Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Kerry: U.S. could have fired on Russian jets in Baltic Sea

04/16/2016

Secretary of State John Kerry said a U.S. warship in the Baltic Sea could have opened fire on Russian fighter jets buzzing it earlier this week. The unarmed fighter planes flew within 75 feet of the missile destroyer USS Donald Cook on Monday, making "numerous, close-range and low altitude passes," a U.S. European Command statement said. They returned with a Russian attack helicopter Tuesday "in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated safety advisories," the U.S. Navy said.

Russia to develop new strategic extra heavy airlift aircraft

04/16/2016

The Russian aviation industry will deal with development of a new strategic airlift aircraft for the Armed Forces and the civilian market, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said on Friday. "We will have to seriously work on a promising aircraft system; I mean an extra heavy airlift aircraft," the deputy minister said.

USA Reinforces Military Aviation in Turkey and Qatar

04/16/2016

The United States deployed more military aircraft in Turkey and Qatar, as a sign of the importance that this country gives to aircraft in the fight against the Islamic State, said today the newspaper Stars and Stripes. The Pentagon confirmed in the last hours the arrival in the Incirlik base in Turkey's territory of a squadron of EA-6B Prowlers aircraft. Their main mission is to intercept and disrupt communications of the terrorist group.

Marines Deploy EA-6B Prowler Aircraft to Turkey amid Anti-Air Threats

04/16/2016

The deployment of Marine EA-6B Prowler jammer planes to Turkey came amid growing concerns about the potential anti-aircraft threat from ISIS and other militant groups in Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claimed Thursday that its "air defense" fighters had downed a Syrian government warplane in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in London, said the pilot safely ejected and was not captured.

Canadian company helps train German Air Force

04/16/2016

Canada's Discovery Air Defence Services reports it has helped provide aggressor and dissimilar combat training to the German Air Force. The training in Germany involved the flying of two company A-4N Skyhawks in the first-ever German Air Force Eurofighter Fighter Weapons Instructor Course.

Companies team for Danish military aircraft contract

04/16/2016

Danish company Flatirons Solutions has teamed with Airbus Defense and Space in a bid to supply the Danish Air Force with Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. Under the agreement signed Thursday, Flatirons will provide its CORENA Suite software for production and ongoing management of Danish Eurofighter Typhoon maintenance publications, including airframe and engine manuals.

US Sending Commandos, Combat Aircraft To Philippines

04/16/2016

In a military buildup certain to inflame tensions with China, the United States said Thursday it will send troops and combat aircraft to the Philippines for regular, more frequent rotations, and will conduct more joint sea and air patrols with Philippine forces in the South China Sea.

North Korea Possibly Producing More Plutonium for Nuclear Weapons

04/16/2016

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005. The United States, Japan and South Korea, as well as Russia and China, took part in talks with North Korea on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula between 2003 and 2009, when Pyongyang withdrew from the talks.

China may be the big winner in Pentagon's newest spying scandal

04/15/2016

The U.S. naval officer at the center of a burgeoning spy scandal may not have simply betrayed his country: He may have also helped China compromise Washington's most-sophisticated tool for tracking Beijing's submarines, ships, and planes. The surveillance aircraft potentially exposed in the espionage case are America's high-tech "eyes in the sky" in the western Pacific, the EP-3E Aries II and P-8A Poseidon.

PICTURES: RAAF Heron flies at Amberley alongside manned aircraft

04/15/2016

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is flying its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron unmanned air vehicle at RAAF Amberley in Queensland, marking the first time the aircraft has operated alongside manned military aircraft at one of its home bases.

Plan B: CIA Prepares to Arm Syrian “Rebels” with Anti-aircraft Weapons

04/15/2016

The CIA, working in conjunction with Washington’s principal allies in the Middle East, including the governments in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, is preparing a so-called “Plan B” involving a dramatic escalation in the arming of Western-backed “rebels” fighting the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

IS Shoots Down Regime Military Aircraft in Southern Syria

04/15/2016

The Islamic State shot down on Thursday a military plane, which is believed to belong to the Syrian army in the area of Khalkhalah in Suwayda province in southern Syria, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Turkish Military Aircraft Violate Greek Airspace 6 Times In One Day

04/15/2016

Turkish military aircraft on Thursday violated Greek airspace six times, flying over a number of Greek islands, the Greek General Staff said in a statement. Earlier in the day, a source in the Greek Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti that Athens had placed its Armed Forces on combat readiness due to “Turkish provocations.”

US reveals joint patrols with Philippines in South China Sea

04/15/2016

United States said Thursday it has been conducting joint South China Sea patrols – and eventually will conduct air patrols – with the Philippines, while dispatching U.S. troops and combat aircraft there on more frequent rotations.

HAL In Talks With Swedish Firm For Upgraded Tejas

04/15/2016

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL is in talks with Swedish aerospace major Saab, makers of single engine Gripen fighter planes, to collaborate on the upgraded version of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' which will replace IAF's aging fleet of MiG combat jets.

U.S. Sending Commandos, Combat Aircraft to Philippines

04/15/2016

The United States on Thursday revealed for the first time that American ships have started conducting joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move not done with many other partners in the region.

Boeing, U.S. Army to Remanufacture 117 Apache Helicopters

04/15/2016

Boeing continues its role as the United States’ leading provider of attack helicopters with a contract to remanufacture 117 AH-64D Apaches to the new, more capable AH-64E model. The agreement, which also includes the acquisition of Longbow Crew Trainers, logistical support and spares, carries a total contract value of about $1.5 billion.

Russian Military Research Agency Starts Contest for UAV-Based Flying Lab

04/15/2016

Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects on Thursday announced a competition for the best project to build a flying laboratory based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies.

Watch Out: China and Russia Are Working Together at Sea

04/14/2016

Despite plentiful signs that Russia-China relations are growing ever closer, naysayers suggest that Moscow and Beijing are constrained from moving beyond a tepid collaboration. An awkward Cold War history, cultural misunderstanding, geopolitical competition, economic and demographic asymmetries and even a visceral contempt are said to comprise the myriad reasons why Chinese and Russians just cannot get along, let alone engage in strategic coordination.

Special Operations Gunships to Be Equipped With Improved Sensors

04/14/2016

Air Force Special Operations Command plans to fly small, tactical off-board drones from its AC-130 gunships in combat for the first time later this year, which will give crews better views of the battlefield. Tactical off-board sensing, or TOBS, is intended to improve AFSOC’s targeting capabilities in poor weather or other challenging conditions.

Radar Planes: Why Does The Air Force Need A Dozen Years To Buy 17 Off-the-Shelf Aircraft?

04/14/2016

The U.S. Air Force operates a small fleet of radar planes that can track the movement of ground forces day or night, rain or shine. No kidding, the planes can peer through the murkiest sandstorm to pinpoint the location of hostile forces, identifying what kind of vehicles they are operating, what direction they are moving in, and at what speed.

Canada Expected To Scale Back Programs, Post Defense Review

04/14/2016

The Canadian government has launched a defense review that is widely expected to scale back or eliminate some of the military’s planned equipment programs and could see niche roles emerge for the country’s military. But the Liberal Party government, which came to power in October promising a leaner, more agile Canadian military, has assured Parliament that some key roles, such as search and rescue operations and equipment, will remain untouched.

Saudi arms deal: Enough with the hypocrisy

04/14/2016

Current Saudi orders “include 150 combat aircraft and thousands of air-to-surface missiles and anti-tank missiles from the [United States], 14 combat aircraft from [Britain] and an undisclosed but large number of armoured vehicles from Canada with turrets from Belgium,” the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted in its 2016 review of global arms sales.

U.S. Air Force says combat-ready F-35 fighter jets on track for 2016

04/14/2016

The U.S. Air Force said on Wednesday said it still expected to declare an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets ready for combat between August and December, despite delays in the jets' computer-based logistics system. The four-star generals who run Air Combat Command and Air Force Materiel Command reviewed flight milestones and other aspects of the $379 billion F-35 program at Hill Air Force Base in Utah last week.

Jordan May Be Looking To Buy An Export Variant Of Russia's Su-34 Fullback Fighter-Bomber

04/14/2016

Russian media reports that Jordan is consulting with Moscow on buying a batch of Su-32s, a export derivative of Russia’s Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber, which itself is an evolution of the Su-27 Flanker series of fighter aircraft.