Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China Rolls Out World's Largest Amphibious Aircraft

07/25/2016

An official news agency says China has unveiled the world's largest amphibious aircraft that Beijing plans to use for marine missions and fighting forest fires. The Xinhua News Agency said the AG600 rolled off a production line in Zhuhai in southern China on Saturday. It measures 37 meters (121 feet) in length with a wingspan of 39 meters (128 feet).

India trails Pakistan on AWACS front, as delays plague projects

07/25/2016

Already way behind China, India is struggling to even keep up with Pakistan in the critical arena of AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) aircraft that can detect incoming fighters, cruise missiles and drones much before ground-based radars as well as direct fighters in combat operations.

VMFA-121 BRINGS F-35B TO RED FLAG 16-3 FOR FIRST TIME

07/25/2016

Six F-35B Lightning IIs with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 participated in Red Flag 16-3, making it the first time in history that the fifth generation fighter has taken part in the three-week long exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Red Flag is a multiservice air-to-air combat training exercise including the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marine Corps.

USAF seeks two new close-air support aircraft

07/25/2016

The US Air Force is considering two new procurements to boost their close air support mission, including an off-the-shelf option for permissive environments and a cheap, clean sheet design aircraft that would replace the Fairchild Dornier A-10.

Canada Ditches Super Hornet After Threats to Buy F-35 or Lose 10,000 Jobs

07/25/2016

Lockheed Martin pointed an economic weapon of mass disruption at Ottawa and it appears that Justin Trudeau has blinked caving to the defense contractor’s threats.

Legendary Soviet Su-27 Flanker Still 'Packs One Heck of a Punch'

07/25/2016

The best plane in the Soviet arsenal, the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker entered service in 1985, but it is still a formidable and versatile fourth-generation fighter aircraft that has turned into an export bestseller, defense analyst Robert Farley wrote for the National Interest, adding that despite its age the plane has a bright future ahead of it.

Afghanistan Plans to Buy Russian Mi-17, Mi-35 Helicopters

07/25/2016

Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar is planning to agree on the purchase of Russian helicopters for the country's Air Force during his upcoming Moscow visit, the press service said Sunday. "One of the major aims of the visit is to purchase Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters for Afghan Air Force," the press service said in a statement, adding that Kabul is expected to negotiate maintenance and repair as well.

China removed missiles from South China Sea islands ahead of UN verdict

07/24/2016

China has removed its new generation surface-to-air missiles from a disputed island in the South China Sea+ after US withdrew its aircraft carrier ahead of a landmark verdict by an UN-backed tribunal, a media report said on Saturday.

The World's Best Aircraft-Killer Missile is Now in Service (And Its Not American)

07/24/2016

The technical details of air-to-air missiles are extremely complicated, but the concept is simple?—?destroy your target before the target destroys you. One way to improve the odds is to add an air-breathing ramjet engine to give the weapon a boost. That’s the design philosophy behind the Meteor, a 419-pound rail-launched MiG killer which entered service for the first time with the Swedish air force on July 11.

Mikoyan MiG -35 Jet Fighter to Enter Service with Egyptian Air Force this Year

07/24/2016

The Egyptian Air Force will be the world's first and largest operator of the new Mikoyan MiG -35 multirole and air superiority jet fighter and will receive its first two fighters at the end of this year. This generation 4.5 (or generation 4++) fighter made by Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG is in the same league as the Sukhoi Su-35S, the first of which will be delivered to China later this year.

China’s Newest 1,305MPH Next-Gen Stealth J-20 Fighter Jet Soars the Skies

07/24/2016

China’s Chengdu Aircraft Company (CAC) has built a new Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) J-20 stealth fighter jets with video footage on Chinese websites showing the latest rendition in full fury this week. This is the second known J-20 LRIP fighter jet after the first with the serial number 2101 displayed in late December 2015. There are believed to be a total of four such next generation jets in the possession of the Chinese Air Force.

Is a Secret Deal Underway for Russia's 1,616MPH Supersonic MIG-29M?

07/24/2016

Reports indicate that Russia has produced as many as 46 new supersonic MiG-29M fighter jets with rumors that a buyer has been lined up for a $2 billion warplane contract.

IAF's AN-32 aircraft plunged from 23,000 feet before vanishing from radar, massive search on

07/23/2016

A massive search and rescue operation is currently on in the Bay of Bengal to locate an Indian Air Force's AN-32 aircraft which went missing today morning with 29 people on board. The plane was on a routine weekly flight from Chennai to Port Blair.

The Future of Warfare: Fighters and Bombers with No Pilots?

07/23/2016

After the Abbott government approved the purchase of 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), its fast jet capability was locked in for years to come. From around 2020, the F-35s will join 24 Super Hornets (delivered from 2010) and 12 Growler electronic attack aircraft (delivered from 2015). Project AIR 6000, under which the F-35s are being acquired, still has one squadron of aircraft to acquire in the future.

Modernized Tupolev Tu-95MS: The Old Russian 'Bear' That's Still Got Spunk

07/23/2016

Russian military analyst Vladimir Tuchkov explains why the Russian Defense Ministry continues to order new Tupolev Tu-95 turboprop-powered strategic bombers, which entered into service in the Soviet (and then Russian) air forces over 60 years ago.

India Constructs Special Dock to Build High-Capacity Aircraft Carriers

07/23/2016

India is constructing a special dock for high-capacity aircraft carriers at the existing premises of Cochin Shipyard Limited. According to official sources, the new dry dock will cost an estimated $270 million.

The Air Force fifth-generation team takes shape

07/22/2016

During the past two days at Langley Air Force Base, key fighter wing commanders have been brainstorming over a question that, for security reasons, they can't discuss in detail. They command pilots who fly the two most modern fighters in the nation's inventory: the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning, fifth-generation stealth aircraft designed to take on other superpowers.

Air Force to Certify Scorpion Jet, Broadening Its International Appeal

07/22/2016

For the first time, the Air Force will test the airworthiness of an aircraft that is currently not planned to be in its inventory, a move that could increase the plane’s chance of success in the international market. The Air Force announced on Wednesday that it had signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Textron AirLand, under which the service will conduct an airworthiness assessment of Textron’s Scorpion aircraft.

Lockheed Martin Team Achieves First PC-21 Flight under Australia’s Air 5428 Pilot Training System Program

07/22/2016

Lockheed Martin and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd have successfully completed the initial production test flight of the first PC-21 aircraft destined for the Australian Defence Force under the AIR 5428 Pilot Training System program.

USAF not settled on number of B-21s

07/22/2016

The US Air Force will determine how many Northrop Grumman B-21 bombers are needed for the fleet after the first aircraft is fielded in the 2020s, according to the service’s deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration.

China Hints at Economic Costs After India Deploys Tanks, Troops to Border

07/22/2016

On Wednesday, reports surfaced that New Delhi deployed nearly 100 Russian-made T-72 tanks to the Chinese border, in the northern region of Ladakh. Indian military officials cite a Chinese buildup on its side of the border as necessitating the move.

Final plane in billion-dollar deal with Italy lands in Israel

07/21/2016

Two years after the first of Israel’s new top-of-the-line trainer jets rolled onto the tarmac, the last batch of planes — acquired in a multi-billion dollar deal with Italy — landed in Israel Wednesday morning. The three Aermacchi M-346s, known in the Israeli Air Force as the Lavi, complete a 30-plane, $1-billion deal inked in 2012 with the Italian government. Rome, in exchange, purchased an equivalent value of Israeli aerospace technology, including satellites and surveillance planes.

Cannon, Missile Upgrade For French Mirage-2000D Aircraft

07/21/2016

The French defense procurement agency DGA has awarded Dassault Aviation and MBDA a contract for the mid-life upgrade of 55 Mirage 2000D aircraft in service with the French Air Force. The goal of the mid-life upgrade is to allow them to operate alongside the Rafale combat aircraft beyond 2030, DGA said in a statement Tuesday.

100-plus aircraft fly in for exercise Red Flag 16-3

07/21/2016

The three-week long Red Flag 16-3, a U.S.-only exercise that tests all participating units’ combat capabilities in a joint environment that centers on multi-domain integration, kicked off here July 11.

India to finalise Rafale combat aircraft deal with France

07/21/2016

The Government of India is set to finalise the purchase of 36 Rafale combat aircraft in fly-away condition from France for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The move comes as the IAF is in critical operational necessity for multirole combat aircraft. The Dassault Aviation-built multi-role jet fighter will be supplied as part of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) signed by France and India in January this year.