Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

State Department approves sale of six AH-64E Apaches to India

06/13/2018

The State Department approved a possible direct commercial sale of six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters to India for an estimated cost of $930 million on 12 June. Included in the sale are 14 GE Aviation T700-GE-701D engines; four Northrop Grumman APG-78 fire control radars; 180 Lockheed AGM-114 Hellfire missiles; and 200 Raytheon Stinger missiles, among other weapons and subsystems.

Aero Vodochody and IAI pitch revamped L-159 for OA-X need

06/13/2018

Aero Vodochody and its new partner Israel Aerospace Industries are making a late bid to be selected for the US Air Force’s OA-X close air support programme with an advanced version of the L-159 they say could be ready for delivery from 2020.

PICTURES: NATO allies hone personnel recovery skills

06/13/2018

Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from seven NATO and Partnership for Peace countries took part in a major multinational personnel recovery exercise that concluded in Europe earlier this month. Running from 22 May until 6 June, the air-centric personnel recovery operators course (APROC) event was hosted by the Netherlands Defence Helicopter Command, and involved almost 600 participants from a total of 12 nations.

Qatar picks Sniper pod for Rafale fleet

06/12/2018

Qatar's future fleet of Dassault Rafale fighters will be equipped with Lockheed Martin Sniper targeting pods, the US company has announced. "Pod deliveries to the Qatar Emiri Air Force will begin in 2019," says Lockheed. "Integration efforts are ongoing, with flight tests currently in progress."

Beware, North Korea: South Korea's Air Force Is Ready for War

06/11/2018

The backbone of the ROKAF is its fighter force. The most numerous type in service is the Northrop F-5E Tiger II. The F-5 was a mainstay of the ROKAF for many years, beginning in the 1970s when F-5As and F-5Bs were exported to South Korea. The current stock of F-5Es and F-5Fs (dual seat variant) came later, and featured a new fuselage, a radar, and better engines compared to the F-5A/B. F-5As and Bs were retired from Korean service as the F-16 was adopted.

F-35 jet imbroglio between the U.S. and Turkey

06/10/2018

As tensions between the United States and Turkey simmer, though unlikely to boil over before June 24 Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, debate over the delivery of U.S. F-35 advanced combat aircraft to Turkey is becoming a measure of the relationship between the NATO allies.

Rafale delivery will commence in September 2019

06/10/2018

The man who was in charge of the exercise was Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he said the exercise demonstrated the IAF’s capability to achieve and sustain a very high serviceability of aircraft and systems. Dhanoa, however, expressed concern about the depleting combat strength of the IAF, and said the force would reach its desired strength only by 2032.

Meet Russia's Yak-130, the Killer Light-Combat Jet You Never Heard of (Until Now)

06/10/2018

Developed in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Yakovlev Yak 130 is one of the best advanced trainer and light combat aircraft available on the international defense market.

USAF grounds B-1B Lancer fleet due to safety issues

06/09/2018

The US Air Force ordered the grounding of its entire fleet of Rockwell B-1B Lancer bombers on 7 June due to safety concerns. The USAF suspended flights of the aircraft following an emergency landing of a B-1B at Midland International Air and Space Port in Texas on 1 May, which had blown at least one of its escape hatches without launching its ejection seat. All four members of the crew landed safely.

PICTURES: UK's first F-35s touch down at Marham home

06/09/2018

The UK's first four new-generation strike aircraft touched down at the Royal Air Force's Marham base in Norfolk on the evening of 6 June, with the Lockheed Martin F-35Bs having completed a nonstop flight from South Carolina.

Taiwan air force F-16 jet goes missing at start of annual live-fire military drills

06/06/2018

A Taiwanese fighter jet went missing in northern Taiwan on Monday at the start of the island’s biggest annual military drills, casting a shadow over exercises meant to showcase the island’s ability to fend off an attack. The suspected crash comes after Beijing has conducted repeated rounds of military exercises around the island and as authorities on the island try to reassure voters ahead of elections later this year, according to analysts.

Norwegian Updates on The Standup of Their F-35s

06/06/2018

According to a Norwegian Ministry of Defence press release dated May 23, 2018: Six aircraft are now on Norwegian soil. – Our new F-35s are a major investment and the most important acquisition to strengthen the defence capabilities of our Armed Forces, said Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen. Delivered on time, the three new aircraft represent a new milestone in our acquisition program.

Deficiencies could delay F-35 full-rate production decision

06/06/2018

The Department of Defense agreed with a Government Accountability Office report that it should resolve the Lockheed Martin F-35’s critical deficiencies before requesting funds to pay for full-rate production of the aircraft. Waiting for the resolution of critical deficiencies in the F-35 Lightning II could delay the aircraft’s full-rate production, which the DoD had planned to begin in 2021.

Leonardo launches BriteCloud decoy to protect military transports

06/06/2018

Leonardo has launched a more powerful version of its BriteCloud decoy jammer optimised for use during the self-protection of medium and large transport aircraft. "Currently in the final stages of development, BriteCloud 55-T is available to order now for deliveries in early 2019," the company says. It identifies potential candidate platforms as including its own C-27J Spartan, along with the larger Airbus Defence & Space A400M, Embraer KC-390 and Lockheed Martin C-130.

Lack of funds causes USAF to skip hypersonic cruise missile competition

06/05/2018

The US Air Force skipped a more extensive competition for its nearly $1 billion hypersonic cruise missile development contract due to lack of available funds to pay multiple sources to develop alternative prototypes, according to a newly-released government document.

India to send Sukhois and C-17 aircraft for multi-lateral 'Pitch Black' exercise in Australia

06/03/2018

India may have rebuffed Australia’s proposal to join the annual trilateral Malabar naval wargames it holds with the US and Japan but will be dispatching four Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets and a C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft to the country to participate in the multi-lateral “Pitch Black” air combat exercise.

As Trump talks trade and nukes, China quietly tightens its grip on the South China Sea

06/03/2018

With global attention fixated on fraught U.S.-China trade negotiations and on-again, off-again nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea, China continues to strengthen its position in the South China Sea. The world's second largest economy is boosting its military capabilities there, and analysts say there's really not a whole lot the U.S. can do about it.

Senators Want $100 Million for New Marine Corps Light Attack Aircraft

06/03/2018

The Senate Armed Services Committee has set aside millions for light attack aircraft, but this time not solely for the U.S. Air Force. In its version of the fiscal 2019 budget markup, the committee announced last week it wants to give $100 million to the Marine Corps to procure light attack aircraft such as the AT-6 Wolverine to boost lower-cost aviation support. The version passed the committee with a vote of 25-2. It heads for a full Senate vote in coming weeks.

North Korea to get relief only after 'verifiable and irreversible step to denuclearization': Mattis

06/03/2018

U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday North Korea will receive relief only after it takes clear and irreversible steps to end its nuclear program, adding it would be a bumpy road to a summit between U.S. and North Korean leaders.

Pratt & Whitney receives $2 billion to supply F-35 engines

06/03/2018

The Department of Defense awarded Pratt & Whitney a $2 billion contract to supply F135 turbofan engines for the Lot 11 order of F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The 11th low rate initial production contract will cover 135 engines, as well as programme management, engineering support, production support, spare modules and spare parts, P&W said on 31 May 2018.

Death Match: Russia's 'Stealth' Su-57 vs. Su-35S Flanker-E (Who Wins?)

05/30/2018

The Russians seem to recognize that the initial version of the Su-57 will not offer a particularly more useful capability than the Su-35. Moscow only plans to purchase a dozen of the initial AL-41F1-powered version of the Su-57. The Kremlin will likely buy as many as 60 of the second stage Su-57 with the new engine, but given the sheer expense and the limited jump in performance of the new aircraft over the Su-35.

Russia Denies Aerial Skirmish With Israel As The Two Countries Look To Make Syrian Deals

05/30/2018

“Reports circulated by an Israeli news website about alleged ‘interception’ of two Israeli F-16 planes by Russian Su-34’s in the airspace over Lebanon are dilettantish nonsense,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to state-run outlet TASS. “The Su-34 multirole bombers of the Russian taskforce in Syria are not used to intercept aerial targets and perform no missions in Lebanon’s airspace.”

PICTURED: Britain’s new 'invisible' 1,200mph F-35 stealth fighter ready for ACTION

05/30/2018

F-35s are considered to be the world’s most advanced warplane with “unprecedented” stealth capabilities. Four of the jets, based at US Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, are due to hurtle over their UK. Defence bosses expect the F-35s will arrive in Britain at any time from June 5. Another five of the planes will follow by the beginning of August. And the warplanes designers have warned the planes will face combat against weapons designed by China and Russia.

US Air Force releases official A-10 wing replacement RFP

05/30/2018

The US Air Force released on 25 May its official request for proposals to replace 112 wing sets on its Fairchild Republic A-10 fleet. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract will have a basic five-year ordering period beginning at contract award, two one-year optional ordering periods thereafter, and a four-year delivery period following the end of the ordering periods, according to the RFP notice.

Kazakhstan to boost Su-30SM fleet

05/30/2018

Kazakhstan is to boost its fleet of Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters, with the nation's air force to field a further batch of the Irkut-built type. Announced during the KADEX exhibition in Astana on 24 May, the new deal is for an undisclosed number of aircraft. "The contract will be completed in 2020," says Irkut.