Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Rolls-Royce to Provide Engine Support for Kuwait’s C-130 Transport Aircraft

05/10/2017

The Pentagon has awarded a contract to provide original equipment manufacturer engineering and logistics support for the KC-130J aircraft engines for the Marine Corps and Kuwait's military. The Rolls-Royce Corporation has received a close to $80 million US Navy contract to provide engineering support for KC-130J Hercules military air transport aircraft engines supplied to Kuwait, the Department of Defense announced.

Satellite Images: Beijing Installing Missile Systems on South China Sea Islands

05/10/2017

Satellite images captured on Monday show Chinese military installments being placed on a crucial islet in the contested waterway. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has previously called China’s island building in the South China Sea “illegal.”

F-35 to make Paris air show debut

05/09/2017

In a rapid reversal, the US Air Force plans to take the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35 to the Paris Air Show after all. Only two weeks after the Joint Programme Office declared the F-35 would not make a debut appearance at the international marketing event, the air force announced on 6 May that the stealthy strike fighter will participate in the Paris air show next month.

US Fighter Pilots Set to Fly Israeli Skies in Joint Air Force Drills

05/09/2017

The US Army has confirmed that Israeli and US pilots will be engaging joint drills this week at Uvda Air Force Base near the Israeli city of Eliat. Aircrews will be trained in a number of exercises at the base’s advance facilities while other squadrons train in the Negev Desert.

Over 70 Aircraft to Participate in WWII Victory Day Parade in Moscow – Commander

05/09/2017

A total of 72 military helicopters and planes will fly over the Red Square and Kremlin in Moscow on May 9 as part of the WWII Victory Day Parade. The country’s famous aerobatic team the Russian Knights scheduled to demonstrate their aerobatic skills flying the brand-new Su-30SM jets, Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Monday.

US military's secret space plane lands with sonic boom in Florida

05/08/2017

The US military’s experimental X-37B space plane landed on Sunday at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing a classified mission that lasted nearly two years, the US air force said. The unmanned X-37B, which resembles a miniature space shuttle, touched down at 7.47am ET on a runway formerly used for landings of the now-mothballed space shuttles, the air force said in an email.

Analysts sceptical of impact in Somalia of Kenya arms purchases

05/08/2017

Military analysts are raising questions about the potential strategic impact of two weapons systems Kenya has been cleared to purchase in the US for use against Al-Shabaab in Somalia. The Kenyan government could spend up to $671 million (Sh67.1 billion) in a pair of pending deals involving a dozen attack helicopters and the same number of weaponised agricultural aircraft.

Electronic Weapons: MQ-25A And The China Threat

05/08/2017

The U.S. Navy has not yet selected the design of its new carrier based UAV (the MQ-25A) but it is already testing new software developed so carrier capable UAVs can be communicated with using the same software used for manned carrier aircraft. Called UMCS (Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System) this uses existing software modified to communicate with UAVs on the carrier deck as well as the air.

Old Warrior: 60 Years On, Russia's Tu-95 Bomber Still Goes Strong

05/08/2017

Many believe that Russia’s veteran Tu-95 strategic bomber is hopelessly passé, but more than sixty years after it hit the skies in 1952, Tupolev’s legendary “Bear” still remains a formidable weapon to be reckoned with.

Russia to Arm 5th Generation Stealth Fighter Jet With Deadly Anti-Ship Missile

05/06/2017

Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 (PAK FA) multi-role fighter jet will be armed with an extended range Kh-35UE tactical cruise missile, according to Russian media reports citing the missile’s developer, Russian defense contractor Tactical Missile’s Corporation JSC. Russian defense experts speaking to Izvestia newspaper claim that the potential new armament will turn the new fighter jet into a “multi-functional fighting machine.”

Russia’s Involvement In Syria Proves That It's Far Behind The Western World

05/06/2017

Russia has made a lot of noise about the modern weapons it has used during combat in Syria and how effective these new weapons are. Fresh Su-34 attack jets scream through the skies, while the latest in small arms test their mettle. But the reality is most of what Russia has used is not as shiny and advanced as Moscow would like you to believe. The vast majority of aircraft carrying out airstrikes are among the oldest in the Russian military, and it only gets worse from there.

Video: I Went to 'War' Against America's F-22 Stealth Fighter (And Lost)

05/06/2017

Atlantic Trident 17 brought together the United States Air Force, British Royal Air Force and French Armée de l'Air best fighter aircraft to train together. The idea was to integrate fifth-generation stealth fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with fourth-generation fighters like the British Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Dassault Rafale.

First Italian F-35B rolls off Cameri line

05/06/2017

The first short take-off vertical landing Lockheed Martin F-35B assembled outside Fort Worth, Texas, rolled off the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility 5 May in Cameri, Italy. Lockheed and Leonardo operate the Cameri FACO, owned by the Italian Ministry of Defense, which will complete full assembly of both the conventional take-off landing F-35A variant and F-35B. Leonardo also assembles wings for the F-35A at the Cameri site, as a second-source supplier to Lockheed.

De-Escalation Zones Take Effect In Syria

05/06/2017

Safe zones across Syria have officially gone into effect as of midnight tonight in the country. Diplomatic efforts in Astana, Kazakhstan, between Russian, Turkish and Iranian delegations have resulted in an agreement to enact safe zones in Syria in what observers hope will be a big step toward peace in the war-torn country. Moscow, Ankara and Tehran emerged as the guarantors of the strategy and authorized the memo creating the safe zones.

Army still working on multi-core processor for UH-60V

05/05/2017

The US Army is upgrading a fleet of Sikorsky UH-60Ls with a glass cockpit layout similar to the UH-60M, but the newly-minted UH-60V fleet's mission computers are still restricted to a single-core processor.

Netherlands secures additional Chinooks

05/05/2017

Boeing will deliver two more CH-47F Chinooks to the Netherlands under an ongoing $541 million contract with the US Army. Under the current multi-year buy, the US Army ordered 12 CH-47Fs last year as part of an effort to replace the Dutch CH-47Ds. The recent contract award adds two more Chinooks for the Dutch, raising the total new aircraft purchased to 14, a Boeing spokesman says in an email to FlightGlobal.

Kenya seeks armed MD530 purchase

05/05/2017

MD Helicopters could supply Kenya with 12 armed MD530 rotorcraft, under a Foreign Military Sales deal worth $253 million. Outlined by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 2 May, the potential deal would also cover the provision of armaments including pod-housed cannons, unguided rockets and .50cal machine guns.

Sixth aircraft joins KC-46A tanker test fleet

05/05/2017

Boeing has bolstered its flight-test fleet for the KC-46A programme to six aircraft, as the company strives to complete a development campaign with the 767-based tanker. The latest addition – Boeing's second low-rate initial production example – made its debut flight from the company's Everett site in Washington on 29 April. The new asset will be dedicated to tasks including electromagnetic testing, the company says.

Russian Nuke-Capable Bombers Patrol Alaska in 'Safe and Professional' Manner

05/05/2017

Two US F-22 fighter jets intercepted and visually identified two Russian Tu-95 bombers as well as two Su-35 fighter jets that entered Alaska’s Air Defense identification zone. The flight of Russian bombers and fighter jets off the west coast off Alaska on Wednesday was conducted in a safe and professional manner, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spokesperson Capt. Ashleigh Peck told Sputnik.

How the U.S. Air Force Trains for a War with Russia (or Russian Fighters)

05/03/2017

As the United States Air Force continues its struggle with fielding enough aggressor aircraft for its combat aircraft crews to train against, contractors are stepping up to the plate. In some cases, contractors are able to field remarkable aircraft that provide an exceptionally authentic replication of enemy aircraft. Such is case of Air USA—the company has managed to acquire three two-seat trainer versions of the Mikoyan MiG-29UB Fulcrum.

How F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22 Raptor Pilots Train for War

05/03/2017

The U.S. Air Force’s Atlantic Trident 17 exercise brought together some of the NATO alliance’s most capable combat aircraft including the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter as well as the British Eurofighter Typhoon and the French Dassault Rafale at Joint Base Langley Eustis in Virginia.

Boeing puzzles over UH-1N replacement requirements

05/03/2017

Boeing and Leonardo Helicopters, along with their rotorcraft competitors, are baffled by the US Air Force’s requirements for the UH-1N Huey replacement programme but are pressing ahead with a bid based on the MH-139, a militarised version of the commercial AW139 medium-twin.

PICTURE: NATO puts Baltic air defences to the test

05/03/2017

NATO staged the two-day "Ramstein Alloy 4" exercise in late April over Lithuania, giving locally deployed air forces the opportunity to practise quick reaction alert procedures and boost interoperability.

New Zealand requests details about P-8A Poseidon

05/03/2017

The US State Department has approved the possible sale of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to New Zealand. The deal is estimated at $1.46 billion, says the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in a statement. It follows a request from New Zealand about the Poseidon.

Twin-seat JF-17B takes maiden flight

05/03/2017

The two-seat variant of the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder fighter has conducted its first flight. Reports and images on Chinese defence sites indicate that the jet conducted its maiden sortie on 27 April at 11:04 a.m. from Chengdu.