Military Aviation News Archive

Investigators say MH17 downed by missile brought in from Russia

09/29/2016

A Dutch-led criminal investigation into the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 has said the aircraft was downed by a missile brought in from Russia and fired from territory held by Moscow-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Tejas-SP3 completes maiden flight

09/29/2016

The third series production Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas-SP3, on Wednesday took to the skies for the first time in a successful 15-minute sortie. Sources in HAL told TOI that the first profiling of the aircraft was satisfactory and that most parameters that were to be checked were fulfilled. "The flight was restricted to only 15 minutes because of the low-hanging clouds, the initial plan was to fly for longer," a source in the LCA complex said.

Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod Continues Platform Expansion with Eurofighter Typhoon

09/29/2016

Lockheed Martin has received a direct commercial sale contract for the integration of Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) onto the Eurofighter Typhoon swing-role fighter. The contract, signed with Eurofighter partner company Leonardo Aircraft, includes 18 pods, integration and logistics support for the Kuwait Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon. The Eurofighter Typhoon is the ninth aircraft platform to be equipped with Sniper ATP.

Marine Corps demonstrates communications pod on Reaper

09/29/2016

The US Marine Corps tested its own expeditionary UAV in July, when General Atomics equipped an MQ-9 Reaper with a network-centric communications pod (NCCP) to enable communications between the UAS and Marine ground forces.

IAI to offer Brazilian production of Heron 1

09/29/2016

IAI and its Brazilian partner Avionics Services are gearing up for the competition, and have completed definition work for the so-called Category 4 UAV. After long delays to the process, the air force is expected to issue a tender for the requirement early next year.

PAKISTAN LOOKS TO MAKE INROADS IN AZERI DEFENCE MARKET

09/28/2016

Pakistan’s Minister of Defence Production (MoDP), Rana Tanveer Hussain, and representatives from Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) are attending the Azerbaijan International Defence Industry Exhibition (ADEX 2016), which is taking place from 27 to 30 September. MoDP Hussain had also met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, and the two sides have reportedly agreed to enhance bilateral ties, especially in defence and defence production.

China Wants to Launch Carrier Fighters Just Like the U.S. Navy

09/28/2016

For nearly sixty years, U.S. Navy fighters have launched from aircraft carrier decks with steam-powered catapults. These catapults were created for carriers because they can safely accelerate large aircraft with big payloads. Catapult-Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) operations soon became the norm for the U.S. Navy and a handful of its allies.

Romania to accept first used F-16s from Portugal

09/28/2016

The aircraft – which already bear the Romanian service's tricolour roundel – are the first batch from a 12-aircraft deal with the Portugese government signed in 2013. “Although I hesitate to use big words when talking about acquisitions,” defence minister Mihnea Motoc writes on his Facebook page, “I have to say that tomorrow will be a truly historic day for Romania and its army.”

Lockheed Martin to Deliver New Simulation-Based F-16 Training Environment to Royal Jordanian Air Force

09/28/2016

Lockheed Martin will deliver a new simulation-based F-16 training environment for the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) under a contract valued at nearly $40 million. The family of training systems includes a comprehensive suite of full mission trainers and combat tactics trainers that can be networked together, aligning technologies to deliver advanced training while meeting affordability goals.

Gap, Narrowing: Russia, China to Challenge West's Air Supremacy

09/28/2016

Western hawks are beating their war drums over the growing military capabilities of Russia and China, fearing the countries could challenge the West's air supremacy. Western military analysts are raising the alarm over the fact that Russia and China are enhancing their air power and fielding more sophisticated antiaircraft systems.

Russian MoD Refutes Claim of Russian Bombers' Flight Close to Civilian Plane

09/28/2016

The Russian Defense Ministry refuted Iceland's claim that Russian strategic bombers flew dangerously close to civilian aircraft over the Norwegian Sea.

IAF test-fires MICA multi-mission air-to-air missile

09/27/2016

The Indian Air Force's (IAF) Tiger Squadron has successfully test-fired the recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile. During the test, the missile was fired from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft to engage a manoeuvring target.

JSTARS flying again following radar mishap

09/27/2016

The USAF assembled an independent investigation of four aircraft recently delivered from depot maintenance at Northrop Grumman's facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana. One aircraft experienced water damage to the Northrop APY-7 radar after the glassfibre canoe did not properly drain water.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing score contracts for unmanned Navy tanker

09/27/2016

A four-way competition to build the US Navy's next carrier-based unmanned air system (UAS) expect to begin revising year-old, preliminary designs that were submitted before the mission changed.

'Complex Combat Arena': Israeli Choppers Complete Exercises in Greece

09/27/2016

Increasing regional military cooperation, Israeli transport helicopters trained in Greece over the past two weeks for future short and long-range operations. sraeli Air Force helicopter squadrons, along with gunships from the Greek Air Force, conducted joint exercises in the challenging topography of the Olympic Mountains.

Russia to Conduct Observation Flights Over Greece, US

09/27/2016

Russian monitors will fly over Greece and the United States as part of Russia's Treaty on Open Skies responsibilities, according to the statement published by Russian Defense Ministry on Monday.

Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

09/26/2016

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday’s strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

U-2 Flights Resume after Pilot Killed in Crash

09/26/2016

A U-2 Dragon Lady roared to life on the runway at Beale Air Force Base at 9:01 a.m. Friday and took flight into the skies above Yuba-Sutter for the first time since a pilot was killed and another injured in a crash in the Sutter Buttes on Tuesday. The time -- 9:01 -- was chosen to honor Lt. Col. Ira Stephen "Shooter" Eadie, the pilot who died, and was representative of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, the unit Eadie was assigned to, according to a press release fr

China air force holds drills near Japanese islands

09/26/2016

China's air force says it flew more than 40 bombers and other fighter planes through a strait between Japanese islands on their way to military drills in the western Pacific. Regular long-range drills in the western Pacific and patrols over the East China Sea air defence identification zone were to protect China's sovereignty and national security, China's air force spokesman Shen Jinke said on Sunday, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Defence website.

BOEING AND DENMARK: HERE THERE THEY GO AGAIN

09/26/2016

Last May we published an article entitled: Boeing in Denmark: The New Alabama? Amazingly, having lost the fighter competition in Denmark, Boeing is back taking on a sovereign state and treating Denmark as if it were the state of Alabama in the tanker competition. In a Monty Python sketch they brilliantly played off the name of a then powerful American conglomerate, Gulf and Western, by cleverly changing the name to an American firm called “Engulf and Devour.”

America's Lethal F-15 Fighter vs. Russia's Su-35, PAK-FA and China's J-20: Who Wins?

09/26/2016

The United States Air Force is in the midst of a transformational shift. Since the 1990s, all new combat aircraft accepted into inventory have been designed with stealth in mind. Stealth is considered a key aspect of survival over the modern battlefield.

Big Spending on Warplanes Spurs Aerial Arms Race

09/26/2016

For more than two decades, combat aircraft flown by the U.S. and its European allies have pretty much owned the sky. Now, Russia and China are spending lavishly on new weapons that could challenge that superiority, spurring a new arms race.

Russian, US Military to Agree on Syria Flights Information Exchange Rules

09/26/2016

Russian and US military could within a few days formalize an agreement on basic rules of the exchange of information about aviation activities of the two sides in Syria, media reported.

India’s Deployment of BrahMos Supersonic Stealth Missile is Making China Nervous

09/26/2016

India’s more hawkish foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with a major scoop up of international armaments has Beijing looking to their southern border with concern.

Pakistani air force F-7 jet aircraft crashes, killing pilot

09/25/2016

A Pakistan Air Force jet crashed on Saturday while on a training mission in the country’s northwest, killing the pilot, the military said. The F-7 aircraft went down near the town of Jamrud, near the entrance to the Khyber Pass, and Flight Lieutenant Amer Shazad was killed, the air force said in a statement.