Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

NATO's military might on display in the skies over the Baltic Sea in three-week long military operation

06/12/2016

Militaries from NATO countries are taking part in the Baltops training exercises, which have been held since 1971. The US-led exercise is involving around 6,000 troops, 50 ships, 60 aircraft and one submarine in the Baltic Sea. Nations bordering Russia called on US to bolster its number of troops as the country continue to parade its power.

The U.S. Military Is Betting On “Smart” Drones — Lots And Lots Of Them

06/12/2016

In the Pentagon briefing room, filled with requisite overstuffed chairs surrounding a heavy wooden table, the future of drone warfare flashed on a large screen. The depiction wasn’t a single, ominous glider high over a training camp in Afghanistan, or another flashpoint in the long war on Al Qaeda. Instead it was dozens of synchronized drones, looking like a swarm of wasps, slicing through the layered air defenses of an enemy, unnamed but possibly China or Russia.

CRAFTING P-8 TACTICS FOR THE EXTENDED BATTLESPACE: AN INTERVIEW WITH LT. TUCKER

06/12/2016

During our visit to Jacksonville Naval Air Station, we had a chance to talk with Lt. Alan Tucker, the VP-16 Squadron Maritime Tactics Instructor (SMTI). He has surface fleet experience and came to the P-8 four years ago and started as a weapons school instructor in VP-30. VP-30 is the squadron where initial training for P-8 crews occurs.

An F-22 Raptor restart for the Air Force may not be so far-fetched

06/12/2016

Reviving production of the U.S. military’s pricey F-22 Raptor jet may not be so far-fetched after all, Bloomberg News reports. Although canceled over cost a few years ago, the stealth fighter still has its supporters and now a House subcommittee has asked Air Force to investigate what it would cost to begin building the aircraft again, Bloomberg reported this week.

Air Force F-16s, MQ-1 Predators likely to step up airstrikes in Afghanistan

06/12/2016

U.S. generals, who for months have been arguing in favor of employing more air power in Afghanistan to counter the Taliban’s advances, are finally getting their wish. Defense officials on Friday announced that the White House has approved an expansion of U.S. airstrikes against the fundamentalist group, giving more authority to U.S. commanders to call in aerial backup for Afghan and U.S. forces on the ground.

Boeing Restores 30 F/A-18C+ Models for Marine Corps

06/11/2016

Boeing is modifying 30 legacy F/A-18C Hornets recovered from the aircraft “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to a “C+” standard at the request of the U.S. Marine Corps. The updated strike fighters will support two new squadrons, the manufacturer said. Thus far, Boeing has delivered two F/A-18C+ fighters to the Marines from its maintenance facility at Cecil Field, Fla. Five more fighters were undergoing the update and four were expected to arrive by September.

BAE proposes autonomous combat drone to work alongside fighter pilots

06/11/2016

UK defence and security company BAE Systems has unveiled plans to build the world’s first autonomous military drone, proposing a scenario where unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) would work alongside conventional manned aircraft.

BAE Systems Working on ‘Combat’ Hawk Jet for India

06/11/2016

BAE Systems is proceeding with design and wind-tunnel testing of a new wing for the evergreen Hawk jet trainer. The work, which is being done in the UK, was prompted by Indian interest in producing a “combat” version of the aircraft, as a follow-on to the current licensed production of the Mk132 advanced jet trainer (AJT) version by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). BAE and HAL signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2015 to explore future cooperation, and discussions continue.

IAF Chief On Sweden Visit, Flies Gripen Fighter Aircraft

06/11/2016

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on an official trip to Sweden, has flown the Gripen fighter aircraft, a move that comes at a time when the government is in the process of shortlisting a combat assault plane under 'Make in India' initiative. Air Chief Marshal flew the Gripen at the Saab's facility at Linkoping in Sweden yesterday, IAF officials said on Friday. He flew the Gripen D aircraft with Wing Commander (Flying) Michael Lundquist.

Boeing’s Defense Chief Looks Beyond Fighters

06/11/2016

When the new head of defense at Boeing Co. laid out her priorities for the business in April, making jet fighters didn’t make the cut. Leanne Caret has made waves inside and outside the company with the stark admission that a company which has produced fighters for decades won’t be making them beyond the early 2020s.

What If Iran Started Flying Combat Missions From Syria?

06/11/2016

The wars in Syria and Iraq feature long list of stakeholders that are connected to a tangled web of shaky alliances, tacit allowances and contradicting goals. Yet since Russia pulled its fixed-wing tactical fighters and attack aircraft out of Syria, the US appears to be enjoying less complex and volatile skies over the war-torn country.

It’s a Good Thing the F-35’s $400K Helmet Is Stupid Cool

06/11/2016

IF YOU THINK it’s hard to make a helmet that costs $400,000 without the liberal use of solid-gold elements or diamond-encrusted details, you don’t know about the F-35 fighter jet. To go with what is possibly the most expensive and complicated weapon ever designed, defense contractor Rockwell Collins has designed a pilot helmet so advanced, it’s hard to say whether it’s an accessory for the plane, or the plane is an accessory for the helmet.

Air Force Arms Combat Aircraft with BAE Laser-Guided Rocket

06/11/2016

The U.S. Air Force has for the first time armed combat aircraft with a new laser-guided rocket made by BAE Systems for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the company announced. The service has equipped its F-16 fighter jets and A-10 ground-attack aircraft with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, according to a press release this week from the British defense giant.

13 of 26 SAAF Gripens are active; the rest are in rotational storage

06/10/2016

Exactly half the South African Air Force’s fleet of26 Gripen fighter jets is actively flying while the other half is in rotational storage due to a lack of funding. This is according to Defence and Military Veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who was responding to a parliamentary question on 6 June.

UK Considers Further Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Tests

06/10/2016

A new series of test flights to explore the capabilities of Britain’s Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle is being discussed by industry and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), according to a BAE executive. The British completed what was thought to be the third and last series of test flights from a site at Woomera, Australia, in the autumn of 2015. An analysis of the missions data continues ahead of a decision on where to go next with the program, said Martin Rowe-Willcocks.

BAE Looks Beyond the Typhoon to F-35 Program, Drones

06/10/2016

After more than a decade in which building Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighters has been the backbone of BAE Systems PLC’s combat aircraft production, the defense company is shifting its focus to the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and what may come next.

Chinese Intercept of US Reconnaissance Flight ‘Improper Airmanship’

06/10/2016

The United States considers the intercept of an American RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft by Chinese J-10 jet over the East China Sea was a case of unprofessional airmanship, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Thursday.

Danish Government Approves $3Bln Purchase of F-35 Fighters From US

06/10/2016

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin said in a press release that government of Denmark has backed an order of 27 F-35 fighter jets from the United States, which amounts to $3 billion.

Age Related Aerial Accidents

06/09/2016

In the United States the two premier military flight demonstration teams (The navy Blue Angels and air force Thunderbirds) both lost aircraft on the same day, something that had never happened before. The Blue Angels lost a pilot as well but these crashes had lots of side effects. More people see military flight demonstration teams as a waste of taxpayer funds, while others defend them as vivid showcases of military power.

Netanyahu asks Putin to let Israeli planes fly freely in Syrian and Lebanese skies

06/09/2016

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to let Israeli aircrafts fly freely in Syrian and Lebanese skies, Arab48.com reported on Tuesday. The Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin, who was Netanyahu’s translator and attended a Tuesday meeting, said that Netanyahu and Putin have a “credible” relationship, noting that Netanyahu is “using” it.

Perfect Synergy: Su-30SMs Helped Russian Bombers Lock Targets in Syria

06/09/2016

There seems to be nothing that Russia's Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H cannot do. In addition to its main tasks in Syria, the supermaneuverable fighter aircraft helped attack planes that took part in the Moscow-led counterterrorism operation to lock on to ground targets.

What does Ottawa know about the F-35 that the Danes don’t

06/09/2016

Canadian governments of different political stripes have spent more than a decade trying to figure out whether to buy new fighter jets and which one to buy. The Conservatives developed an aversion to military-procurement commitments, deferring some, bungling others; Liberals, by contrast are in the habit of politicizing military procurement decisions.

Applications begin for test pilot engineering PhDs

06/09/2016

Officers have until July 31 to apply to the Air Force Test Pilot School to attend an in-residence engineering Ph.D. program. The engineering program, run by the Air Force Institute of Technology, is open to all eligible active duty officers, the Air Force Personnel Center said in a Tuesday release.

F-35 ‘ready to go,’ company says as U.S. Air Force prepares to declare stealth fighter combat-ready

06/09/2016

The company behind the F-35 is pushing back against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion the stealth fighter “does not work,” even as the U.S. Air Force says the planes should be ready for war in the fall. Retired lieutenant-general Charles Bouchard, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Canada, said it was “disheartening” to hear Trudeau’s comment on Tuesday, in which the prime minister blasted the F-35 as a plane that “does not work and is far from working.”

2 Air National Guard pilots home after midair collision

06/09/2016

Two F-16 fighter pilots who survived a midair collision in Georgia are home with their families, the commander of the South Carolina National Guard said Wednesday. "The pilots are in good shape," Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston Jr. told reporters at a news conference on the tarmac of the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base.