Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Can’t the U.S. Air Force Be Trusted to Buy a Few Helicopters?

05/19/2016

Senator John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants to blow up the Pentagon’s Under Secretariat for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD AT&L). More specifically, his committee’s writing of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 would cleave that office into two new under secretariats, for research and engineering (USD R&E), and management and support (USD M&S).

ANALYSIS: Taranis developers reveal test flight specifics

05/18/2016

Despite having performed a maiden sortie some three years ago, details remain sketchy on the flight-test campaign of the BAE Systems Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator.

Maduro: U.S. spy plane violated Venezuelan airspace

05/18/2016

A U.S. military aircraft "with lethal technical abilities" illegally entered Venezuelan airspace twice over the past week, President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday. "Our military aviation detected the illegal entry, for unusual espionage tasks, of the Boeing 707 E-3 Sentry, which is an airborne early warning control center system that has all the mechanisms for espionage," said Maduro during a press conference at the presidential palace.

RMAF aircraft crashes in Pahang, pilots eject to safety

05/18/2016

A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) training aircraft crash in a paddy field in Nenasi, near here this afternoon. The Aermacchi MB339CM aircraft was in the midst of a training flight when it encountered technical difficulties.

Sri Lanka To Buy China-Made JF-17 Fighter Aircraft – OpEd

05/18/2016

Of late, Sri Lankan President Sirisena has announced, apart from the reconciliation efforts with Tamils and other minorities in the island country, also a few other important decisions of his government. One of those decisions is to make the country a bigger military power — which may be possible in the immediate future. Another is, to fight corruption in the government and nation at large which is also not easy ambition considering that he really meant what he said.

RAF Jets Scrambled To Intercept Russian Planes

05/18/2016

The British planes were initially shadowing two Su-27 Flanker fighters and an IL-20 'Coot-A' Reconnaissance plane when two more Su-27s were detected, according to the Ministry of Defense. It was the second time in a week that RAF Typhoons had been scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft as part of the policing mission in the region.

US Top Brass: Beijing Doesn't 'Support Stability' of South China Sea Region

05/18/2016

Amid ongoing tensions in the South China Sea, the top US Marine Corps officer has criticized Beijing’s activity in the region and vowed that the Pentagon will continue its aggressive tactics around the disputed Spratly Islands.

Indian Air Force to Fly ‘Tejas' Homemade Combat Aircraft

05/18/2016

Chief of Indian Air Force has test flown an indigenously designed and produced Light Combat Aircraft - Tejas, giving the go ahead to roll it out into active operations.

India could sign a $6 billion deal for five S-400 by the end of 2016

05/17/2016

On May 13 The Indian Council for Defence Procurement approved the agreement for the purchase of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia. "The signing of the contract could take place at the end of 2016, and we are talking about the purchase of the five regiments of the S-400 two-division composition and, and six thousand missiles totaling about $6 billion," - said a TASS news agency source, close to the Ministry of Defence of India.

V-22 Aerial Tanker Capability Slated for 2018

05/17/2016

The Navy’s V-22 Osprey program is working toward fielding an aerial tanking capability for the Marine Corps’ MV-22B tiltrotor assault transports by 2018, the program manager said. Col. Daniel Robinson, the Navy’s program manager for the V-22 Osprey, speaking to reporters May 16 at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition at National Harbor, Md., said the “summer of 2018 is the target for this capability.”

Plan for nuclear-driven carrier with US help

05/17/2016

India's navy has all but finalised plans for a nuclear-powered super-carrier, which is scheduled to be built in Kochi with US help. In preparation for the long-gestation project, estimated for the year 2028, the navy is setting up the building blocks that will identify the aircraft to be based on the carrier, called the Vishal (to be pre-fixed with "INS" on commissioning).

China's Military Has Nearly 3000 Aircraft. Here's Why That Matters

05/17/2016

One of the more headline-grabbing takeaways of the 2016 Defense Department report on Chinese military strength involves the size of the Chinese air forces, which now approach 3,000 aircraft. This number puts China ahead of any country in the world, other than the United States and Russia. However, the numbers bear more scrutiny.

China's 'Undersea Great Wall'

05/17/2016

As defense analysts brood over the evolving military balance in the western Pacific, considerations related to undersea warfare keep coming to the fore. Given the lethality of modern antiship cruise missiles, surface combatants of all types may well be scarce on the future naval battlefield.

UAE Military Aircraft Crash Raises Safety Concerns

05/17/2016

A United Arab Emirates military aircraft crashed Sunday, killing a pilot and an instructor. The fatal event is the UAE military's twelfth crash in six years. The General Command of the UAE's armed forces said the plane went down during a training flight over the country.

5/16/2016 Boeing Turns Focus to Military Aircraft Upgrades, Support Services

05/17/2016

Amid concerns about future sales of combat aircraft, Boeing is working to secure long-term work upgrading and maintaining military hardware. The company already does significant work supporting military aircraft fleets, and believes this is one area where it can expand its business as it faces a slowdown in new combat aircraft production.

Naval Version of India’s Light Combat Aircraft Successfully Completes Flight Tests

05/17/2016

Two naval prototypes of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Light Combat Aircraft Tejas successfully conducted 33 test flights from a so-called Shore Based Test Facility—a full-scale model of an aircraft carrier deck—in Goa last month, according to the Business Standard.

Beijing Claims S. China Sea Sovereignty Recognized by Int’l Community

05/17/2016

In the ongoing South China Sea conflict, Washington has argued that Beijing does not have claims to the waterway. But according to a pair of Chinese diplomats, China’s sovereignty over the region has been recognized by the international community since World War II.

Russia to Make Every Effort to Deliver S-300 Air Defense Systems to Iran

05/17/2016

Moscow expends its best efforts to perform a contract for deliveries of Russia's S-300 air defense systems to Iran, the director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said Monday. "Everything depends on both parties. We do our best to fulfill the contract," Alexander Fomin told reporters.

The United Arab Emirates armed forces says a military aircraft has crashed during a training flight in the Gulf country, killing two onboard

05/16/2016

The military of the United Arab Emirates says a military aircraft has crashed during a training flight in the Gulf country, killing two onboard. The military's general command announced the accident in a brief statement Sunday. It says the pilot and an instructor were killed.

India in talks with African countries for exporting Light Combat Helicopter

05/16/2016

India is in talks with "certain" countries in Africa for possible export of the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter even as the Defence Ministry has set a target of $2 billion worth of exports over the next two years. The weapons trial of the LCH is planned in July-August this year. While the Army has placed an order for 114 LCH with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the IAF has ordered 65.

PAKISTAN MUST INTROSPECT

05/16/2016

Instead of harping on India's role in seeking to block the sale (by the United States) of F-16 fighter aircraft to his country, Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, must study the reasons for the opposition to the deal across the political spectrum in the US.

THE DANISH FIGHTER DECISION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

05/16/2016

In April 2015, the Sir Richard Williams Foundation of Australia cohosted a symposium on Integrating Innovative Airpower with the Centre for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen. The symposium was being held as the Danes were being threatened by the Russians in rather dramatic terms – if the Danes were to participate in the NATO missile defense system, then their ships were subject to direct strike by the Russians, including with the use of nuclear weapons against them.

What the Pentagon '16 China Military Report Leaves Out

05/16/2016

An expert says the Pentagon's annual report on the Chinese military leaves out an important discussion about China's Maritime Militia force which trolls the South China Sea looking to make territorial claims.

Painted planes make quiet comeback in Air Force

05/16/2016

It took 31 days to transform this otherwise dull gray F-15 Eagle into a colorful abstract worthy of its noble avian namesake. The powerful warplane is adorned with wisp-like feathers that stretch across its 43-foot wingspan and onto its fuselage. Its nest, Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Ore., is home to the the 173rd Fighter Wing and the Air Force's only F-15C training schoolhouse. The ramp holds 32 Eagles in all.

Kurdish Forces Advancing on Raqqa City in Full Combat Readiness

05/16/2016

On Wednesday, SDF Spokesman Tajir Kobani announced that commanders of the SDF-affiliated groups in Northern Syria have, in a secret meeting, coordinated the process of a joint final operation for liberating Raqqa from Daesh terrorists.