Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Taiwan: Vulnerable in ways it has not been before

02/10/2016

Taiwan's incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration is about to come face to face with unprecedented vulnerabilities in national security, thanks to a variety of factors which the new government is likely to find difficult to alter in the near future.

Deployment of Russia's armaments in Kaliningrad region limits NATO’s capabilities — expert

02/10/2016

Deployment by Russia of its state-of-the-art armaments in the Kaliningrad Region, a Baltic exclave, limits NATO’s capabilities in the Baltic region, Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies John Chipman said during presentation of The Military Balance 2016 report.

After Drawdown, Marines Propose Investments in Aircraft, Training

02/10/2016

Drawdown days are officially over for the Marine Corps. The service's fiscal 2017 budget request would keep the active-duty force at a steady state of 182,000 troops, a number projected to remain constant until fiscal 2021. The Marines' base budget request of $23.4 billion represents a $169 million increase over the previous year, with an additional $1.6 billion in overseas contingency operations funding earmarked for operations and maintenance, personnel and procurement.

Iraqi pilots finish training in Prague

02/10/2016

The first group of Iraqi Air Force pilots officially ended training on the L-159 aircraft. It is part of the contract between the company Aero Vodochody Aerospace and the Ministry of Defense of Iraq. Four pilots and 12 technical staff graduated. Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnický (ANO), Iraqi Ambassador the Czech Republic Walid Hamed Shiltagh and several other Czech and Iraqi officials and Aero representatives attended the graduation ceremony.

West's military advantage is being eroded, report warns

02/10/2016

The west’s decades-long advantage in military technology is being eroded as defence spending in the rest of the world, notably Asia, soars, an authoritative report says. The latest annual Military Balance by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows that advances in weapons-related technology once the preserve of the west – including cruise missiles, unmanned drones and electronic warfare – are becoming increasingly accessible to more and more countries.

India’s Tejas aircraft conducts first test firing of Derby BVRAAM missile

02/10/2016

India's light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas has reportedly conducted the first test firing of a beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Derby, in Jamnagar, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. Carried out by a limited series production (LSP) platform, the LSP-7 Tejas fired the BVRAAM missile on a Ballistic Non Guided (BNG)mode, reported OneIndia.

Russia Redeploys 40 Combat Aircraft at Forward Airfields in Snap Drills

02/10/2016

Some 40 combat aircraft have been redeployed at forward airfields in southern Russia as part of the large-scale snap combat readiness drills, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. "Some 40 combat planes, including fighter jets, tactical bombers, strike aircraft, military-transport planes, as well as attack helicopters from the 4th Air and Air defense Army of the Southern Military District have been redeployed," the ministry said in a statement.

TAI to offer T129 for Poland's Combat Helicopter Procurement Programme

02/09/2016

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Turkey's centre of excellence in defence and aerospace industries, and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) are planning to extend cooperation for the Kruk Combat Helicopter Procurement Programme of the Armament Inspectorate of Poland. The proposed plan will see TAI supplying customised T129 ATAK multi-role combat helicopter for Poland's Kruk programme.

A-10 likely to stay at Selfridge

02/09/2016

A proven warfighter appears likely to stay at Selfridge ANGB for the immediate future. The A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, an air-to-ground attack platform best known as the ‘Warthog,’ will remain in the U.S. Air Force inventory until at least 2022, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Albania Puts Cold War Planes up for Auction

02/09/2016

Once they were the pride of the isolated communist country – a fleet of 210 military aircraft bought decades ago from Russia and China. However, much like the old munitions inherited from that era, many of these planes no longer fit modern needs and have become a burden to the Albanian armed forces. Now the Albanian Defence Ministry has decided to sell off some of these relics in an international auction.

Haters, shhhhh! The V-22 Osprey is an unbelievably accomplished aircraft

02/09/2016

The V-22 Osprey was once considered a true “ugly duckling”, one of a number of platforms and systems that were too costly, performed badly and even posed a danger to their users. Without question, designing, building and operating a platform that could fly like an airplane and take off and land like a helicopter was a challenging endeavor.

DOD aims to back up underarmed fighters with networked “arsenal planes”

02/09/2016

The US Air Force has a problem. While it bets its future on the stealth of the F-22 and F-35 fighters, that stealth has come at a cost: reduced weapon loads. To be stealthy, the aircraft both have to carry all of their weapons in internal bays, significantly limiting how many bombs and missiles they can carry to strike at targets on the surface and defend themselves from other fighters.

Beijing plans S. China Sea buildup after US warship makes second pass near island: Gertz

02/09/2016

China toned down vitriolic rhetoric in response to the recent passage of a US warship near a disputed island in the South China Sea. Chinese government-controlled media outlets, however, seized on the transit of the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on Jan. 30 within 12 miles of Triton Island in the Paracels archipelago with stepped up threats to deploy missiles and warplanes on some of its 3,200 acres of newly-created islands.

Did Northrop Grumman Just Reveal America's Next Fighter?

02/09/2016

We now have an idea of how defense giant Northrop Grumman visualizes America's first sixth-generation fighter, and it comes from an unlikely source: A Super Bowl commercial. The plane seen buzzing around during the high-dollar ad may foreshadow the real fighter that will enter service in 15 to 20 years, replacing the F/A-18 Super Hornet and perhaps even the F-22 Raptor.

Russia Declares There’s No Such Thing as ‘NATO Airspace’

02/09/2016

In the bitter quarrel with Turkey over the latest alleged violation of the Turkish airspace by the Russian Sukhoi SU-34 frontline bomber, Russia sees no role for NATO to play. On the contrary, Turkish Prime-Minister Ahmet Davutoglu instructed his country’ s Foreign Ministry to demand from Russia to give the explanations over the alleged incident straight to the NATO secretary general, Russia’s RIA News agency reported.

Mega Sale: Russian Cutting-Edge Fighter Jets Going Global

02/09/2016

If not a direct opposition from Washington, this machine possibly would have become indispensable in Arab East and in Iran. But tanks aside, Russian fighter jets are taking on a large niche in the markets of many countries of the world. The fighter jets image considerably strengthened when analysts studied and estimated the impact of Russia’s air campaign in Syria.

Russian Snap Military Drills Involve 8,500 Servicemen, 200 Aircraft

02/09/2016

The ongoing snap military exercises in southern Russia involve up to 8,500 troops, some 900 military vehicles and 200 aircraft, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Monday.

Drones an option to replace Orions

02/08/2016

The military is considering using unmanned drones to patrol waters surrounding New Zealand. At present, six Orion aircraft provide airborne surveillance, support for customs and police operations, search and rescue missions and disaster relief. Illegal fishing and drug smuggling need to be watched for in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is the fourth largest in the world and 20 times the country's land mass.

Classic Hornets ‘stretched beyond capability’ if JSF delayed

02/08/2016

A damning report last week on the progress of the F-35, by the Pentagon’s top weapons tester, has fuelled concern that delivery schedules for the new fighter could be delayed once again. Any further delay in the delivery of the 72 Australian F-35s would create an acute problem for the RAAF, which would be forced to keep its 71 Classic F/A-18 Hornets flying beyond their effective life expectancy.

Russian Aggression Drives Swedish Defense Spending

02/08/2016

Sweden’s discomfort over Russia’s long-term political and military ambitions in the Baltic Sea and High North has risen further after a senior military chief stated the Nordic state could find itself under attack "within a few years."

Cold War-Era Alternatives to the Navy’s Carrier-Based Drone

02/08/2016

Turning the U.S. Navy’s next carrier-based drone into a tanker, as the service announced this week, is probably a reasonable idea. For some time, buddy-tanking F-18 Hornets has been a questionable use of other Hornets, but one completely necessitated since 2009 by the full retirement of the Lockheed S-3 Viking.

Trudeau to announce Canada’s new training role in ISIS fight

02/08/2016

Canadian fighter jets pounded Islamic State targets in Iraq on Saturday, destroying a fighting position and heavy engineering equipment in two separate attacks. After more than a year of attacking ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, these could be among the last combat missions flown by CF-18s.

Why China Purchases Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets

02/08/2016

China’s purchase of 24 new Russian Su-35 aircraft is essential for Beijing. The Chinese Air Force will not only get new jets that could affect the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait, but may also allow the Chinese military to assess the progress and development of J-11.

In Saudi Arabia’s Footsteps: UAE Poised to Send Ground Troops to Syria

02/08/2016

When asked if the Gulf state was prepared to send troops to Syria, Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash told reporters in Abu Dhabi that this had been his country’s position all along.

Syrian Air Force Pounds Daesh's Main Oil Supply Route to Turkey

02/08/2016

Syrian Air Force jets pulverized Daesh positions in the eastern part of Aleppo province on Saturday, causing serious damage to the main road used by the militants to send oil tankers into neighboring Turkey.