Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Force T-6s Return to Flight; OBOGS Monitoring Cited

02/28/2018

The basic training plane for Air Force pilots, the propeller-driven T-6 Texan, is returning to flight almost one month after being grounded after a series of unexplained physiological events (what we used to call suspected hypoxia incidents). As is the case with most such groundings, the service was very careful to call these “multiple unexplained physiological events.” A statement notes the incidents “differed from classic hypoxia, which is caused by oxygen deprivation.”

View: Why India should not delay its fighter jet procurement

02/28/2018

By cancelling the single engine fighter jet procurement and expanding it to include twin engine fighters, the government is trying to find a different result by trying the same thing as it was done in the previous MMRCA tender which it scrapped in 2015. The reason apparently is due to the furore created over the Rafale deal and the government does not want allegations later as there were only two contenders for the single engine jet, Lockheed Martin F-16 and SAAB Gripen.

Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter is about to meet the US F-22 over Syria

02/27/2018

IT’s a next generation combat jet of many names. It was the PAK FA. It was the T-50. Now it’s the Su-57. It’s Russia’s answer to the United States’ cutting-edge F-22 “Raptor” stealth fighter. Now, more than 15 years after the F-22 entered service, Russia is on the brink of pitting the best its military aviation industry can offer against its rival in Syria. F-22 versus Su-57: It’s the ultimate face-off between East and West.

How Russia Is Using Syria As A Military ‘Guinea Pig’

02/27/2018

Russia’s deputy defense minister claimed Thursday that Moscow has tested over 600 new weapons and other military equipment in Syria since intervening in the conflict in 2015. “The chance to test in real combat can’t be overestimated,” Yuri Borisov asserted, adding that “customers have started queuing up for the arms that have proven themselves in [battle].”

Russia and Lebanon Drafting Agreement for Increased Military Cooperation

02/27/2018

Since the Syrian civil war erupted nearly seven years ago, perhaps the most dramatic regional diplomatic development has been the steady reemergence of Russia as a major player in the convoluted world of Middle East politics. As a reward for its intervention in Syria, Russia has received 49-year leases on an airbase and port facility there.

Navy's Cutting-Edge Method to Launch Aircraft Faces Reliability Issues

02/27/2018

For more than 60 years, the U.S. Navy has relied on steam power to catapult planes off the decks of aircraft carriers, leaving behind a telltale trail of steam rising from the track. A new generation of carriers will rely on something far more technologically complex: an electromagnetic system that could potentially launch more aircraft off the deck and at a faster rate than traditional steam methods.

USAF has no plans for all-weather, wide area surveillance after JSTARS

02/27/2018

The US Air Force has no firm plans to replace a wide area surveillance capability if Congress later this year approves a proposal to retire the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS in 2025, the head of the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command says.

Army: Crew of F-16 downed by Syria made ‘professional error’

02/26/2018

An internal military investigation into the downing of an Israeli F-16 jet by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile on February 10 has shown that the aircraft’s crew did not respond properly to the threat and made a “professional error.” However, the probe also found that the pilot and navigator were right to abandon the warplane after it was hit.

Satellite Imagery Confirms Russia Deployed Stealthy Su-57 Fighters To Syria

02/25/2018

Our initial analysis has been outright confirmed and at least two Russian Su-57s have been forward-deployed to Khmeimim Air Base in western Syria. Satellite imagery dated February 23rd, 2018 shows two of the aircraft parked on the base's tightly packed fixed-wing tactical aircraft ramp.

US and French Fighters Contend for a Place Aboard India's New Aircraft Carrier

02/24/2018

With the Indian Navy’s first two carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant deploying Russian built MiG-29K multirole fighters from their decks India has sought a new source of fighters for its third and largest carrier – INS Vishal. While the Vikramaditya, a heavily modified former Soviet Kiev class carrier, is currently in service and the Vikrant, the country’s first domestically built carrier, is in its late development stages, the INS Vishal remains in the mid-design stage and has yet to see

Russia's most advanced fighter arrives in Syria

02/24/2018

Russia has sent its most advanced fighter jet to Syria, a US military official tells CNN. It's a deployment that could potentially increase the level of danger to US forces operating inside the country. The Su-57 is Moscow's most sophisticated military jet and comes equipped with stealth capability. Russia's move comes despite a promise from President Vladimir Putin to scale back Russia's military commitment in the country.

New wings on Qatar F-15s pave upgrade path for USAF

02/24/2018

A Qatari order for the F-15 Advanced Eagle will introduce a new structural upgrade for the wing that could be offered as a service life extension option for the US Air Force’s F-15Cs and for the fleets of other international customers, a top Boeing manager says.

OPINION: C-130J's success gives hope to A400M

02/24/2018

Twenty years ago, Lockheed Martin made its first delivery of a C-130J to launch operator the UK Royal Air Force, following a troubled development and testing programme which was very much at odds with its chosen moniker: “Super Hercules”.

PICTURE: Saab unveils first GlobalEye for UAE

02/24/2018

Saab has unveiled its first GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, revealing the extensively modified Bombardier Global 6000 business jet in the livery of launch customer the United Arab Emirates air force.

Boeing rejoins competitive field for Canadian fighter deal

02/23/2018

The Canadian government has announced that five bidders — Boeing, Dassault, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin and Saab — are eligible to compete for a long sought-after contract to replace the country’s 88 CF-18 fighters.

UK preparing ambitious combat air strategy

02/23/2018

The UK Ministry of Defence will publish a new combat air strategy document later this year, which defence secretary Gavin Williamson says will “bring together the best of British engineering, skill and design, and deliver a compelling vision for the future of air power".

Has Moscow moved its Su-57 stealth fighter into Syria?

02/22/2018

Russia appears to have sent two of its most modern stealth fighter jets to Syria. Footage circulating out of Syria today appears to show two of the distinctive aircraft arriving at Russia’s Khmeimim air force base on the shores of the Mediterranean. As they came in to land, a Su-35 fighter is seen to swoop past protectively. The unverified footage has interesting implications, if true.

Avani becomes first-ever Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo, that too a MiG-21

02/22/2018

Growing up in a small town named Deolond near Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Avani Chaturvedi never in her wildest dreams imagined she would one day become the first-ever Indian woman to break the sound barrier with resounding sonic booms in a supersonic fighter all alone.

AHRLAC variant Bronco II unveiled for US light attack bid

02/22/2018

Newly-formed Bronco Combat Systems on 21 February launched the Bronco II light attack aircraft for the US military market, leveraging the South African-designed AHRLAC platform with a US-based mission systems integrator named Fulcrum Concepts.

Sikorsky begins final assembly of first HH-60W

02/21/2018

Sikorsky has introduced the first HH-60W combat rescue helicopter (CRH) into final assembly ahead of a scheduled first flight by the end of this year. The derivative of the UH-60M is the first of a planned 112-aircraft production programme worth $8.12 billion to replace the aging fleet charged with rescuing downed US Air Force pilots.

US clears RNLAF for $1.19b Apache deal

02/21/2018

The Royal Netherlands Air Force is cleared by the US State Department to buy 28 remanufactured Boeing AH-64E helicopters worth a total of $1.19 billion, the US government announced on 20 February.

Gripen E delivery schedule on target, says Saab boss

02/21/2018

Saab remains on track to deliver the first series production examples of its Gripen E in the third quarter of next year, and is also hopeful of concluding delayed sales of new-build C/D-model examples during 2018.

PICTURES: Norway tests braking parachute on F-35A

02/21/2018

Norway has completed the first in-country test of a braking parachute on a Lockheed Martin F-35A, with the trial taking place on 16 February at Ørland air base. "Our combat aircraft must be able to land during extreme Norwegian winter conditions, and Norway, with experience in this, will help develop and test the F-35 braking parachute," says Norway's F-35 programme director, Gen Morten Klever.

China is challenging ‘dominance’ of U.S in South China Sea, diplomat says

02/20/2018

The risks of a "miscalculation" and armed conflict have risen in the disputed South China Sea with a militarily stronger China now able to challenge the United States, which used to be the dominant power in the strategic waterway, the Philippine envoy to Beijing said Monday.

South China Sea turning into signals hub for Chinese military

02/20/2018

Generally the acreage and borders in question are based on the land as nature intended it to be. But what if your strategic interests required creating land out of thin air, or in this case, deep blue ocean? Enter the People’s Republic of China and their man-made islands in the Spratly island chain, in the hotly disputed South China Sea.