Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

F-16 fighter jet crashes in Arizona; pilot feared dead

01/22/2016

A student pilot from Taiwan is feared dead after an F-16 fighter jet from Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix crashed Thursday in a remote area of northwestern Arizona, authorities said. Base officials said the man with the Taiwanese Air Force was flying solo and engaged in air-to-air combat training with an instructor when his F-16 went down for still unknown reasons.

Hawaii copter crash: Missing Marines declared dead

01/22/2016

Twelve Marines who went missing when the two helicopters carrying them apparently crashed off the coast of Hawaii last week have been declared dead. A witness on January 14 saw a fireball in midair; another reported seeing a flare. The U.S. Marine Corps notified the Coast Guard that two CH-53 copters, carrying six men each, were missing. A search ensued involving the Navy, the National Guard, as well as Hawaii fire, police and Ocean Safety.

Indian Mi-25 helicopters set to join Afghan Air Force

01/22/2016

Three Mi-25 gunship helicopters supplied by India are to officially join the Afghan Air Force today. The gunships, delivered at the end of December last year, have been in the assembly process. The decision for the delivery of Mi-25 gunship helicopters was concluded during the recent visit of Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar to New Delhi.

U.S. flies fleet of F-22 stealth fighters to air base in Tokyo

01/22/2016

Eight F-22 stealth fighters flew from the United States to the U.S. Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Jan. 20 in an apparent show of strength following key developments in East Asia. The headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan, which is located at the U.S. Air Force base straddling Fussa and other western Tokyo suburbs, said the move was nothing special.

Oil price, weak currency challenge Norwegian F-35 buy

01/22/2016

The low price of oil and a weak currency have led to speculation Norway is questioning its purchase of the costly Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the first example of which was handed over to Oslo in September 2015.

Air Force shelves plans to retire A-10 claiming the aircraft is needed in the fight against ISIS

01/22/2016

The rise of ISIS may have inadvertently saved the A-10 ground attack jets from retirement. Gen David Goldfein, the Air Force's vice chief of staff, said ISIS and a US air campaign have prompted a reconsideration of plans made by the Air Force to retire the A-10, which first joined the service's fleet in 1975. The Air Force's F-35 is expected to eventually replace the A-10 Thunderbolt, but the new jets have not been battle tested.

Full-scale production of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas by next year: Manohar Parrikar

01/22/2016

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said full-scale production of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas will begin by next year and that other countries have shown interest in the plane. ”As per my primary report, it is appreciated by other countries who are interested. By next year, we are starting full-scale production,” he told reporters at the NCC Republic Day camp here.

India’s Light combat aircraft Tejas makes debut at Bahrain air show

01/22/2016

Light combat aircraft Tejas, made in India by state-run company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), flew for the first time at the Bahrain International Air Show on Thursday. “Two Tejas fighters are participating in the three-day Bahrain air show to display its air prowess through aerobatic manoeuvres like 8-G (gravity) pull, vertical loop, slow fly past and barrel roll,” HAL chairman and managing director T. Suvarna Raju said in a statement from the island country in the Persian Gulf.

Tokyo Goes All In to Save US Base in Okinawa Despite Local Resentment

01/22/2016

With mayoral elections coming up in Okinawa, the Japanese government is working to ensure that a candidate in the ruling party wins. Dangling financial benefits to voters, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to ensure that a US airbase remains on the island.

Russian Company Ready to Supply Fighters for New Indian Aircraft Carrier

01/22/2016

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG is ready to deliver the required number of naval MiG-29K/KUB multirole fighter aircraft for the new Indian Vishal aircraft carrier, a company spokeswoman, Anastasia Kravchenko, said Thursday.

Algeria interested in Su-34s

01/21/2016

Algeria is negotiating with Russia over the purchase of Su-34 strike aircraft, with around 12 apparently being considered. Sergei Smirov, the director of the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) plant, which manufactures the aircraft, told Russian business daily Vedomosti on 30 December that talks have resumed on the export of Su-32 bombers (export designation of the Su-34) to Algeria after eight years of negotiations.

Kuwait to boost military capabilities with $10bn additional funds

01/21/2016

The Kuwait Ministry of Defence has decided to allocate $10bn towards strengthen the country's military capabilities. The funds will be used to purchase new fighter jets, tanks and air defence systems, enhancing capabilities of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces over the next ten years. The move is part of the country's larger modernisation project, which aims to replace the legacy military weapons currently in use.

It’s Russia’s turn to learn that stealth warplanes are hard to do

01/21/2016

After confronting serious technical and economic difficulties, Russia has dramatically cut back its air force program to field its first radar-evading “stealth” fighter jet. By delaying large-scale acquisition of the Sukhoi T-50 fighter, the Kremlin is tacitly acknowledging a truth that the U.S. military learned decades ago — and that China might also learn in coming years: developing stealth fighters is hard.

Russia shows military might in Syria ahead of peace talk

01/21/2016

Helicopter gunships sweep low around Russia's air base on the Syrian coast and long-range air-defense missile systems tower at the base's edge as warplanes take off one after another. The sound is deafening. Russia's heavy airstrikes in Syria continued Wednesday, days ahead of the hoped-for start of talks on how to end one aspect of the country's five-year-old war, where government forces fight rebels, and militants including the extremist Islamic State have seized substantial stretches of terri

Meet Chengdu's Ace Fighter Designer

01/21/2016

China is often considered a “Black Box” in terms of its military research and development. The opacity surrounding the often-hyped Chinese military modernization program has fueled much speculation about its potential, capabilities and its planned intended use by the Chinese Communist Party.

Why Is the Air Force Using Jet-Flying Mercenaries?

01/21/2016

The U.S. Air Force’s elite Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, has started using contractors flying privately-owned combat aircraft to help train the service’s tactical gurus. The contractors have been hired for what amounts to a trial run. If it goes well, there are likely to be further contracts.

Turkish Troops Entered Syria - Kurdish Media

01/21/2016

On Tuesday evening, the Turkish army reportedly entered Syrian territory near Jarablus. While ostensibly aimed at liberating the city from Daesh, the operation may have more to do with keeping Kurdish People’s Protection Units away from the Turkish border.

Canada Supports Anti-Daesh Coalition

01/21/2016

Canada will continue to provide military support to a US-led coalition against Daesh jihadist group, despite a decision to halt airstrikes on the militants’ positions, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Not to Be Used in East Mediterranean

01/21/2016

Highly-ranked official in the Russian military industrial complex said that Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, will not be used in operations in the Eastern Mediterranean against Daesh terrorists.

Defense Contractor Northrop Grumman Planning to Fly T-X Prototype in 2016

01/21/2016

Northrop Grumman will fly a prototype of its T-X concept aircraft sometime in the next six months, ahead of an upcoming Air Force competition to replace the aging T-38 fleet used for advanced jet training.

Taiwan's Other Big News: Is Taipei Getting U.S. Harrier Jets?

01/20/2016

It was reported late last week that Washington might offer Taipei surplus Boeing AV-8B Harrier II Plus strike aircraft as the U.S. Marine Corps retires the venerable jump-jets in favor the stealthy, supersonic F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. According to Defense News, the Harriers would be offered under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.

Boost in aircraft, personnel part of Pacific pivot for Yokota

01/20/2016

The U.S. is adding more than 1,100 personnel and spending $1 billion on new C-130J aircraft and support facilities at Yokota Air Base as part of the Pacific pivot. The servicemembers and their families will arrive at the base over the next few years along with a Special Operations Squadron bringing 10 CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, said Col. Douglas C. DeLaMater, 374th Airlift Wing commander.

Canada Excluded From Anti-Islamic State Coalition Meeting

01/20/2016

Canada has been excluded from a meeting of defense ministers in Paris this week to discuss the fight against Islamic State militants. The apparent snub follows new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's vow that he would remove the country's six fighter jets from the anti-IS coalition and at a time the U.S. is looking for its allies to step up their contributions.

Report: Germany's Tornado Recon Jets 'Can't Fly at Night'

01/20/2016

German Tornado jets deployed to Syria for reconnaissance missions can't fly at night, Bild daily reported Tuesday in a new embarrassment for the Defense Ministry, which has been battling equipment problems. The six aircraft sent to Syria are fitted with surveillance technology, and had been touted as being capable of taking high-resolution photos and infrared images, even at night and in bad weather.

USAF faces cost conundrum with F-35, KC-46 and LRS-B

01/20/2016

As the secretary of the air force has put it many times, the US military is on the losing side of the cost curve – with few aircraft coming in, and cuts, cuts and more cuts just to pay the bills. In terms of aircraft, USAF is smaller today than at any point since it split from the army in 1947. This month marks the 25th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm – arguably the greatest display of combat airpower in history. Now, the air branch is reminiscing about how mighty it once was.