Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

F-35 Lightning fighter at Cleveland National Air show (video)

03/04/2016

The U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning will make its Cleveland National Air Show debut this year. Also in attendance will be the F-22 Raptor tactical fighter. "The Air Combat Command told me we are the only civilian air show to have both," Kim Dell, executive director of the show said Thursday. Both are built by Lockheed Martin.

France, UK To Fly Unmanned Combat Aircraft Demonstrator in 2025

03/04/2016

Defense ministers of France and the United Kingdom endorsed today the plan to launch the development of full scale operational demonstrator of the ‘Future Combat Air System’ Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) next year. This phase will prepare for the full-scale development of unmanned combat air system (UCAS) operational demonstrators by 2025.

Second Boeing, U.S. Air Force KC-46A Tanker Completes First Flight

03/04/2016

The Boeing test team successfully completed the first flight of the program’s second KC-46A tanker aircraft yesterday, taking off from Paine Field and landing later at Boeing Field in Seattle. During the flight, Boeing test pilots performed operational checks on engines, flight controls and environmental systems.

Against the Clock: China's Air Force Will Be on Par With US' by 2030

03/04/2016

By 2030 China will be on par or exceed the United States in terms of its air force capabilities, American defense expert Dave Majumdar writes, adding that the People's Liberation Army Air Force is rapidly fielding newer and much more capable weaponry.

US Delivers Blackhawk Helicopters to Jordan to Guard Border From Daesh

03/04/2016

The United States has delivered eight UH-60A Blackhawk helicopters to Jordan to help its coalition partner secure its border from Daesh terrorists, the US Embassy in Jordan announced on Thursday.

Russia to Replace All Su-24's With Su-30SM's in Black Sea Fleet by 2020

03/04/2016

Russia will replace all Su-24 bombers on the Crimean Peninsula with the Su-30SM multirole fighters which can strike targets on the surface and in the air.

Swedish FMV contracts GKN Aerospace for Gripen’s RM12 engine

03/03/2016

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has awarded a performance based logistics (PBL) contract to GKN Aerospace to provide support services for the national Armed Forces' JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft. A follow-on from an initial five year RM12 PBL agreement, the new agreement requires the company to support the operations for JAS 39 Gripen C/D users for a period of four years.

Saudi Arabia Threatens Military Intervention “To Remove Bashar al Assad”. “Northern Thunder” Military Exercise

03/03/2016

The news has been abuzz before and during the ceasefire announced amid Syria’s conflict about Saudi Arabia’s possible intervention. Saudi Arabia has threatened to intervene amid incomprehensible, contradicting rhetoric, claiming that it would enter Syrian territory to “fight” IS (the Islamic State), but would do so only now because the Syrian government has refused to step down.

Australia's 'Forward' Defense White Paper

03/03/2016

If one word can sum up the 2016 Australian Defense White Paper (DWP 2016), it is “forward.” The document is more “forward” than its predecessors in terms of projected funding commitments and the dizzying time-scales and costs involved in delivering complex platforms like submarines and frigates. More controversially, since ‘forward defense’ has Vietnam-era connotations in Australia, it also signals a more geographically forward defense posture and pattern of engagement in the region.

Warning: China's Airpower Will Equal the U.S. Air Force by 2030

03/03/2016

China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) will be able to match or exceed the United States Air Force in the number of fielded combat aircraft by 2030. Moreover, while American forces will still maintain an edge, the technological gap between the two great power will have closed significantly between now and then.

The U.S. Army's Aircraft Recognition Guide Is Riddled With Errors

03/03/2016

The U.S. Army's manual to help troops identify fast-moving aircraft has at least one major issue: it seems to have trouble itself distinguishing planes. The guide is hobbled with misidentifications and misspellings of aircraft names. The vital training doc has also failed to keep up with changes in the geopolitical environment, listing obsolete aircraft and drones, and virtually ignoring the Asia-Pacific.

Combat unit drops bombs out of F-35 for first time

03/03/2016

In another milestone before the plane reaches operation, airmen from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, dropped bombs from an F-35 Lightning II, the first combat squad to do so, a press release from the Air Force said. “This is significant because we’re building the confidence of our pilots by actually dropping something off the airplane instead of simulating weapon employment,” said Lt. Col. George Watkins, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron and one of the pilots who dropped the bombs.

Deputy PM: Experience of using Russian combat aviation in Syria inspires optimism

03/03/2016

The experience of using Russia’s combat aircraft in Syria inspires optimism, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said at a meeting on the development of the country’s combat aviation on Wednesday. "I want to say at once that the experience of the combat use of our aviation in Syria testifies to the high mastership of the design potential and our designers and technologists," Rogozin said, adding that the skills and courage of Russian combat aviation pilots should be added to this.

White Swan: When Will Modernized Russian Tu-160 Bomber Hit the Skies

03/03/2016

“The upgrade of the Tu-160 bomber is being carried out under the presidential decree. I think that by 2019, this modernized aircraft will start its flights,” Bondarev said following the meeting on the development of Russian combat aircraft. Deputy Defense Minister, Yuri Borisov, in February 2016, said that the work on the restoration of this aircraft includes a great amount of teamwork and collaboration.

Hasty Retreat: Syrian Army Destroys Daesh Defenses in Raqqa

03/03/2016

The Syrian Army and allied popular units have inflicted heavy losses on Daesh terrorists in the northern Raqqa province in a series of fierce clashes with the enemy, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

New Il-76 military transport carries out maiden flight

03/02/2016

This variant of the four-engined transport includes modifications to the flight, navigation, radio communication and lighting systems, and has replaced obsolescent parts to keep the aircraft viable for 40 years, United Aircraft Corporation says. The modernisation project was conducted by the company “in accordance with the tactical and technical requirements issued by the military space forces of the Russian Federation”, it says.

Who really invented stealth technology?

03/02/2016

Decades after the U.S. Air Force unveiled one if its first stealth combat planes, the B-2 bomber, lawyers are still arguing over the origins and legal ownership of the technology that allows pilots to fly virtually undetected by enemy radar. On February 19, a federal appeals court ordered a hearing to determine whether the Pentagon infringed on a patent owned by Zoltek, a materials company from St. Louis, when it developed the stealthy coating for the F-22 fighter plane and B-2 bomber.

US Defense Secretary: China's militarization of the South China Sea will have 'consequences'

03/02/2016

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday warned China against what he called "aggressive" actions in the South China Sea region, including the placement of surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island, and said they would have consequences.

Spate of contract wins shows Boeing is doing just fine despite bomber loss

03/02/2016

For a company that suffered a big loss when the U.S. Air Force awarded rival bidder Northrop Grumman Corp. the $80 billion stealth bomber award — with a subsequent protest going in the Falls Church contractor’s favor— The Boeing Co.’s legacy aircraft business is humming along nicely.

Branch by branch, a look at North Korea's massive military

03/02/2016

With tensions high and the United States and South Korea ready to hold their massive annual war games next week, which North Korea sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion, Pyongyang is warning it will respond to any violations of its territory with “merciless” retaliation, including strikes on Seoul and the U.S. mainland.

Belarus Still Paying For The Cold War

03/01/2016

Belarus, Russia’s western neighbor and only ally in East Europe, is ordering at least a dozen new Su-30SM fighter-bombers to replace 37 elderly (1980s vintage) MiG-29 fighters. Belarus tried upgrading the MiG-29s in 2004 but the 13 aircraft that were refurbished demonstrated that it was not worth the effort. Meanwhile in 2013 Belarus decided to retire its Su-27 fighters.

Swordfish Multi-Role Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), Sweden

03/01/2016

Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab introduced the Swordfish long-range, multi-role maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) mission system on Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier's Global 6000 jet aircraft and Q400 turboprop aircraft platforms in February 2016.

Australia shows its hand to China with the defence white paper

03/01/2016

Kevin Rudd told Hillary Clinton in 2009 that while they needed to integrate China into the world community as much as possible, they also needed to be "preparing to deploy force if everything goes wrong". This conversation, leaked by Wikileaks and never denied, exposed the true thinking behind his government's defence white paper delivered that year. Australia and the US had agreed on a strategy of classic hedging, working towards the best outcome on China while preparing for the worst.

An Infantryman’s Defense Of The A-10

03/01/2016

I admit it, as a former infantryman, I’m a partial to the A-10 Thunderbolt II. I don’t mind that it’s ugly. I don’t mind that it entered service all the way back in the mid 1970s, making it older than me. I don’t mind that it’s slow, basically a flying 30 mm cannon sheathed in a 1,200-pound titanium “bathtub.” In fact, these are exactly the things that endear the A-10 to grunts like me. It’s our plane. It was made for us and us alone.

European vote on Saudi arms embargo puts heat on Canada

03/01/2016

A European Parliament vote to impose an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia has increased the pressure on Canada to review its own, multi-billion-dollar weapons deal with the Gulf power. The vote comes as serious questions are being raised in Ottawa over mounting evidence that Canadian-made weapons are being used by parties fighting in the war in Yemen.