Military Aviation News Archive

Analysis: China's missile deployment ups the ante for the U.S. and allies

02/18/2016

China’s deployment of anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed island it has occupied and expanded in the South China Sea ups the ante for the United States and its allies as they seek to deter further Chinese expansion in the area.

Russia Receives Over 60 Yak-130 Aircraft Since 2010 – Manufacturer

02/18/2016

The Russian Aerospace Forces have received over 60 Yak-130 combat training aircraft since 2010, the plane’s manufacturer said Wednesday. "Deliveries of Yak-130 aircraft to the Russian Defense Ministry were commenced in 2010, and in 2011 for export. As of the beginning of 2016, over 60 Yak-130 aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which are widely used in educational centers," the Irkut Corporation representative told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016.

US stealth jets fly over S Korea amid tiff with North

02/18/2016

A formation of four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters swept through the skies of South Korea on Wednesday as the militaries of South Korea and the U.S. flexed their muscles against North Korea following its nuclear and missile tests.

CAE, Draken International bid for Canadian contract

02/18/2016

CAE reports it has bid on a Canadian government contract to provide combat support training services to the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian Army. The bid for the 10-year Contracted Airborne Training Services program was submitted earlier this week and includes CAE's joint venture partner Draken International, a U.S.-based company with the world's largest fleet of privately owned fighter aircraft for adversary and threat training.

Vietnam, Philippines Lead Region’s Reaction to China

02/18/2016

China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact,” Beijing’s then foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, impatiently told Southeast Asian leaders looking for U.S. support in the South China Sea in 2010. The message was clear enough: they should do as they were told.

The U.S.-funded Afghan air force is growing. So are civilian casualties it causes.

02/18/2016

The Afghan air force is poised to take a major step forward in 2016 with the initial deployment of the A-29 Super Tucano, an attack plane bought by the Pentagon to give the Afghan military the ability to drop bombs in combat. But before the plane has flown a single combat mission, a new report suggests the Afghan military is struggling to avoid killing civilians with the other aircraft it already has.

RAF jets scrambled to intercept Russian bombers

02/18/2016

The Typhoon jets were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Wednesday afternoon following the security alert. An RAF spokesman said the situation was "on-going" and was not uncommon.

Private sector will build fighter jets in India: Parrikar

02/18/2016

Officially throwing open the contest for fighter aircraft once again, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that India will select one or two fighter aircraft which will be manufactured locally by a private company under Make in India initiative. This is in addition to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the production of which is being scaled up.

Spain Agrees to Purchase Predator Drone System With Four Planes

02/18/2016

The Spanish military decided to purchase a Predator B drone system consisting of four planes and two ground control stations with satellite links, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) said in a press release on Wednesday.

Iraqi Officials Fear Daesh May Have Stolen Radioactive Material

02/18/2016

Iraqi officials have lost track of "highly dangerous" radioactive material. Authorities are desperately tracking down the missing materials, and are worried that it may have fallen into the hands of Daesh (IS/Islamic State).

China Reveals New Missiles At Singapore Airshow

02/17/2016

According to Richard Fisher, a senior fellow on Asian military affairs with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the TL-7 is making its debut as the export model of the KD-88 precision-guided air to surface missile that entered PLA Air Force service on the Xian-built JH-7A fighter bombers in 2006 and 2007.

Malaysia Orders MD530G Light Attack Helicopters

02/17/2016

The Malaysian government has selected MD Helicopter’s new MD530G as the country’s attack helicopter in competition with Airbus, Bell, Boeing and Turkish Aerospace Industries for the long-running requirement. MD will deliver six MD530Gs to Malaysian Army Aviation. Deliveries are expected to start towards the end of this year, while the full complement will arrive in country during the first quarter of 2017.

Hopeless but not Syri-ous

02/17/2016

Welcome to Permanent War, as Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev dubbed today’s Middle East. It isn’t as bad as it sounds, provided, of course, that you’re not in it. The bonfire built on tribal enmity and national disillusionment will have to burn itself out over time. The risk lies in the possible spread of the fire outside the region.

SINGAPORE: New self-protection suite ordered for Indonesian Hawk

02/17/2016

Indonesia’s 24-strong fleet of BAE Systems Hawk light combat aircraft are to receive a self-protection system upgrade from Finmeccanica. Performed by Singaporean prime Aptronics, Finmeccanica’s Seer radar warning receiver will be installed on an initial batch of aircraft for current operations, with an option to provide further systems in future, Finmeccanica says.

WHAT CHINA'S NEW MISSILES MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

02/17/2016

In late 1995, escalating Chinese threats against Taiwan prompted President Bill Clinton to stage a show of American support for the beleaguered island that Beijing’s leaders couldn’t ignore. Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups steaming into the conflict zone, their heavily armed fighter jets poised on deck for takeoff.

GAO Turns Down Boeing Protest Over Bomber Contract - 2nd Update

02/17/2016

Northrop Grumman Corp. can resume work on developing a new Air Force bomber after a federal overseer on Tuesday rejected a protest led by Boeing Co. on Northrop's contract for a program that could ultimately cost more than $80 billion.

Iran Interested in Implementing Russian Joint Air Defense System

02/17/2016

On February 15, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan arrived in Moscow on an official visit; the minister is expected to meet with Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin, Deputy Premier Dmitry Rogozin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Su-30s, Mi-8s: Iran Considers Inking $8 Billion Arms Deal With Russia

02/17/2016

Iran plans to buy the Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters, the Mil Mi-8 and the Mil Mi-17 helicopters, as well as other weapons from Russia in an arms deal worth more than $8 billion, the Kommersant newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

Russia Starts Construction of 7 Mi-171Sh Helicopters for Bangladesh

02/17/2016

Russia has started construction of seven Mi-171Sh combat-transport helicopters for the Bangladesh Air Force, a deputy CEO of the Russian Helicopters company said Tuesday.

Russia Plans to Seal Deal on Mi-17V-5 Helicopters Delivery to India in 2016

02/17/2016

Russian Helicopters plans to sign a contract with India for the delivery of an additional batch of 48 Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters in 2016, the company’s deputy director general said Tuesday.

Look Out, America: China Wants Its Own Vertical Takeoff Jets

02/16/2016

A few scattered reports have emerged in Western news outlets over the last couple of years regarding the J-18 V/STOL fighter, but newly available evidence lends additional weight to the theory that China has a third fourth generation fighter program (in addition to J-20 and J-31 that are well known already).

U.S. Air Force to send F-15 jets to Finland

02/16/2016

The U.S. Air Force will send six F-15s to Finland this spring for exercises that will operate out of a base about 100 miles from the border with Russia, military officials say. The six jets from the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Oregon will fly training missions with Finnish forces as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which the United States initiated in 2014 to reassure NATO allies after Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

Pakistan gets F-16s despite Indian pressure

02/16/2016

A decision by the US State Department to sell 8 F-16 fighter jets to help Pakistan in its counter-terrorism operations came in the face of intense opposition by the Indian lobby in Washington and some US Congressmen who argued these aircraft would be used against India.

SINGAPORE: Boeing moots possibility of Indian F/A-18 E/F deal

02/16/2016

Boeing has resurrected the possibility of a sale of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter to India, as part of a broader concept to support New Delhi’s development of an indigenous aerospace sector. Jeff Kohler, vice-president of international business development for Boeing Defense, says discussions are underway between the US and Indian governments about the potential for the US to support New Delhi’s “Make in India” initiative, which envisages local production across a range of industries.

Russia has just deployed its most advanced spyplane to Syria

02/16/2016

The Tu-214R is a Russian ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) aircraft. In other words, a quite advanced spy plane. As we have already explained here in the past, it is a special mission aircraft equipped with all-weather radar systems and electro optical sensors that produce photo-like imagery of a large parts of the ground: these images are then used to identify and map the position of the enemy forces, even if these are camouflaged or hidden.