Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

F-35B May Be In Spanish Navy's Future

04/21/2016

The Spanish Navy has a midterm problem to tackle or maybe it would be more accurate to say it has a dilemma the country’s next defense minister must solve: Should the force continue with fixed-wing combat aviation and, if yes, is the F-35B the solution?

Former Soviet Fighter Pilot: Russian Jets ‘More Aggressive’ Than During Cold War

04/21/2016

As the NATO-Russia Council prepared to meet for the first time in almost two years, U.S. and Russian officials traded barbs over who’s to blame for a recent spike in military tensions. The ambassadorial level meeting set for Wednesday at alliance headquarters in Brussels was to be the first time the format, which comprises NATO and Russian officials, has been convened since June 2014.

US drone strikes outnumber warplane attacks for first time in Afghanistan

04/21/2016

Drones are firing more weapons than conventional warplanes for the first time in Afghanistan and the ratio is rising, previously unreported US Air Force data for 2015 show, underlining how reliant the military has become on unmanned aircraft. The data show strikes by unmanned aircraft accounted for 56% of weapons deployed by the air force in Afghanistan in 2015, up dramatically from 5% in 2011.

Move Over Tejas. India Wants A Second Line Of Fighter Jets

04/21/2016

India is keen on manufacturing a second line of fighters besides Tejas, and within 6 months, will begin the process of deciding which foreign manufacturer will make the jets in India, sources told NDTV. The Ministry of Defence has already had several rounds of discussions on this issue.

On Alert: China Deploys Troops as North Korea Plans Another Nuke Test

04/21/2016

On Wednesday, China deployed troops along its border with North Korea as Pyongyang prepared for what will be its fifth nuclear test amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Beijing deployed 2,000 troops to the border, according to a statement by The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, a nongovernmental organization based in Hong Kong.

Russian Envoy to NATO Affirms Continued Responses to US Military Pressure

04/21/2016

The United States exerted military pressure on Russia by deploying its destroyer Donald Cook near the westernmost Russian exclave of Kaliningrad last week, Russian Envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said Wednesday.

China Tests New Multiple-Warhead Missile, Raising Concerns in Washington

04/21/2016

The Dongfeng-41 is a Chinese nuclear solid-fueled road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile that can fire six to 10 nuclear multiple independently targetable warheads at a distance of more than 10 thousand kilometers.

Russian Space-Age Stealth Bomber to Hit the Skies With Hypersonic Weapons

04/21/2016

The PAK-DA, which is being developed by Tupolev, is expected to be a subsonic flying-wing aircraft that is roughly analogous to the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit and the US Air Force’s forthcoming Long Range Strike-Bomber, National Interest wrote.

First Export Contract for BrahMos Cruise Missiles to Be Signed in 2016

04/21/2016

The first export contract on delivering Russian-Indian BrahMos cruise missiles to a country in the Asian-Pacific Region will be signed by the end of 2016, BrahMos Aerospace spokesman Praveen Pathak said Wednesday. “It’s too early to be specific since negotiations are continuing, but we plan that by the end this year there will be one solid contract,” Pathak told RIA Novosti in an interview.

House Lawmakers Want Air Force to Study Restarting F-22 Production

04/20/2016

Republicans on a key defense committee in the U.S. House of Representatives want the Air Force to study the cost of restarting production of the F-22 fighter jet. The House Armed Services Committee’s Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, headed by Rep. Mike Turner, a Republican from Ohio, on Tuesday proposed legislation that would direct Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James "to conduct a comprehensive assessment and study of the costs associated with resuming production.

Russia 'breaks' military deal with America and threatens US warplanes over Syria

04/20/2016

Russia has broken an agreement with the US by allowing its warplanes to carry out “simulated attacks” on American jets over Syria, according to a new analysis. Last week, the US accused Russia of “aggressive” and “unsafe” manoeuvres after two Su-24 strike aircraft flew within 30ft of an American destroyer in the Baltic. Across Europe, Russian fighters and bombers have been intercepted while probing the air defences of Nato countries.

US wants to help Gulf forces counter Iran

04/20/2016

The US wants greater special forces and naval cooperation with Gulf states to counter Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in the region, a senior official said on the eve of Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Over the past 15 years the US has sold combat aircraft to Gulf states, but the senior American defense official said Iran’s activities “won’t be countered” in that way, AFP reported.

DARPA’s Gremlin Pathfinders

04/20/2016

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have become an essential support element, providing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance prior, during and after air strikes. But current platforms are too slow and vulnerable to operate in contested airspace. The US Air Force and DARPA are looking at new concepts of operations that will enable unmanned platforms to support the future air component in all operational environments.

House Seapower Markup Restores Ship, Aircraft Cuts

04/20/2016

The House Armed Services Committee has been a bastion of the more-more-more club, rejecting Administration reductions to defense programs, opposing mandated sequestration cuts and urging higher levels of arms spending.

UK licences £2.8bn of arms sales to Saudis since kingdom entered Yemen war

04/20/2016

The British government released licences for the export of £7m of arms to Saudi Arabia in the last three months of 2015, taking the total value of such licences since the country entered the civil war in Yemen to £2.8bn.

India and France to Finalize $8.9 Billion Deal for 36 Rafales

04/20/2016

After three dozen rounds of negotiations since April 2015, India will finally sign an €7.8 billion (US $8.9 billion) contract next month with France to purchase 36 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft. "We are in advanced stages of negotiations and the contract will be inked soon," said a source in the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD).

Danish Parliament Approves Expansion of Military Mission Against Daesh

04/20/2016

The Danish Parliament has approved by a majority vote a decision to strengthen the country’s military assistance in the fight against Daesh terrorist organization in Syria and Iraq, the government’s press service said Tuesday. "In the coming months, Denmark will provide F16 fighter jets, special forces and a [C-130J] transport aircraft to support the anti-Daesh international coalition," the press service said in a statement.

Future at Risk: 'Syrian Rebel Groups Preparing for New Round of War'

04/20/2016

In a corresponding statement the leaders of about a dozen armed factions announced the formation of a so-called “joint operation room” to coordinate new attacks on government forces. The statement came just hours after the chief negotiator of the Syrian opposition delegation in Geneva called to ignore the months-long ceasefire and resume the fighting.

10 Cancelled Warplanes That Might Have Been

04/19/2016

For every military aircraft that makes it into service, a thousand projects survive only in tattered blueprints in filing cabinets or as lonely prototypes in museums. Here, courtesy of War Is Boring’s David Axe and Hush-Kit’s Joe Coles, are 10 warplanes that might have been.

Russia’s Military Built or Modernized More Than 1,200 Aircraft

04/19/2016

Russia’s military has received more than 1,200 new and modernized aircraft over the past three years, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said at a Russian aviation industry conference last week, according to TASS.

Russia delivers ground support aircraft to Iraq

04/19/2016

A batch of three Russian Sukhoi Su-25 strike fighters has been delivered to Iraq and will soon enter service, an Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said. Nasir Nouri Mohammed al-Tamimi said on Monday the new jets will strengthen Iraq's capabilities in combating terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, according to a report from Tass, a government-owned Russian new agency.

F-35 Will Fly Despite Software Glitches That Could Ground the Entire Fleet

04/19/2016

Problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s software could lead to a fleet-wide grounding, a new report by the Government Accountability Office says. In an analysis released late last week, the GAO reports that problems with the software system, known as the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), are serious enough that “it could take the entire F-35 fleet offline.”

China launches upgraded drills for South China Sea fleets

04/19/2016

China's South China Sea fleets have conducted training drills with upgraded methods that resemble actual combat conditions to increase the fleets' combat effectiveness, according to an article published by the PLA Daily on Sunday.

Sri Lanka, Egypt Indicate Interest In Indigenous Tejas Combat Aircraft

04/19/2016

India's Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, which was several years in the making, has now caught the attention of foreign buyers with Sri Lanka and Egypt evincing interest in the indigenously built fighter jet. Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets.

WATCH: Russia Su-30 Fighter Jets Escort UN Aid Delivery

04/19/2016

"The delivery of the UN humanitarian goods under the cover of Russian fighters was successful," the Russian military said in a statement. Over the weekend, an IL-76 cargo plane dropped pallets of food and medicine for the 200,000 residents of the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor. The city is in the heart of territory held by Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State, and the humanitarian mission was accompanied by Russian Su-30s.