Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

All Hands On Deck: Russian Military Sets Up High-Tech Radar System in Syria

03/05/2016

The Zoopark-1 missile and artillery ground reconnaissance complex is designed to automatically determine the coordinates of enemy artillery positions (mortars, field artillery, rocket volley fire systems and tactical missile launch positions) to provide target sighting information to its own countermeasure equipment, as well as to monitor its own firing results.

Denmark Considers Sending Extra Servicemen, Fighter Jets to Syria

03/05/2016

The office of the Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced on Friday that the country may expand its anti-Daesh campaign in Syria by sending F-16 fighter jets, C130J transport aircraft and 400 military personnel to the war-torn country.

Best Choice: Indonesia to Ink Contract for 10 Russian Su-35 Jets in April

03/05/2016

Moscow and Jakarta will sign a contract in April for the deliveries of 10 Russian Su-35 Flanker multirole fighter jets to replace Indonesia’s fleet of F-5 Tigers, the Jakarta Globe reported Friday.

Predator B Extended Range aircraft increases flight time

03/04/2016

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), officials announced the first flight of Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper Extended Range (ER) Long Wing, which is retrofitted with enhanced long-endurance wings with more internal fuel capacity and additional hard points for carrying external stores.

British Pilots Concerned about Presence of Combat Drones

03/04/2016

British pilots expressed concern about a joint plan with France to allocate 2 billion euros to acquire combat drones, announced the British pilots union. According to the official organization, its employees are particularly skeptical about the safety of planes in mid flight in case they are hit by those unmanned devices that will invade the country's airspace, as this is a strategy in place through year 2015.

The Navy Could Throw Boeing’s Fighter Jet Business a Life Preserver

03/04/2016

The loss of the Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber contract to rival Northrop Grumman in October has placed Boeing’s defense business in a tough spot. But a list of “unfunded priorities” submitted to Congress by the U.S. Navy could breathe $1.5 billion in new life into the aerospace giant’s fighter jet business, potentially sustaining key production lines until Boeing can find new foreign customers for aircraft like the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

House Appropriators Push Back on Army Aviation Cuts

03/04/2016

House appropriators Thursday questioned the Army’s decision to cut 35 percent of its planned aviation modernization funding from the fiscal 2017 budget request and strongly urged the service to reconsider the move. But Army leaders said the only way the cuts could be reversed would be to get additional funding.

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.