Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

UK’s deal with Turkey on TF-X fighter jet deal faces trouble - analysis

06/20/2018

After months of delicate diplomacy, the UK’s alleged partnership with Turkey to build a fifth generation fighter jet, has run into trouble, says the Financial Times. The article published on Monday recalls initial concerns about the management of intellectual property raised this year by Rolls-Royce, the British aero-engine group that has been working with Turkish industrial giant Kale to bid for the engine development contract on what is set to become Turkey’s first indigenous combat aircraft.

USAF set to begin dual mode ramjet design for hypersonic vehicle

06/20/2018

The US Air Force has set plans to begin the competitive phase of a plan to develop a dual mode ramjet for a new class of missiles and aircraft with top speeds over Mach 3. Two contract awards worth a total of $10 million for design and testing of a dual mode ramjet are now anticipated, the USAF’s Air Force Research Laboratory says in a notice dated 8 June.

US lawmakers intensify efforts to block F-35 delivery to Turkey

06/20/2018

Moves by the US Senate and members of the House of Representatives to block the delivery of the Lockheed Martin F-35 to Turkey have intensified, increasing tensions with Ankara. The US Senate passed the 2019 National Defense Authorisation Act on 18 June with a clause that would stop the delivery of the F-35 to Turkey.

America's F-22 Raptor Is the Best Fighter In the World (But France 'Shot' One Down)

06/19/2018

Eight times during a two-week war game in Alaska, individual German Typhoons flew against single F-22s in basic fighter maneuvers meant to simulate close-range dogfights. “We were evenly matched,” German Maj. Marc Gruene told Combat Aircraft. Past evidence seems to confirms that a French fighter pilot once “killed” an American F-22 Raptor stealth fighter in mock combat.

In Praise Of The Harrier, The Underappreciated Jet Marines Really Want In A War

06/19/2018

Since the United States and coalition partners began its anti-ISIS mission in 2014, the Middle East’s skies have become crowded with the very best in modern air power. The air is full of flashy fourth-generation fighters (like the Air Force’s F-15s and F-16s and the Navy’s F/A-18E/Fs), and newer fifth-generation fighters (like the F-22).

Thai F-5s to fight on with IRIS-T missiles

06/19/2018

The Royal Thai Air Force is to arm its Northrop F-5 fighters with IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles, following the signature of a repeat order with German manufacturer Diehl Defence. Noting that Bangkok has previously acquired the infrared-guided weapon for its Saab Gripen fighters and also subsequently its Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet, Diehl Defence notes: "The new procurement plans to integrate the missile onto the F-5, making IRIS-T a standard armament of the Royal Thai Air Force."

IAF not keen on getting more Sukhoi fighter jets

06/14/2018

At a time when the Russians have offered to sell 40 more Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft to India, it seems that the Air Force is not keen to add more of these heavy weight and expensive to maintain fighter jets in its inventory. The Indian Air Force (IAF) already has more than 220 of these Russian planes in its fleet and has plans of inducting all the 272 planes ordered by it over the years by the end of 2020.

Russia’s Electronic Warfare Advances Offers Stealth Capability for Fighter Aircraft

06/14/2018

An underlying driver in the reform of the Russian Armed Forces, first initiated in the fall of 2009, has proved to be the adoption and adaption of “command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” capabilities to offer conventional options against a high-technology adversary. A key factor in the introduction of a Russian variant of the concept of network-centric warfare is the complete overhaul and modernization of its Electronic Warfare inventory.

Raytheon to develop new F-35 Distributed Aperture System

06/14/2018

Lockheed Martin awarded Raytheon a contract to develop the F-35 Lightning II’s next generation Distribute Aperture System (DAS). The (DAS) was previously manufactured by Northrop Grumman, which decided not to bid on the next generation system, saying it wasn’t an attractive business deal. Lockheed did not disclose the terms or the amount of the contract in its announcement on 13 June.

Iraq receives new batch of T-50 jet fighters from South Korea

06/13/2018

A new batch of the T-50 jet fighters arrived Wednesday in Iraq coming from South Korea to help in the fight against Islamic State (IS). In a brief statement, the Iraqi Air Force said, “a new six-jet batch of T-50 has arrived in Iraq.” Last year, Iraq said it will receive 24 T-50 (Golden Eagle) fighter jets from South Korea as part of an agreement signed in 2013.

Grounded bombers and another fighter crash on Sunday night: When will the Defense Department admit there’s a problem?

06/13/2018

A routine training flight off the coast of the Japanese island of Okinawa ended in yet another U.S. military aviation disaster on Sunday night, as a U.S. Air Force F-15 went down for unspecified reasons. The pilot was able to eject and was recovered in a search and rescue operation; he is currently listed in critical condition. “We have been notified that the pilot is in serious condition. Our hearts and prayers go to the pilot and his family as they go through this difficult time,” read a state

Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter-jet program reaches milestone

06/13/2018

Over the years, adjectives such as controversial and expensive have been used to describe Lockheed Martin's F-35 program. But while those concerns may have merit, the air defense company's Fort Worth plant nonetheless continues to crank out the stealth fighter aircraft at what has become a steady pace.

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.