Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed Martin, Making Money the Old-Fashioned Way

03/18/2016

Lockheed Martin held its annual media day this week, and CEO Marillyn Hewson assured those attending that the company was financially sound and poised to lead the industry in developing the next generation of military technology, from military lasers to hypersonic weapons. But the bulk of the company’s revenues rely on old-fashioned techniques — buying up other companies, profiting from the sale of big-ticket weapons systems, and pushing foreign sales.

Vladimir Putin Calls Syria Operation a Success and Says It’ll Lead to Peace

03/18/2016

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Thursday that his country’s more than five-month military operation in Syria had been a success, with the upper hand on the battlefield returned to the Syrian government and with President Bashar al-Assad ready to make the compromises necessary for a peaceful settlement.

Camouflage color scheme works: F/A-18F Nearly Disappears in Rainbow Canyon!

03/17/2016

A unique U.S. Navy F/A-18F bearing a brown camouflage scheme has likely had many question why a US Navy Strike Fighter would be such a color. A recent pass by the “Rhino” deep through “Rainbow Canyon” should put those questions to rest as the jet almost disappears as it races through the canyon at a very low level.

22 die in Ecuador military plane crash

03/17/2016

A military aircraft crashed in the Ecuadorian eastern province of Pastaza, killing all 22 people on board, military authorities said. The accident occurred at around 2:30 pm local time(1930 GMT), when the soldiers were to conduct a parachuting exercise, the Defense Ministry of Ecuador said in a statement.

Software enables modern weapons integration into older military aircraft

03/17/2016

Raytheon engineers have developed a software solution for integrating of new weapons into older aircraft. The software can be implemented across various platforms and current bomb rack systems.

Son of Blackbird: Hypersonic warplane will DOUBLE speed record to strike anywhere, anytime

03/17/2016

Defence giant Lockheed Martin claims to have made a major breakthrough in its bid to perfect the SR-72 – dubbed the "Son of Blackbird". The firm claims to have developed a prototype capable of reaching Mach 6 – six times the speed of sound. The current airspeed record of Mach 3.5 is held by Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird – seen as the "father" of the new superplane.

Horrifying video shows the moment an Iraqi plane went down after being ‘shot out of the sky by ISIS extremists with anti-aircraft gun’

03/17/2016

ISIS has claimed it has shot down an armed Iraqi Air Force Cessna with a 57mm anti-aircraft gun near the city of Kirkuk. The terrorist organisation has released footage showing the aircraft banking at an extreme angle as it plummets to the ground. The Iraqi Air Force has admitted it has lost the Cessna 208 Caravan, which was armed with Hellfire missiles, but blamed the crash on a 'technical fault'.

RPAs Provide Crucial Combat Air Patrol Capabilities

03/17/2016

Remotely piloted aircraft don't fly themselves as autonomous super machines. They also don't require only a single pilot and sensor operator to function. The RPA enterprise of MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers is maintained or operated by Airmen from more than 30 Air Force career fields, each one playing a key role in supporting every combat air patrol. The patrols enable combatant commanders access to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities at all times.

F-35 Cost May Drop to $85 Million by 2019

03/17/2016

Despite its history of cost overruns, the Pentagon's fifth-generation fighter program is on course to realize significant savings in coming years, the program manager said this week. Jeff Babione, Lockheed Martin's program manager for the F-35 program, told reporters Tuesday that the cost of the F-35A - the Air Force variant of the aircraft -- was expected to drop from nearly $100 million per plane to about $85 million by 2019, thanks to efficiencies and cost-cutting manufacturing technologies.

Luke Air Force Base F-35s drop first weapons

03/17/2016

The F-35A Lightning II program took another step toward initial operational capability on Tuesday when two aircraft assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron successfully employed four laser-guided bombs on the Barry M. Goldwater Range. This marked the first weapons release by F-35s assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base.

Additional F-16s for Pakistan May Hit Hurdles

03/17/2016

Additional F-16s from the US remain central to Pakistan’s modernization efforts, but analysts say since there could be hurdles ahead, surplus fighters may be a credible alternative. News reports here citing senior officials have stated that the air force requires some 190 new aircraft to replace its legacy Mirage III/5 and Chengdu F-7 fighter fleets by 2020.

Afghan Air Force flew more than 20,000 missions in 2015

03/16/2016

The Afghan Air Force flew more than 20,000 missions last year as the Afghan national security forces went through a significantly challenging year after assuming the full security responsibilities from the coalition forces. Hailing the Afghan forces for improving their capabilities, the NATO Secretary General said the Afghan security forces are ‘showing great courage and determination.”

This is how you avoid enemy radar! RAF and USAF pilots overbank and invert jets as part of a joint low-level flying exercise over the Welsh mountains

03/16/2016

RAF pilots were joined by the USAF for low flying training over the Welsh mountains on Monday. Their aircraft were seen flying over the Mach Loop, a set of valleys between Dolgellau and Machynllet, in north Wales, as part of the session between 10 and 11am. An RAF Hawk T2 from Hawks Valley, which is used to train pilots for fast low flying, was seen twirling over the hills at between 100ft and 250ft, at one point inverting over a ridge line - a technique often used to avoid enemy radar.

Here’s the first video of the Russian combat planes leaving Syria

03/16/2016

On Mar. 15, the Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei ??Shoigu? ordered to redeploy a large part of the the Russian Aerspace Forces contingent deployed to Syria to fight terrorists.

After the F-35: The Time to Start Planning Is Now

03/16/2016

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is holding an inquiry into the planned acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter). ASPI has had a keen interest in this project for over a decade, so we made a submission.

Why the F-35 May Not Be Combat-Ready Until 2022

03/16/2016

If you were the CEO of an airline business and got a negative report about your new, very expensive aircraft that has been in development for a number of years, what would you say to your engineering and production managers? The report highlights look like this:

Russia's Syria Pullout Pressures Damascus to Commit to Peace Talks

03/16/2016

Russia's decision to withdraw its airgroup from Syria is putting pressure on the official Damascus to commit fully to the political transition, Syrian opposition figure and founder of the Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria, Ribal Assad told Sputnik.

Syria Rewind: How Missions Are (Actually) Accomplished

03/16/2016

A video look at Russia's mission in Syria over the past six months, and how it accomplished its stated goals, prompting a withdrawal.

Korean Crisis: Why Neither Side Would Be Able to Achieve Victory in a War

03/16/2016

Tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated to new highs this week, with the US and South Korea carrying out massive military drills, and North Korea test-firing missiles and threatening more nuclear tests. With tensions now threatening to spark open war, military analyst Konstantin Sivkov warns that if war did break out, both sides would lose.

India Signs $5.5Bln-Worth of Military Procurement Deals in Six Months

03/16/2016

Indian defense ministry signed 28 contracts - 18 with Indian companies and 10 with firms from Russia, the United States, Sweden and Israel - totaling to approximately $5.5 billion, according to official statement.

Syria conflict: First Russian planes leave after Putin surprise move

03/15/2016

Russian defence ministry video showed the first group of aircraft taking off from Hmeimim air base in Syria on Tuesday morning and later in flight. Western officials cautiously welcomed the move, saying it could pressure Syria's government to engage in talks. Peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict are entering a second day.

Russia Withdraws Airgroup From Syria as Goal to Stop Daesh Reached

03/15/2016

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to start withdrawing the Russian air group from Syria on Tuesday, as the task assigned to it has been completed. "I think it is a clever decision because if they [aerospace forces] stay longer, it could potentially lead to an additional tension between the sides to the conflict and that could be dangerous. The job is done because the Daesh has been stopped," Mariani said.

Indian Air Force Admits It Can't Fight China, Pakistan At the Same Time

03/15/2016

Indian Air Force vice-chief Air Marshal BS Dhanoa admitted on Thursday that the IAF did not have sufficient number of warplanes to fight a two-front war, setting off alarm bells about the country's ability to tackle a combined threat from China and Pakistan.

Turkey attacks Kurds in Iraq in wake of Ankara bombing

03/15/2016

As reported by world media, Turkish military aircraft carried out the attack early on Monday. This has been confirmed by the Turkish army. It was stated that 11 combat aircraft took part, attacking 18 previously established targets that have "all been destroyed."

Defence Council Endorses Project for New Jets for Bulgarian Air Force

03/15/2016

Bulgaria’s Defence Council has approved the investment project for acquiring new fighter jets for the country’s Air Force, public broadcaster BNR reported on Monday. The decision was taken by the consultative body within the Defence Ministry last week, according to BNR.