Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

UK Considers Further Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Tests

06/10/2016

A new series of test flights to explore the capabilities of Britain’s Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle is being discussed by industry and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), according to a BAE executive. The British completed what was thought to be the third and last series of test flights from a site at Woomera, Australia, in the autumn of 2015. An analysis of the missions data continues ahead of a decision on where to go next with the program, said Martin Rowe-Willcocks.

BAE Looks Beyond the Typhoon to F-35 Program, Drones

06/10/2016

After more than a decade in which building Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighters has been the backbone of BAE Systems PLC’s combat aircraft production, the defense company is shifting its focus to the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and what may come next.

Chinese Intercept of US Reconnaissance Flight ‘Improper Airmanship’

06/10/2016

The United States considers the intercept of an American RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft by Chinese J-10 jet over the East China Sea was a case of unprofessional airmanship, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Thursday.

Danish Government Approves $3Bln Purchase of F-35 Fighters From US

06/10/2016

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin said in a press release that government of Denmark has backed an order of 27 F-35 fighter jets from the United States, which amounts to $3 billion.

Age Related Aerial Accidents

06/09/2016

In the United States the two premier military flight demonstration teams (The navy Blue Angels and air force Thunderbirds) both lost aircraft on the same day, something that had never happened before. The Blue Angels lost a pilot as well but these crashes had lots of side effects. More people see military flight demonstration teams as a waste of taxpayer funds, while others defend them as vivid showcases of military power.

Netanyahu asks Putin to let Israeli planes fly freely in Syrian and Lebanese skies

06/09/2016

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to let Israeli aircrafts fly freely in Syrian and Lebanese skies, Arab48.com reported on Tuesday. The Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin, who was Netanyahu’s translator and attended a Tuesday meeting, said that Netanyahu and Putin have a “credible” relationship, noting that Netanyahu is “using” it.

Perfect Synergy: Su-30SMs Helped Russian Bombers Lock Targets in Syria

06/09/2016

There seems to be nothing that Russia's Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H cannot do. In addition to its main tasks in Syria, the supermaneuverable fighter aircraft helped attack planes that took part in the Moscow-led counterterrorism operation to lock on to ground targets.

What does Ottawa know about the F-35 that the Danes don’t

06/09/2016

Canadian governments of different political stripes have spent more than a decade trying to figure out whether to buy new fighter jets and which one to buy. The Conservatives developed an aversion to military-procurement commitments, deferring some, bungling others; Liberals, by contrast are in the habit of politicizing military procurement decisions.

Applications begin for test pilot engineering PhDs

06/09/2016

Officers have until July 31 to apply to the Air Force Test Pilot School to attend an in-residence engineering Ph.D. program. The engineering program, run by the Air Force Institute of Technology, is open to all eligible active duty officers, the Air Force Personnel Center said in a Tuesday release.

F-35 ‘ready to go,’ company says as U.S. Air Force prepares to declare stealth fighter combat-ready

06/09/2016

The company behind the F-35 is pushing back against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion the stealth fighter “does not work,” even as the U.S. Air Force says the planes should be ready for war in the fall. Retired lieutenant-general Charles Bouchard, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Canada, said it was “disheartening” to hear Trudeau’s comment on Tuesday, in which the prime minister blasted the F-35 as a plane that “does not work and is far from working.”

2 Air National Guard pilots home after midair collision

06/09/2016

Two F-16 fighter pilots who survived a midair collision in Georgia are home with their families, the commander of the South Carolina National Guard said Wednesday. "The pilots are in good shape," Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston Jr. told reporters at a news conference on the tarmac of the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base.

Israel to Receive 'Largest Military Aid Package in US History'

06/09/2016

While criticizing Israeli policy, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice has nonetheless promised to provide a large military aid package to the Middle Eastern nation.

Russian State Arms Exporter Plans to Promote Russian-Made Drones Abroad

06/09/2016

Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport plans to promote its drones, including the Takhion and Granat-4, on the global market, the company said Wednesday.

U.S. explores reviving F-22 tactical fighter program to counter military upgrades in China, Russia

06/08/2016

The Pentagon collected its final F-22 Raptor from Lockheed Martin Corp. four years ago. Amid the Cold War’s end and shrinking defence budgets, the most advanced fighter jet ever built was deemed both unnecessary and unaffordable.

Putin’s New Stealth Jet Is on a Mission: To Prove Russia Can Still Fight

06/08/2016

Russia’s new stealth fighter made an eyebrow-raising surprise appearance on June 5—soaring over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow ripped from Ukraine in early 2014. The T-50—Russia’s answer to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22—is far from war-ready. Indeed, the twin-engine, radar-evading warplane is suffering such serious design, quality-control, and financing problems that it might never enter frontline service in large numbers.

Russia-Israel Ties Grow With Kremlin's Influence in Region

06/08/2016

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's second meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in less than two months Tuesday underscores increasingly closer relations between the U.S. ally and Russia as Moscow's influence grows in the Middle East. Russia's military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is showing no sign of ending, despite the Kremlin's March announcement of a partial withdrawal of forces.

What’s Wrong With The F-22 Raptor?

06/08/2016

Some things just don’t work out. Sometimes the best of intentions and plenty of money can’t overcome problems that were inherent in the design of a thing. And when the thing gets built, the shortcomings predicted from dispassionate analysis become showstoppers. There is no shame in abandoning projects as long as they are killed off quickly enough so that not too much damage is done.

JAGM beats Hellfire capability in early live-fire test

06/08/2016

The US Army has proven in a recent live-fire test that a MQ-1 Gray Eagle with a Lockheed Martin joint air to ground missile (JAGM) can beat the capability offered today by the AGM-114 Hellfire against moving targets.

Denmark receives first three MH-60R Seahawks

06/08/2016

Denmark has received the first three of an eventual nine Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters to replace its fleet of ageing Westland Lynx 90s. To be operated by the Royal Danish Air Force, the remainder of the order will be delivered by mid-2018.

Boeing Wins $667Mln Contract to Supply Qatar With Apache Helicopters

06/08/2016

The Boeing Company has won a two-thirds-of-a-billion dollar US Army foreign military sales contract to supply the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar with 24 Apache ground-support helicopters, the US Department of Defense announced.

Mass Production: China to Build 1,000 220-Ton Planes

06/08/2016

In January, the China Daily reported that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force was preparing to develop a new fleet of stealth fighters and heavy transport aircraft. The latter, the Xian Y-20 transport, was in particularly high demand, given Beijing’s lack of a "fast and reliable platform" to deliver arms and soldiers over long distances.

Malabar Exercise: Japan to Join India, US in Joint Naval Drills

06/08/2016

The South China Sea issue is again going to be in the limelight as India, the US and Japan are set to hold a trilateral naval exercise in the Western Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Okinawa. The trilateral exercise called ‘Malabar Exercise' will start on Friday and run through June 17 and is likely to strengthen naval ties between India, the US and Japan amid militarization of South China Sea by China.

Turkish Aerospace Industries, Sikorsky to Build Helicopters for Ankara

06/08/2016

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and US-based Sikorsky Aircraft corporation signed contracts worth $3.5 billion to start the production of helicopters for the needs of the Turkish army, Turkey's center of technology said on Tuesday .

U.S. carrier now pounding ISIS from Mediterranean

06/07/2016

The planes never seem to stop coming and going. After six months in the Persian Gulf, the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier has moved to the Mediterranean Sea, from where its bombers are jetting off faster and more frequently to strike ISIS targets in war-ravaged Syria and Iraq.

Croatia, Tunisia First To Receive U.S. Kiowa Warriors

06/07/2016

Croatia and Tunisia are the first nations to receive OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopters retired by the U.S. Army. Tunisia, announced most recently as a recipient, will use the helicopters to battle Islamic extremists, according to the Department of Defense.