Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

China is about to pour even more money into its military

03/01/2016

China is likely to announce a substantial increase in the military’s budget, according to analysts, amid a massive reorganisation of the PLA and increased tensions over territorial claims in the East and South China Seas. The government is expected to reveal its proposed annual budget for the world’s biggest army this Saturday, when the National People’s Congress opens its annual session.

Revealed: Pentagon’s Plan to Defeat Russian and Chinese Radar With A.I.

03/01/2016

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a new generation of electronic warfare systems that are based on artificial intelligence (AI). If the program were to prove a success, the new A.I.-driven systems would provide the United States military a way to counter evermore-capable Russian and Chinese radars.

Meet the SR-10 – Russia’s first privately designed trainer aircraft

03/01/2016

The SR-10 light dual-pilot jet trainer aircraft caused a sensation when it first took to the Russian skies in late December 2015. For the first time in Russian aviation, a private design bureau had created a plane – from scratch, without public financial support – which can edge out aircraft produced by the aviation industry's big guns in the markets.

Russian Jets Bomb Nusra Front Near Aleppo to Stabilize Situation - MoD

03/01/2016

The Russian center on Syrian reconciliation said Monday that Russian combat jets have carried out airstrikes against the Nusra Front militant group, which is forbidden in Russia, north of the Syrian city of Aleppo to stabilize the situation.

Slowly, Relentlessly, China’s Military Expands Its Global Reach

02/29/2016

On the horn of Africa, as you may have read, the tiny nation of Djibouti, home to American, French, German, Italian, and Japanese military bases. Is about to welcome the Chinese as well. Last November, China and Djibouti reached an agreement to set up a naval base in the Obock region in the north of the country, where an American outpost was evicted last August. The U.S. base that remains, called Camp Lemmonier, costs the United States $70 million a year in lease fees and development aid.

Russian warplanes strike six Syrian towns in Aleppo province after fragile ceasefire enters second day

02/29/2016

Despite the first major cease-fire of the Syrian civil war appearing to remain intact on its second day, airstrikes believed to have been conducted by Russian or Syrian aircraft have continued to hit targets in Aleppo, the Hama provinces and the Turkmen-populated region of Bayirbucak yesterday.

Israel reconsidering 2008 purchase of U.S. jets

02/29/2016

A welcome decision made back in 2008 to purchase U.S.-made Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jets no longer appears very attractive in 2016 – and Israel is considering backtracking on it. So say Israeli government sources quoted by Middle East Newsline (MENL).

Defence of India

02/29/2016

At the end of the third quarter of the 2015-16 financial year, 40 per cent (Rs.37,000 crore out of Rs.93,675 crore) of the capital budget of the armed forces remained unspent. As it will not be possible to spend all of the remaining funds in the January-March 2016 quarter, approximately Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 crore (15 to 20 per cent) may be returned unspent.

Funding Fictions: Australia, China and the Defence White Paper

02/29/2016

The Cold War was one such example, a vicious confrontation masquerading as a morally clear conflict. The ones to profit enormously from it were, as ever, those working in defence and beavering away on the next murderous device for the next lethal, preferably bogged down conflict. It produced false enemies in search of a fiction, leading to bloody proxy wars, long-ended engagements with lasting consequences, and trillions of dollars in waste.

Saudi Arabia goes to war

02/29/2016

Saudi Arabia's recent actions have caused a great deal of anxiety within its region. On 4 February, a military spokesman suggested that Saudi Arabia was ready to send troops ground troops to fight ISIS in Syria. A week later Saudi Arabia announced that it will send combat aircraft and soldiers to Turkey to participate in the US-led coalition against ISIS.

Decision to delay F-35 buy "incredibly difficult," Air Force general says

02/29/2016

Delaying the purchase of five F-35 joint strike fighters was “an incredibly difficult decision,” but one the Air Force had to make due to budget constraints, a top general said Thursday. “When we looked at readiness and our ability to win today’s fight, and then our ability to continue to procure F-35s at the current rate, we just ran out of money,” said Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command.

Budget 2016: Depleting squadrons tell you why IAF needs an empathetic finance minister in Jaitley

02/29/2016

Compared to its two sister services (Indian Army and Indian Navy), the Indian Air Force, the world’s fifth largest, is not only the most capital intensive but also the most dependent on foreign supplies. Whether it is fighter planes or transport fleets or mid-air refuellers or trainers or helicopters, the IAF buys everything from foreign vendors. Our indigenously produced fighter aircraft, Tejas (LCA) is yet to get Final Operational Clearance to be inducted inducted into the IAF.

Five Russian Weapons Which Made Their Deadly Debut in Syria

02/29/2016

Russia's ongoing airborne campaign in Syria wouldn’t have been such a game changer without the help of some of the country’s most sophisticated weapons.

This Map Visualizes China's Growing Military Capabilities In The South China Sea

02/28/2016

This awesome interactive map shows China’s emerging area denial and anti-access military capabilities in the South China Sea. It is useful in visually tracking China’s progress towards creating an overlapping field of control over a vast majority of the area.

The Key To The Baltics

02/28/2016

One reason the Russians have combat troops in Syria is because this gives Russia a chance to put its post-Cold War military to the test. What the Russians are preparing for is the possibility of clashes between Russian and NATO forces in Eastern Europe. Both NATO and Russia are not sure how their respective post-Cold War forces would do against each other. Most East European nations are preparing for the worst and paying close attention to whatever Russia does in Ukraine and Syria.

Russia’s Military Operations in Syria. Quiet Work Behind the Scenes

02/28/2016

When asked about Russian operations in Syria, most people would immediately mention the Russian fighter-bombers, attack aircraft, combat helicopters, and cruise missile volleys. Few would mention the quiet work behind the scenes that was performed by a large group of highly dedicated professionals who helped transform the Syrian military that was on the brink of defeat, into a force that could once again begin liberating Syria’s territory. Without denying the importance of the air campaign.

AUSTRALIAN KC-30A REFUELS USAF C-17 OVER EDWARDS AFB

02/28/2016

Remember the USAF’s new Airbus tanker? It has been seen recently over the skies of Edward Air Force base. It did not just go away after being sidelined by the Boeing protest via the GAO route several years ago, it has become a staple of several allied air forces.

CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache to be inducted in forces soon: Manohar Parrikar

02/28/2016

In a bid to strengthen country's defence forces, the Defence Ministry has issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of helicopters, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache, which will be inducted in the forces soon. "The ministry has already issued an order for purchase of 15 Chinook Helicopters and 21 Apache helicopters which will soon be inducted in the forces," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.