and mature design before the USAF moves the program into manufacturing and flight testing.

PICTURE: RAF Typhoon makes air-defence debut with Meteor missile

12/12/2018

UK Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons have begun flying quick reaction alert (QRA) sorties armed with MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, the Ministry of Defence confirms. A first QRA mission with the new weapon was conducted from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland on 10 December, the MoD says. "The introduction of Meteor brings a new and innovative long-range capability, and further enhances Typhoon's already potent arsenal," it notes.

Keeping combat edge is going to be a challenge

12/10/2018

The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter has taken 26 years to get from the beginning of development in 1992 through to its first operational use in combat earlier this year by the Israeli Air Force over Syria. It is the most advanced warplane in the world today, and the RAAF is not only taking delivery of the first two of 72 F-35As, but has the option to order another 28 aircraft next decade.

Williamtown RAAF Base taking delivery of first two F-35A joint strike fighters

12/10/2018

The first of Australia’s F-35A joint strike fighters will touch down at Williamtown RAAF Base on Monday. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, will be among the waiting dignitaries as two of the $125 million planes arrive from Brisbane after leaving Arizona last week.

USAF looks for stopgap GPS hardening for special ops C-130Js

12/08/2018

Increased anti-GPS electronic warfare from adversaries and delays to the launch of the GPS III network are forcing the US Air Force Special Operation Command to look for GPS hardening technology for its MC-130J and EC-130J aircraft to be used as a stopgap.

Boeing receives contract to build Japan a second KC-46A tanker

12/08/2018

Boeing received a $159 million contract from the US Air Force to build a second KC-46A tanker for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The aerial refueling tanker will be manufactured in Seattle and is expected to be completed by 30 June 2021. In December 2017, the USAF awarded Boeing a $279 million contract to produce Japan's first KC-46 tanker aircraft.

ANALYSIS: UK on a roll after F-35B carrier trials

12/08/2018

After more than a decade of study, experimentation, modelling and simulation, the UK has successfully completed a first phase of testing using a shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) manoeuvre for the Lockheed Martin F-35B on board the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Royal Air Force Dogfighting with Royal Navy Over Scarce F-35s

12/06/2018

When there aren’t enough F-35s to go around, who should get them: The air force or the navy? That question is reportedly roiling the British military as the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy dogfight over which F-35 stealth fighters the cash-strapped UK should buy. The Royal Navy is furious at alleged RAF plans to grab many of the 138 F-35s that Britain is purchasing, according to Britain’s Sky News .

Germany, France to add Spain to fighter program: sources

12/06/2018

Germany and France will welcome Spain as a full partner in their program to develop a next-generation air combat system, and expect to sign an agreement finalizing the move at the Paris Air Show in June, German government sources said on Wednesday. Paris and Berlin initially planned to offer Spain only observer status on the program, but changed their plans after extensive discussions with Spanish officials, according to a separate source familiar with the matter.

Rescue search after collision between US Marine F-18 Hornet and C-130 Hercules off Japan

12/06/2018

An air and sea search has been launched off the coast of Japan for seven US Marine aircrew after a F/A-18D Hornet fighter and a KC-130 Hercules tanker collided during a refuelling manoeuvre. Both aircraft crashed into the sea about 300km out from their base at Iwakuni. The incident happened about 2am local time (4am AEDT).

US Marine Corps looks to buy two C-40 executive transports

12/06/2018

In addition to providing the Texan II trainers, Affinity has sourced 23 G120TPs from Grob Aircraft and five Embraer Phenom 100s – all "configured to meet the needs of the UK Ministry of Defence". The new types are respectively employed in the basic, elementary and multi-engine crew training categories. Deliveries commenced with a first batch of G120TPs being accepted at RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire in November 2016. Affinity notes that the final aircraft's transfer was made ahead of its

PICTURE: T-6C arrival completes UK trainer fleet renewal

12/06/2018

A key milestone in the UK Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme was met on 3 December, with the early arrival of the last of 38 fixed-wing aircraft acquired via Elbit Systems UK/KBR joint venture Affinity Flying Training Services. The last of 10 Beechcraft T-6Cs acquired as replacements for the Royal Air Force's Short Tucano T1 turboprops – registered ZM332 – arrived at the service's Valley base in Anglesey, north Wales, following a delivery flight from Wichita, Kansas.

J-10C Fighter Aircraft Participating In Pak-China Joint Air Force Exercise: Military Expert

12/05/2018

China's J-10C fighter aircraft, currently taking part in the Pak-China joint air force exercise, is equipped with an Active Electronically Steered Array system (AESA) as well as an optoelectronic detection system. An improved version of China's J-10, the aircraft was activated for the combat missions in April this year, Wang Zhiming, a Chinese military expert told the news website China.org.cn on Tuesday.

Sikorsky aims to push aircraft sales with Chilean office

12/05/2018

Sikorsky's parent company Lockheed Martin intends to register an office in Chile to help push aircraft sales in Latin America. The company said it is in the process of registering an office with the Chilean government, adding that it intends to also use the site as a base for naval business in the region.

USAF fields new aircrew mask to protect against WMD contamination

12/05/2018

The US Air Force has started to field its Joint Service Aircrew Mask (JSAM) for helicopter aircraft in November as part of a larger effort to shield its personnel against contamination from weapons of mass destruction. The JSAM mask provides better protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear contamination for aircrew on the HH-60G Pave Hawk and UH-1N Huey aircraft, said the USAF. It replaces the Aircrew Eye and Respiratory Protection system.

Airbus and Lockheed team for US tanker services

12/05/2018

Airbus and Lockheed Martin have signed a memorandum of agreement to jointly "explore opportunities" in the US aerial refuelling market, eight years after the European airframer lost out to rival Boeing in a bid to supply new tankers to the US Air Force.

First flight for upgraded C-27J

12/05/2018

Leonardo's aircraft division has performed the first flight of its C-27J transport in a new baseline configuration. The sortie took place on 3 December from the manufacturer's plant in Turin, northern Italy. Featuring a number of avionics and cockpit upgrades, the new configuration is designed to make the aircraft compliant with next-generation air traffic management requirements and reduce military obsolescence issues.

Poland accelerates fighter replacement plans

12/04/2018

Poland is to accelerate the replacement of its air force's RAC MiG-29 fighters and Sukhoi Su-22 ground-attack aircraft on the instructions of the country's defence minister. Mariusz Blaszczak, minister of national defence, has repeatedly stated his aim of removing Soviet-era aircraft from Warsaw's inventory.