Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Fighters in the sky

11/30/2017

One is convinced that as a citizen, like millions of our countrymen, we have virtually reached a stage of “now or never” so far as indigenous production of fighter aircraft is concerned. It is one’s firm belief that the first, foremost, primary objective towards Mission Indigenisation revolves around the capability and capacity or the “power” of the fighter engine and the interface with the fuselage (body) of the flying machine.

Lockheed Martin Secures $21M Deal From U.S. Air Force

11/30/2017

Lockheed Martin Corp. has won a modification contract for the C-130J center wing box replacement program. This contract has been awarded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, GA.

South China Sea: Australia is worried about China's activities — here's why

11/30/2017

The South China Sea is more than 6,000 kilometres away from Canberra but Beijing's activities in this contested body of water are causing deep anxiety within Australia's defence and diplomatic circles. At its heart, this is a dispute over competing territorial claims but the South China Sea has become a symbol of China's inexorable rise and a shift in the global axis of power. Here's why Australia is concerned and how it's responding to the issue.

Tokyo to conclude X-2 programme in March 2018

11/30/2017

Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) is approaching the end of testing with the Mitsubishi X-2 technology demonstrator aircraft. The twin-engined fighter has completed 34 sorties, says Hirofumi Doi, manager of Japan's Future Fighter Program at ATLA. The first two flights were conducted by Mitsubishi, the subsequent 32 by ATLA at Gifu air base. The aircraft's maiden flight occurred on 22 April 2016.

Japan detects radio signals pointing to possible North Korea missile test - source

11/28/2017

Japan has detected radio signals suggesting North Korea may be preparing for another ballistic missile launch, although such signals are not unusual and satellite images did not show fresh activity, a Japanese government source said on Tuesday.

Pentagon taps Silicon Valley firm for aircraft predictive maintenance

11/28/2017

A Silicon Valley-based firm will deliver software to predict maintenance activity for US Air Force aircraft, starting with the Boeing E-3 Sentry and Lockheed Martin F-16. The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) selected the software firm C3 IoT for a multi-year contract aimed at leveraging the technology industry's advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning for aircraft maintenance, the company says.

Norway's F-35 drag chute tested on icy runways

11/28/2017

Lockheed Martin is testing one of the most unique modifications to the F-35 Lightning II on icy runways on Eielson AFB, Alaska, this month. US Air Force test pilots are testing that the drag chute, a modification spearheaded by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, slows the aircraft to a stop on icy runways near the Arctic circle, Lockheed says.

NAVAIR studies plugging MQ-25 ground system into carrier ATC

11/28/2017

As three companies continue vying for the contract to develop the MQ-25 Stingray, the US Navy is quietly making progress with the design of the carrier-based, unmanned tanker aircraft’s mission control system.

Israel offers Croatia mixed fleet of F-16s

11/28/2017

Current Israeli air force F-16C/Ds are now being offered, with the service to retire some of its examples as more Lockheed F-35I Adirs enter use. The Israeli proposal also could include a mix of C/D-model aircraft and already-retired F-16A/Bs which it has previously pitched to the Croatian government.

America Is Planning to Show North Korea What the F-35 Could Do in a War

11/27/2017

The Air Force is planning an F-35A show of force in the Pacific in coming weeks now that 12 F-35A’s have deployed to Japan for a six-month rotation, service officials said. While service officials describe the move as a routine deployment, called a Theater Security Package, the current tensions with North Korea are by no means lost on the Air Force and other Pentagon planners – who are preparing to demonstrate F-35 power, technology and combat readiness in a series of upcoming exercises.

Why has India struggled to buy fighter aircraft?

11/27/2017

The Indian Air Force, one of the largest in the world, operates a diverse mix of legacy and modern fighter jets, including MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, Su-30MKI and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. India sees the possibility of a two-front war — with Pakistan in the west and China in the north — and to be able to tackle it, the IAF has a projected requirement of 44 fighter squadrons.

Timeline: The turbulent history of the Rafale deal

11/25/2017

The Indian government’s deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets, first announced during a 2015 state visit to France, is now in the headlines thanks to allegations of overpricing and crony capitalism. The controversy began with the selection of the Rafale fighter jets by the Congress government in 2012 to meet the IAF’s requirement for 123 combat aircraft. As the deal hit a deadlock, the Modi government scrapped the process to purchase 36 Rafale fighters.

It's Official: U.S. Aircraft Carrier George Washington Is Getting the F-35

11/25/2017

The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries are beginning a massive upgrade and technical adjustment to its USS George Washington Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier -- to enable the ship to operate the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and serve for 25-more years with newly configured structures, weapons systems, defenses, propulsion, computer automation and advanced digital networking technology.

This U.S. Aircraft Carrier Fought Battleships, Picked up Astronauts and Fought MiGs

11/25/2017

Many a ship has a remarkable tale to tell—but few have survived as many scraps as the aircraft carrier berthed at Pier 86 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. The Intrepid (CV-11) and its sailors and aviators survived hits from four Kamikaze planes, helped sink the largest battleship ever built, recovered three astronauts from the sea and shot down a MiG jet over Vietnam.

Indian air force test fires air-launched Brahmos missile

11/25/2017

The Indian air force test-fired the Mach 2.8 Brahmos cruise missile from an aircraft for the first time on 22 November, moving the anti-ship and land attack capability a step closer to operational use.

CH-53K helicopter to make international debut at ILA Berlin show

11/25/2017

Sikorsky has confirmed that the CH-53K King Stallion will make its air show debut at next year's ILA Berlin event, as the airframer pursues a lucrative export contract with Germany. The manufacturer had previously expressed an ambition to take the new heavy-lift helicopter to the biennial exhibition, but has now been given the go-ahead by the US Marine Corps, Sikorsky's domestic customer for the CH-53K.

US Senate spending bill less bullish on F-35 buy

11/22/2017

The chair of the US Senate Appropriations committee has approved the chamber’s version of the fiscal year 2018 defence spending bill this week, a move that pushes the legislation closer to final passage.

USAF releases F-16 service life extension solicitation

11/22/2017

The US Air Force has released a request for proposals for a contract to beef up the structures on on a subset of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet to keep the single-engined fighter in service for at least 30 more years.

USAF doubts new JSTARS could fly in contested airspace

11/22/2017

The US Air Force does not believe recapitalising the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet will give the service the capability it needs for contested environments, the head of Air Combat Command says.

KC-390 arrives in USA for flight testing

11/22/2017

In a sign that testing activity has resumed since an incident six weeks ago, Embraer’s KC-390 arrived at the company’s US base in Jacksonville, Florida on 20 November to begin a series of flight tests before certification.

ANALYSIS: Key challenges in the race to develop hybrid-electric aircraft

11/22/2017

Two United Technologies competitors – Rolls-Royce and Honeywell – teamed up in 2015 to design and build the 1MW-class hybrid-electric propulsion system for the Aurora Flight Sciences’ XV-24A Lightning Strike, a pioneering unmanned air system funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Dennis Roberts: Buying old F-18 jets is a bad idea. It just makes our existing problem worse

11/21/2017

Purchasing used F-18 Hornets cannot close Canada’s fighter capability gap. It’s simply more of the same problem. Replacing an old aircraft with more old aircraft is not the answer. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially took the right steps to protect our borders and defend North America.

Strikes on Taliban opium facilities first major use of new bombing authorities in Afghanistan

11/21/2017

U.S. and Afghan warplanes bombed 10 Taliban-controlled opium production facilities in Helmand province Sunday in the first major use of new White House-approved authorities to target the insurgents’ revenue stream, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Monday.

Tejas and beyond: How short the IAF is of fighters, what options it has now

11/21/2017

Beyond the politics of last week's Congress-BJP squabble over the deal to purchase Rafale fighters for the IAF lies the grim reality of an emaciated force that is well short of the strength required to face up to a two-front threat.

Tupolev rolls out first new-build Tu-160 bomber

11/21/2017

Tupolev on 16 November rolled out the first new-build Tu-160 strategic bomber from the Kazan Aviation plant, with first flight of the supersonic aircraft scheduled for February 2018. The Tu-160 was last produced in 2007 and the latest example is a key test of Tupolev's ability to restore final assembly, as well as modernising the type with new Kuznetsov NK-32-02 engines.