Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Chinese aircraft fly around Taiwan

12/11/2016

Chinese military aircraft yesterday flew over the East China Sea to the south of Japan’s Okinawa Island and circled the international airspace surrounding Taiwan before passing over the Bashi Channel to return to China, officials from the Ministry of National Defense said. It was the second time in two weeks that Chinese military aircraft have flown around Taiwan and passed over the Miyako Strait between Japan’s Okinawa and Miyako islands.

IAF lines up series of sleek ‘Astra’ trials from Monday

12/11/2016

Indian Air Force (IAF) is slated to carry out a series of captive trials of indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile ‘Astra’ from a fighter aircraft from Monday. Defence sources said the missile will be fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft targeting a Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) at different altitudes from different angles over the Bay of Bengal to reconfirm the killing efficiency of the all-terrain and all-weather weapon system.

India to get Rafale fighter jets in 3-yr time: IAF chief Arup Raha

12/11/2016

India will get the first tranche of Rafale fighter jets from France in the next three years, Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha said today. "Rafale contract caters for delivery time between 36 months to about 66 months if I am not wrong. So within three years time we will have the first few aircraft delivered to us and within five and a half years we will have two full squadron of aircraft in operation," Raha said at a function here.

Russian Aerospace Forces Equipment to Receive Full Lifecycle Maintenance in 2017

12/11/2016

Russia's Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said that full lifecycle maintenance would be able to quickly supply components and blocks necessary for any type of flying vehicles, thus, enabling military personnel to repair the equipment faster.

Russia to Start Advanced PAK FA Fighters Production on Schedule in 2017

12/11/2016

Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Viktor Bondarev said that the tests of Russian Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighters are proceeding in leaps and bounds, the eighth prototype has already been delivered.

BANGLADESH IS PLANNING TO PROCURE EIGHT NEW MULTI-ROLE FIGHTERS

12/10/2016

Bangladesh’s Minister of Law Anisul Huq informed the Bangladesh Parliament that the government will be procuring eight multi-role combat aircraft for the Bangladesh Air Force. As per local news outlets, such as the Daily News, Mr. Huq noted that the fighter acquisition – alongside the procurement of six Mi-171Sh helicopters, two maritime search and rescue helicopters, one medium-range surface-to-air missile system, and one unmanned aerial vehicle system.

Get Ready, Russia and China: The F-35 Stealth Fighter Is Testing Out Its Most Important Capability

12/10/2016

Pilots at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., are testing the ability of groups of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to accurately pass data amongst themselves during combat operations against advanced enemy surface-to-air missiles (SAM) defenses.

India to Train Vietnam Fighter Pilots

12/10/2016

India will begin training Vietnamese fighter pilots starting next year, according to an agreement inked by the two countries this week. On December 5, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich, signed a pact with Hanoi to train the pilots of its Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 multirole combat aircraft. The inking of the agreement came during Ngo’s much-awaited four-day visit to India, which began on December 3.

F-35I ADIR – Mission Autonomy, Stealth to Transform Air Warfare in the Middle East

12/10/2016

The first two F-35s expected to land in Israel next week will be the first 5th Generation jet fighters the U.S. hands out to a foreign ally. The two ADIR Jets are only the beginning. Over the next eight years, Israel will receive 50 aircraft forming two full ADIR squadrons flying the F-35. No. 140 Squadron will be the first to receive the new fighters.

Bulgaria invites bids for supply of multipurpose combat jets from 4 countries

12/10/2016

NATO member Bulgaria said on Friday it has invited four countries to submit offers for the supply of multi-purpose combat aircraft for its Air Force. The invitation was sent to Italy, Portugal, the United States and Sweden, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Will make India net exporter of fighter aircraft: Saab

12/10/2016

Swedish aerospace major Saab says it would set up a brand new production line in India if it wins an Indian Air Force (IAF) contract for single-engined combat jets and would make the country a net exporter of such fighters -- once the necessary procedures are in place.

Marines could pair FVL with unmanned VTOL

12/10/2016

The US Marine Corps envisions teaming the medium-lift future vertical lift aircraft up with its own expeditionary group 5 UAV, though service officials say they will not force the pairing if timelines do not meet up.

Special forces NH90 helicopter still under consideration

12/10/2016

Initially proposed as a joint development for Australia and France, the idea has drawn interest from Germany, Italy and New Zealand, said Vincent Dubrule, president of the NHI consortium, speaking at an event in Germany on 8 December.

How Russian Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov Compares to US Counterparts

12/10/2016

On December 5, a Russian Su-33 fighter jet skidded off the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean while landing. On November 14, a MiG-29K fighter bomber crashed while landing on the carrier’s flight deck. The two mishaps raised a barrage of often unjustified criticism both in Russia and abroad.

European Nations Sign Cooperative Aircraft Maintenance Contract

12/08/2016

Spain has joined Britain and France in signing a maintenance contract for the A400M military airlifter, allowing the three nations to draw on a common pool of spares and technical support, Airbus Defence and Space announced Wednesday. “Airbus Defence and Space has signed a long-term Global Support Service contract for the A400M new generation airlifter with the UK, France and Spain,” the company said in a statement.

The U.S. Navy is Preparing the MQ-4C Triton Drone for Service in the Pacific

12/08/2016

The Navy announced that next generation aircraft avoidance systems will be installed on its new high-tech maritime surveillance drone. Northrop Grumman has received a $9.6 contract to install the Automatic Response Module of the Airborne Collision Avoidance System X into the MQ-4C Triton’s avionics system.

US JET CRASH: American fighter jet goes down off coast of southern Japan

12/08/2016

The F/A-18 Hornet was stationed at the Iwakuni base in the Yamaguchi prefecture and is understood to have gone down at 6pm local time off the southern Kochi Prefecture. Initial reports from the Japanese Defence Ministry said the lone pilot and ejected from the fighter jet and survived the crash.

Tanveer discusses military aircraft supply to Egypt

12/08/2016

Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain Wednesday discussed supply of military aircraft to Egypt for training military — men as well as defence of the brotherly country. The minister who is currently on an official visit to Cairo in his meeting with Egyptian Defence Minister Gen Sedkhi Sobhy talked about the supply of Super Mashshak (trainer) and JF-17 Thunder (fighter) aircraft.

Chile AF signs deal for six S-70i helicopters

12/08/2016

Sikorsky will deliver six Polish-made S-70i helicopters through 2018 to the Chilean Air Force after completing three months of contract negotiations.

Lockheed Martin Receives $67 Million Sensor Spares Contract

12/08/2016

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $67.3 million contract to provide spares for the Royal Saudi Air Force's (RSAF) F-15 sensor suite. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will produce LANTIRN Extended Range (ER) navigation pod spares, Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system spares and Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) spares.

In Rare Admission, Israel Takes Responsibility for Attacks in Syria

12/08/2016

A Syrian state news agency reported on Wednesday that Israel was responsible for bombings that occurred near a military airport in Damascus. Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Defense Minister, was unwilling to specify which attacks were carried out by the Israeli forces, according to an official statement. The attacks were intended to prevent “advanced weapons, military equipment and weapons of mass destruction” from falling into the hands of Israel’s arch-enemy, Hezbollah.

Is Boeing's Defense Business Becoming a Growth Driver Again?

12/07/2016

Solid orders for its defense and space business helped Boeing (NYSE: BA) make it through the Great Recession in one piece, despite a drop in commercial airplane demand. However, in recent years, Boeing's defense business has been under pressure because of caps on U.S. military spending and a few key contract losses.

Airing out a decision

12/07/2016

The Indian Navy’s professional decision not to induct the indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft has given armchair critics a new lease of life. Stand by for a lot of their ‘professional’ views against the Navy especially as the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now out of their cross hairs after its decision to induct 120 Tejas MK 1As — a decision which was born out of no other criterion but a professional assessment.

Czech Aero firm to complete new L-159 aircraft soon

12/07/2016

The Aero Vodochody Czech firm will send a brand new L-159 aircraft, which it has not been making for 13 years, to Iraq at the end of the year, Aero spokeswoman Tereza Vrublova told CTK yesterday. The company did not rule out that a mass production of this combat aircraft might resume. The assembly line for the production of the L-159 ALCA two-seat planes must be put into operation again. It has been maintained since the supply of the last planes in 2003.

China flew nuclear-capable bombers around Taiwan before Trump call with Taiwanese president

12/06/2016

Less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Taiwan’s president over the phone, China flew a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers around Taiwan for the first time, two U.S. officials revealed to Fox News.