Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Denmark to engage in combat operations against ISIS

04/22/2016

Denmark will expand it's military mission in Syria, as part of a US-led coalition fighting against ISIS in the region. The European nation's decision to engage in the full spectrum of combat operations in Iraq and Syria will see the country deploying seven F-16 fighters and a C-130J transport aircraft for the mission. The mission will involve four of the seven F-16 fighter jets conducting air strikes, with the other three to be kept in a reserve capacity.

Sikorsky CH-53Es need readiness reset as USMC await King Stallion

04/22/2016

The US Marine Corps is pressing forward with a fleet-wide maintenance reset of the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion as it awaits delivery of the CH-53K King Stallion replacement, which has flown for the first time with an external load.

Chinese-made drones in demand in global market

04/22/2016

A number of foreign nations are awaiting delivery of China’s CH series military drones, one of the country’s most popular products in the international arms market. The drone family, bearing the name Cai Hong, which means rainbow in Chinese, is considered by experts to be among the most lethal drones on the planet. The newest and largest capacity combat drone in the series, the CH-5, is awaiting government approval for export.

The future of America's aircraft carriers? Floating drone factories.

04/22/2016

Earlier this month, the British Royal Navy ship HMS Protector made history. An ice patrol ship, Protector sailed the frigid waters off Antarctica. But instead of using a helicopter to scout an ice-free route, the Protector had an unlikely helper — a drone. And not just any drone: a 3D printed drone that was manufactured onboard the ship itself.

U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin $116 Million Contract Option for JASSM-ER Production

04/22/2016

Lockheed Martin received a $116.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for continued production of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM®-ER). This contract exercises an option in the Lot 14 contract and includes 100 JASSM-ER missiles. Work under this contract option is expected to be complete by June 2019. The award brings the total number of JASSM and JASSM-ER missiles delivered or under contract to more than 2,700.

Russian S-400 Systems Protecting Syria From Airspace Violations - PM Halqi

04/22/2016

The presence of the Russian air defense systems does not allow anyone to violate Syria’s airspace, the Syrian prime minister told Sputnik. "We are reassured by the fact of the presence of the modern air defense systems, S-300 or S-400. Because they are guarding the sovereignty of the Syrian airspace, not allowing aircraft of any modifications to violate Syrian airspace," Wael Nader Halqi said.

Obama: US, GCC Intelligence Sharing Vital in Fight Against Terrorism

04/22/2016

Intelligence sharing between the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states is very important in the fight against terrorism, and has been steadily improving, US President Barack Obama said in a press conference on Thursday.

Women to fly FBC-1 bombers for first time

04/21/2016

The FBC-1 fighter jet, also known as the Flying Leopard, is independently developed and manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Corp. in northwest China. The aircraft contains two cabins, with the forecabin holding the cockpit while the rear cabin controls the weapons. Until now, the cockpit has been occupied only by male pilots. The Air Force of the People's Liberation Army has decided to modify the jet's cockpit to better accommodate female pilots.

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.