Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russian Experts Say Chinese Air Power Will Soon Match Russian, US Capabilities

09/09/2016

Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans to strengthen the country's aviation industry, particularly the field of advanced engines. Commenting on Xi's remarks, Russian analysts told online newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa that the day when China comes to match the capabilities of Russian and US air power may be just around the corner.

Updated: Russian Fighter Came Within 10 Ft. of Navy Surveillance Plane Over Black Sea

09/08/2016

A Russian fighter has come within 10 feet of a Navy surveillance flight over the Black Sea on Wednesday, defense officials told USNI News. The incident between the Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and a Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker occurred at about 11:20 A.M. local time in international airspace over the Black Sea, according to a statement provided to USNI News.

Questions For The Next Commander-In-Chief

09/08/2016

Tonight’s Commander-in-Chief forum, co-sponsored by NBC and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, offers one of the few opportunities thus far to hear the presidential candidates discuss their views on national security issues in depth. Each candidate will have a half hour, back-to-back, which should provide enough time to ferret out substantive differences. It’s not enough to say “I’ll keep America safe,” or “I’ll make our military so strong no one will challenge us.” Specifics matter.

Pakistan hard sells JF-17 Thunder fighter jet to Kuwait, but will they buy it?

09/08/2016

Even eight years after the production of CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder JF-17 Thunder, the Pakistani fighter jet made possible due to Chinese collaboration, the multi-role combat jet has no export order yet. Pakistan on its part has been hard selling the aircraft to several countries and has recently pitched it to Kuwait.

China Tests J-20 Stealth Fighter in Preparation for Pacific Ocean Patrols

09/08/2016

China's J-20 stealth fighter is being tested in the mountains close to the Indian border, but the new technology is intended for deployment in the Western Pacific, military expert Vasiliy Kashin told Sputnik.

PICTURES: Spain's first A400M gets airborne

09/08/2016

Airbus Defence & Space has performed the first flight of an A400M tactical transport for the Spanish air force, with the service on course to accept the aircraft later this year.

Pakistan, Russia Negotiating Deal on Russian Su-35, Su-37 Jets

09/08/2016

Islamabad and Moscow are negotiating a deal on Su-35 and Su-37 jets, Shahab Qadir Khan, deputy director of export promotion services in the Pakistani Defense Export Promotion Organization, told Sputnik.

Russia Seeks to Supply Mi-17 Antarctic-Suited Helicopters to Chile

09/08/2016

Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General Sergey Goreslavsky said that the arctic and polar variant of the Mi-17 type helicopter could be popular in Chile, a country which is implementing a policy of exploring the Antarctic.

Russian Defense Ministry to Buy at Least 1 PAK FA Fighter Squadron in 2017

09/08/2016

Russian Deputy Minister Yuri Borisov said that mass production of the PAK FA will start in 2017 and the Russian Defense Ministry plans to buy at least one squadron of these aircraft in the first batch.

How One Soviet Pilot Pulled The Sheet Off The Ghostly MiG-25

09/07/2016

The MiG-25 Foxbat was an incredible rat rod of a plane—heavy, big and extraordinarily powerful—and it indirectly led to the development of Western planes like the F-15 Eagle. In the 1970s, the United States Air Force didn’t know much about it, until a Soviet pilot named Viktor Belenko decided to defect and landed one in Hakodate, Japan, 40 years ago today.

How good is the world’s most expensive fighter-jet helmet?

09/07/2016

“IN THIS style, $400,000.” That price tag for a hat sounds like something out of a tea party attended by Alice. It is actually, though, the expected cost of the world’s most high-tech helmet—one to be worn by pilots of the Lockheed Martin Lightning II, also known as the F-35, which has been developed by America and its allies to replace most of their existing strike aircraft.

F-35 finally gets its first mission: Controversial $400bn fighters to be sent to Japan for 'school of hard knocks' missions with Marines

09/07/2016

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been hailed as the 'most expensive weapon in history, costing $400bn. Now, it is finally set for its first mission - following over a decade of delays. The Marines will begin moving 16 F-35Bs to Iwakuni Air Station in Japan early next year, it has been revealed.

New Zealand starts airlift, maritime patrol renewal study

09/07/2016

New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence has released requests for information covering the acquisition of future air mobility and air surveillance capabilities. The first request invites responses on potential fixed-wing aircraft solutions to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s current air mobility assets, which include two Boeing 757-200 transports and five Lockheed Martin C-130H tactical airlifters.

US Eagles Vs. Russian MiGs and SUs: 4th Gen Planes to Remain USAF's Workhorse

09/07/2016

Last week, looking to upgrade the USAF's fleet, the DoD confirmed that it would spend $12 billion to upgrade its 1970s-vintage F-15 Eagle fighters, cancelling earlier plans to equip the Air Force with newer F-22s. For their part, Russian experts have said, without any irony, that this may be the smartest move the Pentagon has made in recent years.

Russia Prepares to Supply Ka-52K Attack Helicopters to Egypt

09/07/2016

An accord made recently by the defense ministries of Russia and Egypt gives reason to believe that Moscow is prepared to sell a considerable number of carrier-based helicopters to Cairo.

Rosoboronexport Working Out Means of Demonstrating Yak-130 in Latin America

09/07/2016

Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General Sergey Goreslavsky said that Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport with the Irkut Corporation, are working on the issue of showing the Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft in Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru in 2017.

Russian Aerospace Forces to Start Receiving Mi-26T2 Helicopters in 2018

09/07/2016

The Russian Aerospace Forces will start receiving the upgraded Mi-26T2 heavy-lift transport helicopters in 2018, a spokesman for the manufacturing firm Russian Helicopters said.

Counterterror Cooperation Very High on Pakistan-Russia Agenda

09/07/2016

Maj. Gen. Naveed Ahmed, the director general of defense procurement for Pakistan, stated that cooperation between Russia and Pakistan in counterterrorism is very high.

Will China’s New Jet Manufacturer Solve Its Military Tech Gap?

09/06/2016

In its latest move in the push to develop functioning jet engines, China has just set up a new state-run company with a mission to consolidate the efforts of past manufacturers. The new firm, called the Aero-Engine Group of China (AEGC), is sponsored by the central government, Beijing authorities, and two existing state-run aerospace companies, Reuters reported on Aug. 28. AEGC was formed with 50 billion yuan (about $7.5 billion) in starting capital.

Is China's New Cruise Missile All Hype?

09/06/2016

China is waging a relentless propaganda campaign against its opponents in the South China Sea. Following the Hague arbitral tribunal’s verdict rejecting Beijing’s historical rights within the nine-dash line, China’s publicity managers have raised their game with devastating effect.

ANALYSIS: THE VALUE OF HMD/S ON THE JF-17

09/06/2016

In April, Quwa had released an article outlining the possible helmet-mounted display and sight (HMD/S) options the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) might have for the JF-17 Thunder. That article outlines various HMD/S solutions from a number of vendors, but it does not offer enough context in terms of why HMD/S would be an important – if not essential – addition for the JF-17.

Despite Avengers’ ceasefire, Nigerian Air Force to deploy more troops to Niger Delta

09/06/2016

Two months after deploying more combat aircraft to the Niger Delta, the Nigerian Air Force has said it is set to deploy more personnel to the troubled region. The new deployments occur despite a unilateral ceasefire by a major militant group in the region, the Niger Delta Avengers. The group, responsible for most of the attacks on oil and gas facilities in the region in the past year, two weeks ago expressed its willingness for conditional dialogue.

Nellis AFB: Inside the Military Marvel Mere Miles from Las Vegas Strip

09/06/2016

On a hot August afternoon, the world is buzzing in the wide-open atrium of the Nellis Air Force Base Exchange. Pilots fresh from the day's mission huddle at tables in the food court, retirees stop for a bite to eat and wives and husbands of service members shuffle kids into the barbershop. In the department store, a couple of men dressed in the desert camouflage of a foreign air force gape at row upon row of discounted American goods.

Air Force, Running Low on Drone Pilots, Turns to Contractors in Terror Fight

09/06/2016

The American military’s extensive use of drones against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups has resulted in a shortage of Air Force pilots and other personnel to operate the aircraft, leading the Pentagon to rely more on private contractors for reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

THE SOFTWARE-UPGRADEABLE COMBAT AIRCRAFT: THE CASE OF THE P-8

09/06/2016

A new aspect of building, modernizing and evolving the combat capabilities of the new generation of combat aircraft is software upgradeability. Software upgradeability provides a key opportunity to evolve the capabilities of an air combat platform without having to change the hardware and correlated software configurations through a complicated upgrade process.