Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Open house draws hundreds to Andersen

02/22/2016

Hundreds of residents lined up at the gates of Andersen Air Force Base to take part in one of the few events during which the base is open to the public. The Pacific Air Partners Open House event concluded Saturday afternoon but not before providing residents the opportunity to see up close the various aircraft utilized by the U.S. Air Force and its partners in the Pacific.

US commander defends Joint Strike Fighter F-35A ahead of Senate inquiry

02/22/2016

The American head of the global Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program has acknowledged the software in the aircraft is "a big risk" ahead of a Senate inquiry into the Federal Government's acquisition of the jets. Australia is spending $17.8 billion on buying 72 US-made aircraft and associated systems, with the first expected to arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service in 2020, replacing the F/A-18 Hornet fleet.

KC-135 crew must be ready for anything

02/22/2016

Dwight David Eisenhower was in the White House when the KC-135 Stratotanker rolled off the assembly line. Tensions with Moscow were running high and the island nation of Cuba was a constant source of news. That was 57 years ago. Friday morning, when the same, now-aging aerial refueling jet rolls down the runway at MacDill Air Force Base, Barack Obama is in the White House, tensions with Moscow are once again running high and Cuba is once again a constant source of news.

The Q-1 Predator Became A History-Changing Deadly Missile Slinger 15 Years Ago Today

02/22/2016

The Predator unmanned aircraft system and the Hellfire missile were the right technologies at the right time for an America that had just declared war against terror following the horrific events of September 11. Just over six months before planes slammed into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, the Predator had gone from aerial intelligence collection asset to flying assassin.

Chinese Weapons Exports Increase Over the Past Five Years

02/22/2016

China has almost doubled its weapons exports in the past five years, a military think tank said on Monday, as the world’s third-largest weapons exporter pours capital into developing an advanced arms manufacturing industry. In 2011 to 2015, China’s arms imports fell 25% compared with the previous five year period, signaling a growing confidence in the country’s homegrown weaponry despite key areas of weakness.

The Air Force of the Future: Lasers on Fighter Jets, Planes That Think

02/21/2016

Fighter jets that shoot high-powered lasers. Robots that mine hours of intelligence data in milliseconds. A tactical aircraft that can think for itself. These are just a few of the cutting-edge technology breakthroughs the Air Force hopes will change the game in the future battle space.

Indonesia Chooses Russian Su-35 Over Northrop’s F-5 Fighter Planes

02/21/2016

In the Singapore Airshow 2016 today, Indonesia agreed to buy about one dozen Sukhoi Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, to upgrade its fleet. The transaction will take a month to complete. The Indonesian Air Force wants to replace 12 of its aging Northrop Grumman Corporation (F-5 fighters. The country already has two of Russia’s Su-27SK aircraft, three Su-27SKM, two Su-30MK, and nine Su-30MK2 jet fighters.

China Allows International Sale of PLA's Fighter Jets

02/21/2016

China has allowed the PLA to export its domestically developed J-10 fighter jet as the country looks to attract buyers at the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. booth at the Singapore Airshow 2016, which kicked off on Tuesday, Feb .16, according to a report China Daily.

Canadian Panel To Guide Major Procurements

02/21/2016

The Canadian government has formed a Cabinet committee to shepherd high-profile defense purchases, including those of fighter aircraft, through the country’s notoriously problem-plagued procurement system. The committee will oversee billions of dollars in new purchases and ensure they do not get stalled in a federal bureaucracy that has seen other defense acquisitions derailed or delayed for years.

A Defiant Iran Defies The UN and International Laws Again

02/21/2016

The world powers' view of Iran has significantly shifted. Those days in which Iran was being punished for violating the law seem to have gone. For many, it is baffling that Iran is now capable of getting away with breaking international laws, particularly in the last few months after the nuclear deal was reached between the six world powers (known as P5+1; China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus Germany) and the Islamic Republic.

India to commence captive flight trials of its anti-radiation missile

02/20/2016

India has reportedly unveiled plans to commence captive flight trials of indigenously developed Anti-Radiation Missile (ARM). Developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), the air-to-surface tactical missile will also complete its maiden flight test by May this year. With a range of 100 to 125km, the missile is capable of targeting the enemy's air defence capabilities by attacking radars and communication facilities.

Afghan army to fly first unmanned aircraft in March

02/20/2016

The Afghan military is expected to field its first specialised surveillance drones as soon as March, a US commander in Kabul said, as the Asian nation slowly expands its own air force. The boost in military hardware comes as Afghan security forces, fighting largely alone since the withdrawal of most international forces in 2014, have struggled for months to hold back a Taliban insurgency.

Cameroon receiving Mi-24s

02/20/2016

Cameroon has apparently received the first of two refurbished Mi-24 attack helicopters from Russia, as part of an order for six. A Cameroonian military source told IHS Jane's Defence Weekly that the first helicopter was received by Cameroon’s Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) in mid-February when it arrived in Douala from Russia, where it is currently being assembled.

BAE profits climb as Typhoon hopes rise

02/20/2016

The company, which employs around 10,000 in Lancashire, said 2015 operating profits rose from £1.3bn to £1.5bn. The solid results come just months after the firm said it was slowing down production of the Eurofighter Typhoon and shedding up to 371 jobs at its sites in Samlesbury and Warton.

Saudi Arabian FM says Syrian rebels should be provided with surface-to-air missiles

02/20/2016

Moderate rebel groups should be supplied with surface-to-air missiles to defend themselves against air strikes from the Assad regime and its allies, Saudi Arabian foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told Der Spiegel. n recent months, Syrian government forces have driven back rebel groups, supported by intensive air strikes from the Syrian air force and allies Russia.

Raytheon To Join Race For $10B T-X Trainer Program, Competing Against Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop

02/20/2016

After years of delay, the Air Force is gearing up to replace its 500 T-38 training jets, which are used to teach young pilots how to fly front-line fighters and bombers. The supersonic T-38 has been in service with the Air Force for over 50 years, and despite periodic upgrades cannot mimic the features of the latest “fifth-generation” fighters.

Who invented Stealth? Court revives 1996 suit against Pentagon

02/20/2016

After 20 years, a St. Louis company may finally get its chance to try to prove that the Pentagon used its technology to make stealth combat aircraft stealthy without paying for it. An appeals court on Friday revived a patent-infringement suit that Zoltek Corp. first filed in March 1996. The court said a judge erred in ruling the patent invalid, and ordered a hearing on whether the F-22 fighter plane and B-2 bomber used a Zoltek invention.

U.S. strike on Libya camp escalates campaign against Islamic State

02/20/2016

A U.S. air attack killed dozens of militants in Libya on Friday, marking an escalation in the American campaign against the Islamic State as the militant group expands its reach from North Africa to Central Asia. U.S. and regional officials said that U.S. F-15 fighter jets struck a suspected Islamic State camp on the outskirts of Sabratha, a restive city in western Libya, killing at least 40 people in an early-morning attack that targeted senior militant Noureddine Chouchane.

Chinese fighter jet cleared for exports

02/20/2016

China have given the green signal for exporting its domestically-developed J-10 fighter as the country looks to attract buyers at the Singapore Airshow, the media reported on Thursday. A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10, is on display at the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp booth at the six-day Singapore Airshow 2016 that started on Tuesday.

Saab's Next-Gen Gripen Fighter Jets Ready in May

02/19/2016

Saab’s next-generation Gripen E combat jet will be rolled out of the assembly site at Linkopping, Sweden, on May 18, the company announced during a briefing with reporters at the Singapore Airshow. Three aircraft are planned for the test phase of the new aircraft E/F variant, which has been purchased by Swedish and Brazilian air forces.

Red in Tooth and Claw: China Arms L-15 AFT Trainer

02/19/2016

What began as a simple lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) has evolved into an aircraft armed to the teeth. At the Singapore Airshow this week, the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. (CATIC) displayed the supersonic Hongdu-built L-15 Falcon attack/fighter/trainer (AFT) aircraft armed with new weapon systems not seen outfitted on the Falcon before.

New images show RAF Typhoons intercepting Russian Blackjack bomber - capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles - as it headed for UK airspace

02/19/2016

This is the moment a Russian Blackjack bomber, capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles, was intercepted by RAF Typhoons as it headed for UK airspace. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack aircraft were spotted heading towards Britain with Typhoons sent out in response.

A Glimpse Into China's Military Presence in the South China Sea

02/19/2016

Widely published satellite imagery from Feb. 14 shows the presence of new Chinese air defense systems on Woody Island in the South China Sea, highlighting continuing maritime frictions in the area. But new imagery obtained by Stratfor provides a higher-resolution view of the deployment and activities taking place across the island.

U.S.: Russian fighter jet sale to Iran would violate arms ban

02/19/2016

The Obama administration said Thursday that a proposed Russian sale of fighter jets to Iran would violate a U.N. arms embargo on Tehran, setting up another standoff related to last year's nuclear negotiations. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said transferring the Sukhoi-30 jets, comparable to American F-15E fighter bombers, requires the U.N. Security Council's approval.

Battle Over the Aegean: The Undeclared Greco-Turkish Air War

02/19/2016

On February 15, six Turkish fighter jets and a Navy transport plane violated Greek airspace over island territories in the eastern Aegean Sea nearly two dozen times. Commenting on the latest violation, Russian military analyst Alexei Kupriyanov decided to take a look back at the recent history of the decades-long conflict between Athens and Ankara.