Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

What to Expect From China's Next Two Aircraft Carriers

05/12/2017

The construction of aircraft carriers will not stop after the commissioning of China's recently-launched second carrier, experts say, assuming that the third carrier will likely still be conventionally powered but will use steam launch catapults, whereas the fourth carrier could be nuclear powered and use advanced launch and lacing systems.

Pakistan to Sell 52 Military Aircraft to Turkey

05/12/2017

The Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industries (SSM) has awarded Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) a contract for the sale of 52 MFI-395 Super Mushshak military training aircraft. According to media reports, the deal was concluded on May 10 at the sidelines of this year’s International Defense Industry Fair, which is taking place in Istanbul.

PICTURES: Saab reveals Global ambition with updated Swordfish

05/12/2017

Saab has dramatically enhanced its Swordfish maritime patrol aircraft, adding increased capability for the anti-submarine warfare and maritime-strike roles. Revealing the company's updated Swordfish design on 10 May, head of marketing and sales for airborne ISR Emilien Saindon said the heavily adapted business jet – using Bombardier's Global 6000 airframe – would have greater weapons carrying ability than the design announced in February 2016.

Airbus achieves automatic air-to-air refuelling contact

05/11/2017

Airbus’ A310 MRTT company development aircraft performed six automatic contacts with an F-16 of the Portuguese Air Force in a demonstration of a technique which the company believes holds great promise for enhancing in-service AAR operations.

UAE deploying US-made planes to support rival Libyan authority

05/11/2017

US manufactured combat aircraft are being used in Libya in violation of a UN arms embargo on the war-torn country, an American magazine has revealed. The supply of at least six American-made turboprop planes to an eastern authority - the chief rival to the UN-backed government in Tripoli - could thwart US interests in Libya, according to a report published in TIME magazine.

Extended Gray Eagle slated for 2018 delivery

05/11/2017

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will deliver the extended range MQ-1C Gray Eagle to the US Army by 2018, the army’s medium altitude and endurance office product manager says this week.

After Buying S-400, Turkey Aims to Build Own Components for Air Defense Systems

05/11/2017

Talks with Russia on deliveries of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey are at final stages, but Ankara still aims to manufacture its own components for such systems, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik said Wednesday.

NATO to Decide on Increasing Afghanistan Military Presence Within Weeks - Chief

05/11/2017

NATO has received a request from its military authorities to increase its military presence in Afghanistan with a few thousand troops, and is assessing it, a decision is expected in coming weeks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday.

Turkey to begin building its first fighter jet with British support

05/10/2017

Turkish Aerospace Industries plans to soon begin the TF-X combat aircraft alongside British counterparts, with the goal of developing its own “5th generation” fighter which will replace the currently-used Lockheed Martin F-16. “The building of the TF-X fighter jet will be the most important technology project developed in Turkey within the last 30-40 years,” Temel Kotil, general director of Turkish Aerospace Industries told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

Navy F-35C Pilots Test New High-Tech Helmet

05/10/2017

The Navy has been training with and testing high-tech adjustments to the stealthy carrier-launched F-35C’s Helmet Mounted Display to better enable targeting, sensor data viewing and pilot awareness of flight information such as airspeed, heading and altitude, service and industry developers explained. Development and operational pilot training of the aircraft is underway after four F-35C Lightning II aircraft arrived several months ago at Naval Air Station Lemoore in Southern Calif.

Airbus demonstrates automated refueling with F-16

05/10/2017

Airbus has demonstrated the ability to perform an automated air-to-air refueling of a combat aircraft by an airborne tanker with a refueling boom, the company announces on 9 May. With the refueling boom set on automatic mode, an Airbus Defence and Space A310 flying testbed made six contacts with a Portuguese Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 flying at 270kt and 25,000ft over the Atlantic Ocean on 21 March during a 1h15min test period.

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.