Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Airbus urges pan-European solution to future combat air system

07/07/2018

Airbus Defence & Space has urged Europe to come together to work on a future combat air system, warning that the bloc cannot support the development of several competing platforms. Speaking at a pre-Farnborough air show media briefing, Dirk Hoke, chief executive of the division, said any programme for a sixth-generation fighter "had to be a full European solution".

Boeing, Embraer form separate joint venture to boost KC-390

07/06/2018

Boeing and Embraer will create a joint venture to promote the KC-390 and other defence products and services for new markets and applications, the companies announced on 5 July. The new agreement expands a six-year-old relationship between Embraer and Boeing on the KC-390 programme. A joint press release issued on 5 July includes only two sentences about the formation of the new joint venture.

Beijing keen to develop J-15 successor - report

07/06/2018

Beijing wants to develop a new carrier-borne fighter to replace its Shenyang J-15s, which have been plagued by safety and mechanical problems. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, quoting Chinese air force lieutenant general Zhang Honghe, a “new carrier-based fighter to replace the J-15” is in development.

UK committee urges against Wedgetail selection

07/06/2018

The chairman of the UK's cross-party parliamentary Defence Committee has taken the unusual step of making public its concerns over a possible plan to replace the Royal Air Force's fleet of Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft.

Canada requests seven additional Australian Hornets

07/06/2018

Canada has requested an additional seven surplus F/A-18 A/B Hornets from Australia. In February, Ottawa requested seven examples for use in non-flying activities such as software testing, static training, and spares, says Australia’s Department of Defence.

Northrop Grumman enters full-rate production on F-35 fuselage

06/30/2018

Northrop Grumman entered full-rate production on the F-35 Lightning II’s centre fuselage at its Palmdale, California facility in May in order to meet increasing order quantities from the Pentagon and international customers. The company said the 400th centre fuselage was completed and delivered to F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin last month. Production of the 500th centre fuselage began the week of 18 June.

USAF suspends light attack experiment and looks to end contest early

06/30/2018

The US Air Force suspended its light attack experiment at Hollomon AFB in New Mexico after the fatal crash of a Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano on June 22. The USAF is examining the data collected thus far in the about a month-long second phase of the experiment to determine if it has enough information to end the contest early.

Trump guarantees F-35 deliveries to Ankara, says Turkish minister

06/30/2018

Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu says in a TV interview that US president Donald Trump personally promised to ensure the delivery of the Lockheed Martin F-35A to his country.

Russia to base in Syria – permanently

06/28/2018

With its aerial intervention having played a major role in pushing back Daesh terrorists in Syria, Russia is now seeking to maintain a presence in the country with permanent bases. Russia is no stranger to Syria. Throughout the Cold War, the port of Tartus acted as a major replenishment facility for units of the Soviet fleet deploying through the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Soviet air units also periodically visited Syrian air force airbases.

Brand new HAL built Su-30 MKI crashes

06/28/2018

A brand new Sukhoi Su-30 MKI fighter manufactured by Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has crashed during a pre-delivery test flight. Both pilots Wing Commander Prashant Nair and Squadron Leader L Biswal (Flight test Engineer) were able to eject safely. The twin engined multi-role combat aircraft crashed after taking off from Nashik Airport, adjacent to HAL Nashik assembly line, at 11 hours in the morning.

Navy asks Lockheed Martin to upgrade electronic warfare (EW) systems aboard E-2D carrier aircraft

06/28/2018

Avionics experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will upgrade electronic warfare (EW) systems aboard the U.S. Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft under terms of a $64.7 million five-year contract announced Monday.

Embraer close to completing Portuguese KC-390 contract

06/28/2018

Embraer is on the verge of completing a deal with Portugal confirming the country as the first export customer for the KC-390 tanker transport. “We are discussing with the government the final contract,” the Brazilian airframer’s chief executive Paulo Cesar Silva said at a pre-Farnborough air show media briefing in Lisbon on 26 June.

U.S. Navy Pilot Killed in A-29 Super Tucano Crash at White Sands Missile Range. Twelfth U.S. military aircraft crash in 2018.

06/27/2018

Aircraft Was Part of Air Force Light Attack Experiment Program. It’s the seventh U.S. Air Force crash this year. A U.S. Navy pilot participating in the ongoing Light Attack Experiment died Friday, June 22, 2018 when the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano aircraft he was flying crashed inside the Red Rio Bombing Range inside the White Sands Missile Range.

Boeing’s MPA agenda advances in Asia-Pacific

06/27/2018

Boeing has won a deal to supply four P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to South Korea, and is poised to win a deal in New Zealand to supply the 737-based platform. On 25 June, South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said that Seoul would obtain the type under a $1.7 billion deal under the Foreign Military Sales process. No numbers were given.

Canberra to buy six MQ-4C Tritons

06/27/2018

Australia has confirmed its long-planned acquisition of six Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft. The initial A$1.4 billion ($1 billion) deal includes one MQ-4C, as well as a A$200 million programme with the US Navy for development, production, and sustainment of the aircraft, says prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Bahrain order keeps F-16 production ticking over

06/27/2018

Lockheed Martin has signed an initial contract worth $1.2 billion to launch production of the F-16 Block 70 on a new final assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina for the Royal Bahraini Air Force. The undefinitised contract for 16 examples of the latest version of the 45-year-old F-16 keeps the programme in production as Lockheed continues to market the single-engined fighter for new orders in India and elsewhere.

Potent New Israeli Air-surface Missile Revealed

06/23/2018

A new supersonic air-surface missile has been developed in a partnership between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Israel Military Industries (IMI). The state-owned companies unveiled the Rampage weapon just days before Elbit Systems announced that it had finalized the acquisition of IMI.

US Fears Russia May Get Access to F-35 Tech Via Turkey - Reports

06/23/2018

Despite Congressional efforts to block the delivery of F-35 combat aircraft to Ankara, the first two of the advanced US fighters have been handed over to Turkish military representatives. US lawmakers and the Pentagon fear that if plugged into Turkey's integrated air defense network, the S-400 air defense missile systems, which Ankara wants to buy from Russia, could be able to pick up technical data on the F-35's capabilities and pass it to Moscow, CNN wrote.

Boeing Sees Two-Year Wait for World's Biggest Fighter Jet Deal

06/23/2018

It could be another two years before India picks the winner of the world’s biggest combat aircraft order, according to a senior Boeing Co. executive. Boeing is well placed in the race to supply the Indian Air Force with 110 fighter jets, Gene Cunningham, Boeing vice president of global defense sales, told Bloomberg News on Sunday on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore. The company is a finalist in a separate competition to supply the Indian navy with 57 fighter jets.

Suspected Chinese lasers target US aircraft over the Pacific, US military source says

06/23/2018

Lasers have been used to target US aerial operations in the Pacific, with 20 incidents recorded since September of last year, according to a US military official. The military spokeswoman, who requested not to be named, told CNN that lasers had been flashed at US aircraft, and that the sources of these flashes are suspected to be Chinese. The latest incident occurred within the last two weeks, the official said.

A-29 Super Tucano crashes during light attack experiment

06/23/2018

A Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano crashed in New Mexico on 22 June while participating in a month-old light attack experiment, a US Air Force spokesman confirms. Both USAF crew members ejected during the 11:45am incident and one crew member sustained minor injuries. No information on the status of the second crew member was available as of 6:25 pm in New Mexico on 22 June.

USAF proposes MOAB-sized bomb carriage for B-52H wings

06/23/2018

In addition to making the Boeing B-52H more fuel efficient and sophisticated, the US Air Force’s ongoing makeover project also aims to make the pride of Gen Curtis LeMay’s Cold War-era bomber fleet more destructive.

OPINION: Farley's lessons will live on with F-35B

06/23/2018

Mentioning the name John Farley evokes memories of a time when the UK’s aerospace industry was able to produce a succession of jet fighters – albeit sometimes of variable quality. As our obituary piece details, Farley was inspired to join the Royal Air Force and subsequently become a test pilot when, as a child, he saw a Graf Zeppelin pass gracefully – and probably menacingly – over Hastings.

Kongsberg nears end of JSM development activity

06/23/2018

Kongsberg's Joint Strike Missile is in the last stages of its qualification process, with development activities due to be completed this autumn. Integration onto the Lockheed Martin F-35A for the Royal Norwegian Air Force will take place with the Block 4 software update, says the nation's defence ministry, achieving full operational capability by 2025.

Air Force tests two turboprops as potential A-10 “replacements

06/20/2018

The US Air Force has kicked off the procurement for another round of wing replacements for A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, known affectionately by many as the Warthog. With new wings, the A-10s will help fill a gap left by the delayed volume delivery of F-35A fighters, which were intended to take over the A-10's close air support (CAS) role in "contested environments"—places where enemy aircraft or modern air defenses would pose a threat to supporting aircraft.