Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

N. Korea didn’t test a nuclear weapon, but it did try to launch another missile

04/16/2017

With the kind of fanfare that only a totalitarian state can muster, North Korea on Saturday flaunted missiles that can theoretically reach the United States and defiantly stated that it was prepared to counter any U.S. attack with “a nuclear war of our own.” But it soon looked like a case of style over substance. North Korea somewhat ruined the impression created with the parade, which took place on the most important day of the year for Kim Jong Un’s regime, with a failed missile launch Sunday.

First of Its Type: China to Test Next-Generation Hypersonic Engine

04/16/2017

Chinese engineers from the Beijing Research Institute of Machinery are set to test a prototype combined-cycle hypersonic aircraft engine and first-stage carrier rockets later this year, Aviation Week reported. That will pave the way for the first demonstration flight of a full-scale propulsion system by 2025.

Before the missiles flew at Syria, a mad dash across the Mediterranean

04/15/2017

Early in the morning on Tuesday, April 4, bombs filled with sarin gas began falling from Syrian military aircraft on the town of Khan Shaykhun, and soon thereafter images of dying men, women and children gasping their final breaths flooded the global media. By the end of the day, two Navy destroyers – the Porter and the Ross – were racing across the Mediterranean, scrambling to get into position to launch.

US Accelerating Development of Airborne ‘Optical Radiation Weapons’

04/15/2017

The U.S. Air Force acknowledges "optical warfare" operations will be essential to future aerial victories and has accelerated the development of airborne "optical radiation weapons" for both offensive and defensive operations. Developing new offensive and defensive weapons that advance the air force's optical warfare capabilities will be the task of Virginia-based defense contractor Engility Corporation.

US ‘stonewalling’ on Sh42bn military aircraft sale deal

04/15/2017

The American government is “stonewalling” on the details of a proposed multibillion-shilling arms sale to Kenya, a congressional critic of the deal charged. “On March 30, I asked for the offer the United States government had made to the Kenyan Ministry of Defence, just so we could make sure that everything was above board,” Congressman Ted Budd said in a statement. “That was 12 days ago.

USAF F-35A deploys to Europe

04/15/2017

A small squadron of the US Air Force’s F-35As will fly to Europe this weekend for training with NATO allies, marking the F-35A’s first international deployment. As part of a long-planned effort within the European Reassurance Initiative, the squadron will train for several weeks with other US and NATO aircraft in Europe, the US Defense Department says in a 14 April statement.

Beijing Anticipates War on Korean Peninsula ‘At Any Moment’

04/15/2017

“Once a war really happens, the result will be nothing but loss all around,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday, emphasizing that “no one will be a winner.” "Tensions have risen," Wang said in Friday’s joint news conference with French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault. "One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment," he added.

Allied training: Langley exercise has a European feel

04/14/2017

HAMPTON — American, British and French fighter pilots have been battling together since the first generation of fighter aircraft flew over Europe during World War I. One hundred years later, that tradition is continuing at Langley Air Force Base with pilots of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft training for what the future will bring.

MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US military, explained

04/14/2017

The US military has just dropped a big bomb in Afghanistan. The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, also called the “mother of all bombs” or MOAB for short, is the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used by the US military on the battlefield. The 11-ton weapon was first tested in 2003 but had never been used in combat prior to Thursday — when a US MC-130 aircraft dropped one on what it claims was a network of ISIS tunnels.

Italian Air Force receives Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Leonardo

04/14/2017

The Italian Air Force has received a new Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Leonardo Aircraft Division. The latest Eurofighter Typhoon delivered is the 500th aircraft produced by the company so far. Leonardo delivered the first and 100th Eurofighter to the UK Royal Air Force in 2003 and 2006 respectively.

OPINION: Can Typhoon storm to further sales?

04/14/2017

It was, as chief executive Volker Paltzo put it, a very special day as the Eurofighter consortium delivered its 500th production example of the Typhoon in Turin. Resplendent with its commemorative red tail livery, Italy’s latest example joins a global fleet which includes jets operated by partner nations Germany, Spain and the UK, plus export customers Austria and Saudi Arabia. The first Typhoons for Kuwait and Oman are now in production.

Countering Chinese Advances, Japan Scrambles Record Number of Jets

04/14/2017

As China seeks to move deeper into the Western Pacific, Japan’s Defense Ministry reports that the country’s fighter jets intercepted foreign aircraft in record numbers in the fiscal year that ended March 30.

More than 60 combat aircraft from eight NATO nations take part in Exercise Frisian Flag in the Netherlands

04/13/2017

Frisian Flag 2017 was a large scale exercise organised by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. From Mar. 27 to Apr. 7, Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands hosted the tactical aircraft taking part in Ex. Frisian Flag 2017. The purpose of the drills was preparing the participating units for a modern conflict or crisis support operation by strengthening cooperation between air arms of multiple NATO countries called to undertake joint training missions twice a day.

KAI wins aerostructure work on Embraer platforms

04/13/2017

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has secured a contract with Embraer to supply panels for the E2 and KC-390 programmes. KAI will supply wing bottom panels for the E-190 E2 and E-195 E2 regional jets, and panels for both top and bottom of the KC-390 tactical airlifter.

Air Force authorises extended life for F-16

04/13/2017

The F-16 Falcon will live to fight another day, or at least another 4,000 hours, according to the US Air Force and Lockheed Martin. The USAF authorized extending the F-16’s service life from its original 8,000 flight hours to 12,000 flight hours, a 12 April Lockheed release states. After performing SLEP modifications, the service will be able to operate the Block 40 through 52 aircraft beyond 2048, according to Lockheed.

Amid budget uncertainty, USAF weighs F-15 retirement

04/13/2017

The US Air Force’s chief of staff is not counting out retiring the F-15C/D fleet, but can’t make any solid plans for the aircraft until the service has funding in place. The air force is examining the cost it would take to retire its fleet of Boeing F-15C/Ds and replace them with Lockheed Martin F-16s, but that’s not unlike the analysis the service executes across all its weapons systems, USAF chief Gen David Goldfein told reporters 12 April.

US Navy Strike Group Joins Japan to Provide Options Against Pyongyang

04/13/2017

As the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group One makes its rounds through the Korean Peninsula with the Nimitz class Carl Vinson aircraft carrier flanked by two destroyers and a guided missile cruiser, the Vinson will practice helicopter landings with Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force.

US, Singapore Air Force Crews Team Up on Regional Security

04/13/2017

Singapore’s Air Force and the US Air Force will collaborate in exercises aimed at enhancing security at a US air base in Guam. The tag-team marks the first sign of cooperation between Washington and Singapore’s air crews, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Defense. On Tuesday, Defense News reported that six RSAF F-15 fighters had been deployed to US’s island territory to conduct joint exercises.

US WC-135 ‘Nuke Sniffer’ Arrives in Japan as World Watches Pyongyang

04/13/2017

As tensions continue to simmer on the Korean Peninsula, due in part to North Korea’s continuous nuclear weapons development, a “nuke sniffing” US aircraft arrived at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan on Friday.

Russia's Success in Syria Helping Sukhoi Warplanes Soar in Global Market (VIDEO)

04/13/2017

The success of Russia's fleet of warplanes in Syria has added to an increase in demand among foreign customers for advanced Russian combat aircraft such as the Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35, according to Russian United Aircraft Corporation President Yury Slyusar.

Philippines Air Force Receives 2 South Korean Jets, More to Come

04/13/2017

A delivery of two additional FA-50PH advanced light attack and jet trainer aircraft by Korea Aerospace Industries arrived at Clark Base near Manila in late March, according to a statement released by the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

U.S. Air Force and Lockheed demonstrate autonomous F-16 strike capabilities

04/12/2017

The U.S. Air Force, working with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works (which, as its name suggests, is its skunkworks operation) have demonstrated another round of flight capabilities for an autonomous F-16 fighter jet, which is meant to show what an eventual “Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle” (UCAV) could do using technology they’ve developed.

US to approve Super Tucano sale to Nigeria

04/12/2017

US lawmakers are expected to approve the sale of Super Tucano light attack and trainer aircraft to Nigeria in the coming weeks. Former President Barack Obama's administration originally agreed on the sale, but delayed it after incidents including the Nigerian Air Force's bombing of a refugee camp in January that killed 90 to 170 civilians.

US strike force set to arrive off Korea with $14bn show of strength

04/12/2017

A US maritime strike group armed with 90 aircraft and more than 300 Tomahawk cruise missiles will arrive off the Korean peninsula in the next 24 hours. The USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier, accompanied by a cruiser, two destroyers and a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, all with a maximum payload of Tomahawks, received orders on Saturday to head at 30 knots (35mph) towards the Sea of Japan.

The Syrian Air Force: What Is Left?

04/12/2017

Just how much remains of the Syrian Arab Air Force? The Pentagon is claiming that the U.S. Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile strike on April 7 destroyed some 20 percent of the Assad regime’s remaining operational aircraft. The U.S. Navy launched some 61 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian airbase at al-Shayrat in response to an Assad regime Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter strike aircraft dropping chemical weapons—thought to be Sarin—on civilians on April 4.