Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

More Export Customers For Pakistan’s Basic Trainer

06/30/2016

Qatar and Nigeria have become the latest buyers of the Super Mushshak basic trainer produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra. Pakistan media reported the number sold to Nigeria as 10 but did not disclose the quantity for Qatar. Other countries that have been listed as customers are Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

Make In India F-16s, F-18s: Hunt for new range of fighter jets set to take off

06/30/2016

The defence ministry is moving fast to end the critical shortage of fighter jets in the Indian Air Force (IAF) which has been decommissioning squadrons flying MIG-21s that have been in service for over 50 years.

Air Force Begins Replacing Combat Lost HH-60G Pave Hawks

06/30/2016

The Air Force introduced the first of 21 fully built HH-60G Pave Hawk Operational Loss Replacement (OLR) helicopters June 28 at a ceremony in Huntsville, Alabama. The HH-60G is used to conduct combat search and rescue operations. The OLR program will restore the service’s HH-60G fleet to its authorized size, replacing aircraft lost in nearly 15 years of deployed combat operations since 9/11.

USAF Tests Lockheed-Developed F-35A Combat Readiness Capacity, Aircraft Nears IOC Declaration

06/30/2016

Service members from the 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing led the first off-station deployment exercise of seven Lockheed Martin-built F-35A Lightning II units that works to meet initial operational capability targets within the year.

OGMA submits Hercules upgrade bid to Gabon

06/30/2016

Gabon is considering whether to bring an elderly B-model variant of the Lockheed Martin C-130 back to flyable condition, in order to double the size of its air force’s transport fleet.

PICTURES: F-35B touches down in UK for show debut

06/30/2016

Two years after the US Marine Corps' planned first transatlantic crossing with the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B was thwarted by an engine fire, a trio of the jets have touched down at RAF Fairford in the UK.

India acquires Litening targeting pod

06/30/2016

Rafael will supply 164 examples of its Litening targeting pod to the Indian air force, for use on four types of combat aircraft including New Delhi’s Sukhoi Su-30 fighters. Guy Oren, director of Rafael's electro-optical systems unit, says the pods will be delivered in the next couple of years.

KC-390 confirmed for Farnborough debut

06/30/2016

Embraer is to give its developmental KC-390 tanker/transport an international debut at the Farnborough air show, ahead of a multi-national promotional tour for the jet-powered type.

PICTURES: RAF launches first Storm Shadow strike against IS in Iraq

06/30/2016

MBDA’s Storm Shadow cruise missile has been used by the Royal Air Force in the campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq for the first time, with the weapon having been deployed by Panavia Tornado GR4s operating from its Akrotiri base in Cyprus.

Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

06/29/2016

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

US military ties with Britain safe from Brexit, officials say

06/29/2016

Defense leaders from both sides of the Atlantic scrambled this week to play down the impact of Britain's decision to leave the European Union, saying the United States' closest military relationship would be sheltered from the upheaval that may lie ahead. A British official said the United Kingdom remains committed to its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and will continue to partner with the United States against the Islamic State and other shared threats.

Jaysh Al-Islam Brings Down Assad Aircraft in Ghouta With Russian Weapon

06/29/2016

Jaysh Al-Islam announced that it has destroyed a helicopter belonging to the Syrian regime in eastern Ghouta and shot down another war plane near the Seine Airport in eastern Qalmoun with an OSA launcher system. The spokesman for Jaysh Al-Islam Islam Alloush said that this is “a message that military action will continue until the regime is overthrown”.

Farnborough Shuts Doors On Russian Military Aircraft

06/29/2016

Russia will not be able to showcase its military prowess during the upcoming Farnborough airshow to be held from 15 July to 20 July 2016. Reliable sources told defenseworld.net Tuesday that Russian companies such as United Aircraft Corporation and Rosoboronexport will not be allowed to display their warplanes during the Farnborough airshow to be held in the U.K next month.

S-400 technology helps Seoul blunt Pyongyang threat

06/29/2016

Advanced missile technology that went into Russia's deadly S-400 Triumf missile defense system is powering the South Korean ballistic and air defense missile programs. Partly in response to North Korea's deployment of nuclear missiles and submarines, Seoul has beefed up its armaments industry with generous doses of Russian technology. Among the most critical projects are a submarine-launched ballistic missile and the M-SAM Cheolmae-2 medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile.

China daily slams U.S. aircraft carriers deployment

06/29/2016

A top Chinese newspaper has slammed the U.S. for deploying two aircraft carriers along with their accompanying ships to the Philippine Sea to conduct training drills near the South China Sea. “The U.S. picked the wrong target in playing this trick on China,” said The People’s daily in a commentary on June 22. The newspaper belongs to the country’s ruling Communist Party.

BAE Systems built jet set for UK debut

06/29/2016

The F35 Lightning II, due in today from the USA, will make its debut at two major shows this summer – the Royal International Air Tattoo on July 8 and the Farnborough air show the week after. The rear fuselage of every F-35 Lightning II aircraft built are manufactured and assembled at BAE Systems facility in Samlesbury.

U.S. and China warships to participate in massive Pacific war games

06/29/2016

Warships from a record 26 nations — including the United States and China — converge near Hawaii this week for a five-week series of exercises to promote international security, goodwill and cooperation on the high seas. Well, good luck with that. The massive Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) war games will take place amid increasing tension and competition in waters of the Asia-Pacific region and will include warships from at least seven nations with competing claims or interests in the region.

AF introduces first fully built HH-60G Ops Loss Replacement helicopter

06/29/2016

The Air Force introduced the first of 21 fully built HH-60G Pave Hawk Operational Loss Replacement (OLR) helicopters June 28 at a ceremony in Huntsville, Alabama. The HH-60G is used to conduct combat search and rescue operations. The OLR program will restore the service’s HH-60G fleet to its authorized size, replacing aircraft lost in nearly 15 years of deployed combat operations since 9/11.

Iraq Receives New Batch of Mi-28NE Military Helicopters From Russia

06/29/2016

Russia supplied Iraq with a new batch of Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" military helicopters, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "These helicopters will make a great contribution in support of ground forces in their operations aimed at targeting terrorist positions and destroying [their] armoured vehicle packed with explosives," the ministry said in a statement published on its website.

Afghanistan mulling to buy aircraft and military equipment from Russia

06/28/2016

The Afghan government is mulling to purchase aircraft and other military equipment from Russia, it has been reported. The Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Alexandar Mantytskiy has said the Afghan deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai has shared the issue with his Russian counterpart Igor V. Morgulov.

All Eyes on Farnborough, and F-35

06/28/2016

Two years after its aborted international debut in the UK, the F-35 Lightning II is set to finally turn up in force for the upcoming Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and the Farnborough Air Show next month. The US Defense Department and aircraft prime Lockheed Martin are making up for the no-show in 2014, which was caused by engine troubles, with as many as five jets arriving in the UK to display at the back-to-back aviation shows.

F-35A nearly combat ready

06/28/2016

The first off-station deployment exercise for the F-35A Lightning II confirmed that the Air Force’s newest fighter jet is on track to reach initial operational capability later this year. A declaration of IOC means the F-35A will be combat ready. Seven F-35A aircraft and 181 personnel from Hill’s active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing pushed the aircraft to its limits at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, during the training June 6-17.

America's F-4 Phantom: Taking On the World's Best Fighters (At Almost 60 Years Old)

06/28/2016

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a legendary aircraft?—?an icon of the Vietnam War and the archetype of the third-generation jet fighter designs that entered service in the 1960s. More than 5,000 of these heavy supersonic fighters were built, and hundreds continue to serve and even see combat in several air forces today.

Indigenously-Built Tejas Aircraft In Combat Role By Next Year

06/28/2016

The Indian Air Force plans to put much-delayed Tejas in combat role by next year after raising in July the first squadron of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft which it counts "superior" to Pakistan's JF 17 fighters. State-run HAL will hand over the first two Tejas aircraft to Indian Air Force (IAF) on July 1 which will make up the 'Flying Daggers 45', the name of the first squadron of the LCA which will be based in Bangalore for the first two years before being moved to Sulur in Tamil Nadu.

DARPA revives turbine-ramjet concept for hypersonics

06/28/2016

A turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) propulsion system to enable routine hypersonic flight by a vehicle that can take-off and land from a runway is back on the agenda at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) after a five-year hiatus.