Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Serbia Eyes Contract to Purchase 2 Russian Helicopters This Week

08/12/2015

The Serbian Ministry of Defense announced that the country was awaiting the signature of an agreement with Russia on the purchase of two new helicopters. The Republic of Serbia is awaiting the signature of an agreement with Russia on the purchase of two new helicopters this week, the Serbian Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday.

Chinese Motorists Spot Enormous New Missile Transport and Launch Vehicle

08/12/2015

Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) vehicles are used to quickly transport and fire surface-to-air, cruise and ballistic missiles. Chinese drivers have recently spotted a new version of the vehicle, which appears similar to the military's standard TEL, except that the latest model is "much, much larger," according to Popular Science.

Inside Syria: Kurds Roll Back ISIS, but Alliances Are Strained

08/11/2015

Green drapes were drawn against the sun, cloaking the room where members of a Syrian Kurdish militia huddled around walkie-talkies, assiduously taking down GPS coordinates. Talal Raman, a 36-year-old Kurdish fighter, worked on a Samsung tablet, annotating a Google Earth map marked with the positions of the deserted apartment buildings and crumbling villas from where his colleagues were battling Islamic State fighters south of this northern Syrian town.

Jordan airforce buys nine Pilatus trainer planes

08/11/2015

The Jordanian airforce will buy nine Pilatus training aircraft for fighter jet pilots, the Swiss company said Monday, without divulging the price tag on the deal. The deal for the nine PC-9 M two-seater planes also includes a simulator, training equipment and logistics support, Pilatus Aircraft said in a statement.

Air Force Advances JSTARS Replacement Efforts

08/11/2015

The Air Force awarded three contracts for modernization of its high tech radar surveillance plane designed to scan large geographical areas for activity, the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS, service officials said. Describing the effort as a recapitalization, or recap, the service is looking at a range of airframes from Gulfstream jets to Bombardier airplanes and Boeing 737-700's as potential replacements for its aging fleet of 16 E-8C JSTARS airplanes.

China hits back at U.S. criticism over South China Sea 'restrictions'

08/11/2015

China hit back on Monday at U.S. criticism that it restricts navigation and overflights in the South China Sea amid a festering marine territorial dispute with some of its neighbors. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims..

More bang for buck in airplanes

08/11/2015

Even with no cost overruns, Abbott is committed to spending well over $100 billion on new destroyers, frigates, corvettes and subs. This compares to about $35 billion to import over 150 highly capable planes, including F-35 and Super Hornet fighters, aerial refuellers, maritime surveillance planes, radar jamming and early airborne warning aircraft.

Russian T-50 Stealth Aircraft To Be The New King Of Aerobatics

08/11/2015

The Russian T-50 PAK-FA could become the new king of aerobatics with the stealth aircraft being capable of flying at Mach 2 speed and bringing its speed down to Zero in mid-flight. It is capable of performing all known aerobatic manoeuvres while introducing some new ones which promise to take onlookers’ breath away. a feature that sets it apart from any foreign competitors such the American F-25 and F-22, Ria Novosti reported quoting officials of the Sukhoi Design Bureau.

Congress Notified of Potential $1.5B Sale of Aegis Combat Systems for New Japanese Ship Class

08/11/2015

A proposed $1.5 billion sale of two ship sets worth of Aegis combat systems, anti-submarine warfare systems and a cooperative engagement capability (CEC) equipment will give Japan’s planned new class of destroyers the capacity to connect and receive information from American battle networks, according to a list of items in a foreign military sales (FMS) notification issued by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Friday.

Zortrax 3D Printers Used To Modernize Iconic MiG-29 Fighter Jets

08/11/2015

A small number of MiG-29s are still being upgraded in Poland with new mission computers, navigation technology and radios, and at Military Aviation Plant No. 2 (Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 2), designers and engineers are using 3D printers manufactured by Zortrax as a tool to aid them in many of these upgrades. The 3D printers are being used for a variety of parts, and the teams there say the technology has significantly reduced the time needed to carry out the upgrades.

IAF halves its demand for Russian fighter jets

08/11/2015

Looking to cut costs and prune military imports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has halved its demand for Russian-built fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). It now wants just three squadrons of the fighter jets which are to be inducted into the Russian Air Force in 2016.

Japan’s F-2 Marks 8th Platform to Fly with Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

08/11/2015

Lockheed Martin received a direct commercial sale contract through Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to integrate the Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) onto the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) F-2 aircraft. This initial contract, awarded in 2014, includes a Sniper pod, spares and support equipment for integration. The F-2 is the eighth aircraft platform to be equipped with Sniper ATP, joining variants of the F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1, B-52 and Harrier.

Iran nearing deal for China's J-10 fighters: report

08/10/2015

Iran is closing in on a deal to acquire a fleet of J-10 fighter jets — most likely the J-10A — from China to upgrade its air force, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. While UN arms sanctions against Iran are yet to be lifted following a historic deal to curb the country's nuclear program last month, Beijing is already said to be nearing an agreement to sell and/or lease J-10 multirole fighters to Tehran.

J-10B still needs Russian engine after domestic engine fails

08/10/2015

After Shenyang Liming Aircraft Engine Company failed to reduce the failure rate of the WS-10 Taihang engine developed for Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's J-10 fighter, the Chinese jet will have to be equipped with the Russian-built AL31FN-S3 engine, according to the Beijing-based Sina Military Network.

France Sets Stage for Trainer Competition

08/10/2015

France is laying the groundwork for a new trainer competition, with signs that the Pilatus PC-21 turboprop is well regarded inside the French Air Force. The new training aircraft, which has attracted close interest from industry, will help prepare pilots to fly the Dassault Rafale multimission fighter.

Video shows Russia’s next generation warplane, the T-50, being put through its paces

08/10/2015

CAN Australia’s next generation combat jet beat this? Possibly not. Video footage of Russia’s new T-50 stealth fighter shows the extreme manoeuvrability the F-35 is up against. Earlier this year a damning report from an F-35 test pilot revealed the troubled $400 billion dollar single-seat stealth fighter was easily outmanoeuvred by a two-seat 1980s vintage F-16D combat jet.

Analysts: India's Fighter Buy Cancellation Hurts Industry, Air Force

08/10/2015

India's cancelation of a $12 billion program to purchase 126 combat aircraft eliminates an opportunity for domestic industry to build sophisticated aircraft based on transfer of Western technology and once again leaves the Air Force without a plan to rebuild its dwindling fleet, analysts said.

Russian Stealth Supersonic Aircraft PAK FA Revolutionizes Aviation

08/10/2015

It was designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The aircraft will be used to achieve air superiority and assist in ground attacks. Besides its ability to fly at speeds well above Mach 2, the T-50 boasts other, even more important, features such as invisibility to radar and powerful weapons which will be unveiled later.

US Deploys Six F-16 Jets to Turkey as Part of Anti-ISIL Campaign

08/10/2015

The US Air Force is deploying six of its F-16 fighter jets to the southern Turkish base of Incirlik for its ongoing campaign against the Islamic State jihadist group, the US Mission to NATO announced Sunday.

Russia-Wary NATO Scrambles Fighters, Bombers in Alaska Drill

08/10/2015

A number of fighter bombers and AWACS reconnaissance planes are taking part in the latest and largest of the summer’s US Pacific Air Forces Red Flag exercises now underway in Alaska.

Unique Capabilities of PAK FA Pilot’s Gear Unveiled

08/10/2015

The new pilot gear can arguably be considered a technical revolution in the field. The suit was specially designed to make the pilot feel comfortable during supersonic-speed flights. It is equipped with an anti-G system which features a hose for delivering air to the pilot.

US Moving F-16s to Turkey

08/09/2015

The U.S. military is planning to move fighter jets to Turkey as part of the mission to target the Islamic State in Syria, Fox News has learned. The U.S. Air Force is planning to send six F-16s from an undisclosed location in Europe to Turkey after the Turks agreed to allow manned flights from Incirlik Air Base and others last week. This would put U.S. jets only a 30-minute flight from ISIS targets in Syria.

Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

08/09/2015

On Aug. 7, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine airstrikes using bomber, attack, fighter, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 10 airstrikes coordinated with the government of Iraq using attack, fighter, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.

DARPA Awards $20 Million for Continued Development of a Military Space Plane

08/09/2015

The objective of the Experimental Spaceplane XS-1 program is to demonstrate relevant technologies and then fabricate and fly a reusable, unmanned aircraft to the edge of space. The XS-1 would then deploy a small expendable upper stage able to launch a 3,000-pound spacecraft to Earth orbit at a cost of no more than $5M, or about one-tenth the cost of today’s launch systems.

Quora Question: Do Naval Aviators Land Planes Harder Than Air Force or National Guard Pilots?

08/09/2015

If, as a Naval Aviator, you have practiced only one style of landing for the many years of your naval career, both landing aboard an aircraft carrier and also on a 12,000-foot runway, it is quite understandable that unlearning that conditioned, familiar landing style and learning a new style—flaring*—may take some time before being perfected.