Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

ON TARGET: Time for Canda to end its tiny ISIS mission

11/02/2015

With prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau sticking by his campaign promise to end Canada’s bombing mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the usual warmongers and fear mongers have stepped up their game. Desperate to keep Canada’s military in a fighting war — any war — the retired Colonel Blimps brigade has been furiously penning editorials arguing why Trudeau must stay the course and keep on bombing.

China Conducted Military Drills in Past Week

11/02/2015

China’s military conducted aerial and maritime drills this past week, its official news portal said, just days after a U.S. warship sailed through disputed waters in the South China Sea in a direct challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims.

US, Canada to Hold Observation Flight Over Russia Under Open Skies Treaty

11/02/2015

Canadian, US military experts will fly over the territory of Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on November 2-6, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov has announced.

Impressive previously unreleased footage shows how two F-14 Tomcats shot down two Gaddafi’s MiG-23s

11/01/2015

After two F-14As from VF-41 Black Aces shot down two Su-22 Fitters on Aug. 19, 1981, the Tomcat faced again LARAF (Libyan Arab Republic Air Force) fighters on Jan. 4, 1989, when two jets from VF-32 Swordsmen shot down a pair of MiG-23 Floggers. In the following video you can see, for the very first time, the whole dogfight, including previously unreleased (at least not available on the Web) footage.

AMC commander discusses the future of Mobility Air Force at 2015 A/TA

11/01/2015

Gen. Carlton "Dewey" Everhart, Air Mobility Command commander, delivered the final keynote address of the 2015 AMC and Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium on Oct. 31, addressing more than 1,500 Mobility Airmen and civilian partners in attendance. This was Everhart's first opportunity to engage such a large crowd of mobility experts in one location on the past, present and future state of global mobility operations.

US F-18 fighter jets scrambled to escort Russian planes from carrier in Pacific – report

11/01/2015

Two Russian anti-submarine planes flew close to a US aircraft carrier in the Pacific, prompting four F-18 combat jet to be scrambled to escort them away, according to a US Navy official. The jets were launched from the USS Ronald Reagan on Tuesday after two Russian anti-submarine TU-142 “Bear” aircraft flew past the warship at a distance of one nautical mile, the official told Reuters on Thursday.

SYRIA: THE “NEW” HYBRID WAR

11/01/2015

The biggest factors that stem from the sudden Russian deployment of air and ground forces to Syria are several fold. Firstly, it does highlight a major failure of intelligence – and even if it wasn’t the intelligence, then it was failure in interpretation of the data, a serious degree of wishful thinking. Second, it highlights the fact that many/most western armed forces have taken a “capability holiday” from high intensity threats over the past decade and more.

Russian Plane Crash Highlights Fears of Flying Near Conflict Zones

11/01/2015

The crash of a Russian jetliner in the Sinai Peninsula once again raises concerns about planes flying near combat zones, which have been a growing worry for aviation regulators. U.S. aviation officials earlier this year warned airlines and pilots not to traverse the area of the Sinai Peninsula below 26,000 feet out of concerns that ground fire could put planes at risk.

Boeing Defense Jobs, Business In St Louis At Risk After Losing Bomber Jet Contract To Northrop Grumman

11/01/2015

For much of the last decade, workers at Boeing's aircraft manufacturing plant in St. Louis, Missouri, continued in the aviation company's long tradition of churning out quality major defense items for a steady stream of customers at home and abroad. According to the labor union chief for many Boeing employees there, the last thing on the workers' minds was the possibility of being laid off.

Killers in the Sky: The 5 Most Lethal Combat Aircraft Going to War in Syria

11/01/2015

The air war over Syria has seen the combat debut of some of the most advanced warplanes from around the world. No less than three new fighter types from the United States and Russia have dropped weapons in anger for the first time. But those new jets are accompanied by their older stablemates, which are often the mainstays of the war on both sides.

Rise of ISIL Would Not Have Been Prevented by US Troops Staying in Iraq

11/01/2015

Ever since ISIL got the world's attention in 2014 by swallowing large chunks of Iraq and Syria, US politicians have been asking themselves the rhetorical question of whether the terror group would have been able to rise if US forces never left Iraq. The National Interest contributor Daniel L. Davis explains why it would have made little difference.

Syria Opposition Groups, Assad Gov't to Participate in Future Talks

11/01/2015

Representatives from Syrian opposition groups, as well as officials from the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad will take part in future talks on settling a conflict in the country, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing on Friday.

Buzz Aldrin, second man on moon, sets sights on Mars mission

10/31/2015

When Buzz Aldrin arrived in Australia in October 1969 on a world tour with fellow Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, the three intrepid space explorers agreed on one thing: the girls in Perth had the shortest miniskirts they had seen.

J-31 stealth fighter could be paired with J-15 for carrier use

10/31/2015

The J-31 "Falcon Hawk" stealth fighter being developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation could eventually be paired with the J-15 on the Liaoning, China's first and so far only aircraft carrier, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet. The J-31 with its new vertical tail design recently went on display at the 16th China Aviation Expo in Beijing.

Canada said to consult Obama before opening fighter-jet bidding

10/31/2015

OTTAWA - Incoming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will consult with President Barack Obama before restarting a process to replace Canada's aging fleet of combat jets, in a bid to head off damage to relations between the two countries, according to an official familiar with the plans.

Why the military uses 'blimps'

10/31/2015

On Wednesday, many watched in amazement as a "blimp" broke loose from its mooring outside Aberdeen, Maryland. Dragging a 6,000-foot steel mooring cable -- which caused local power outages as it made contact with power lines -- and escorted by circling F-16s aircraft that cleared civilian aircraft flight paths, the balloon finally deflated and came to rest 100 miles north in a wooded area near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

What US Troops in Syria Will and Won't Do

10/31/2015

The 50 or so U.S. Special Operations Forces being sent to northeast Syria will not be advising Syrian rebels on the front lines engaging in combat or conducting special operations raids, a Defense Department official said today. Instead they will work at a rebel headquarters far from enemy lines to see what more help the U.S. can provide them in the fight against ISIS.

This Fighter Might Replace Indonesia's Aging F-5 Fighters (Hint: Not the Su-35)

10/31/2015

Indonesia is currently in the process of updating a part of its eclectic mix of military aircraft. The three platforms which represent Jakarta’s most formidable airborne capability are the U.S. General Dynamics (GD) F-16, Russian Sukhoi-27, and Sukhoi-30MK. The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) reflects the country’s recent history international relations, operating a mixed bag of Russian, U.S., Brazilian, and European aircraft.

EUCOM: More fighter jets to Turkey, more heavy Army gear moving east

10/31/2015

Coming shifts in the U.S. military's footprint in Europe will include sending warplanes and support troops into Turkey to help fight Islamic State militants and moving more heavy Army equipment into Eastern Europe to deter Russian aggression, the top U.S. commander in the region said Friday.

Russia Southern Military District Receives Over 10 New Aircraft in October

10/31/2015

The 4th Air Force and Air Defense Forces Command of Russia's Southern Military District has received more than 10 new aircraft and helicopters, the Defense Ministry said in a statement issued on Friday.

Russian Baltic Fleet Naval Aviation Holds Air Combat Drills

10/31/2015

Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet Naval Aviation carried out air combat exercises during night flights, the Defense Ministry said in a statement released on Friday. "Within the unannounced combat readiness inspection of the air defense and naval aviation formations of the Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad Region, crews of Su-27 fighters and Su-24M bombers performed night training flights," the statement reads.

Venezuela to Spend $480Mln on Russian Sukhoi Jet Upgrade

10/31/2015

Last month, Maduro announced that Venezuela would purchase at least 12 Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia. "The president [Nicolas Maduro] just authorized [the payment] of $480 million so that the service life of our Sukhoi planes… so they could continue to fulfill or give protection to the Venezuelan airspace," the minister said on Thursday.

Shot down helicopter in Libya triggers fighting west of Tripoli

10/30/2015

Several military commanders from Libya’s self-styled government in Tripoli have been killed after their helicopter was shot down by another of the country’s armed factions, triggering clashes west of the capital. Libya is caught up in a conflict between that government and a second, internationally recognised one in the east, and the shooting comes as the UN pursues fragile negotiations between them to form a unity administration.

China calls on Japan to stop 'hampering' military flights

10/30/2015

China on Thursday called on Japan to stop "hampering" flights by Chinese military aircraft, after Japan said its scrambled fighter jets to prevent possible incursions by Chinese planes a record high number of times in the summer. Japan jets scrambled 117 times from July to September, up from 103 in the same period of last year, although it was lower than the all-time high of 164 times recorded in the final quarter of 2014.

Grounded: Taiwan’s US-Made Attack Helicopter Fleet is Rusting Away

10/30/2015

The Republic of China Army is currently investigating the grounding of the majority of its AH-64E Apache “Guardian” attack helicopters purchased from the United States, Taipei Times reports. The aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing has also dispatched a special task force to help identify the cause of the technical difficulties, which could be due to Taiwan’s “wet and high humidity climate.