Military Aviation News Archive

General Atomics to Sell Reaper Drones to France for $43.7Mln - Pentagon

01/20/2016

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has won a $43.7 million US Air Force foreign military sales contract to supply France with MQ-9 Reaper Drones, the US Department of Defense announced.

Life of RAF Tornado squadron further extended to 2018

01/19/2016

Further detail on the UK Ministry of Defence’s November Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) has revealed the retirement of a Panavia Tornado GR4 squadron will be pushed back to 2018, from the previously announced 2017 date.

Report: Russian Military Presence in Syria Upgrading Military Skills of Hezbollah

01/19/2016

The Russian military presence in Syria is significantly upgrading the military skills of Hezbollah, according to an Israeli general. In a report for a Washington think tank, Gen.Muni Katz, a former commander of the Israeli division posted on the Lebanese border, said that the Lebanese militia, whose strategy against Israel had previously been defense oriented, is indirectly picking up lessons in sophisticated offensive warfare from their new Russian comrades-in-arms.

China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions

01/19/2016

The international media landed itself a gift shortly before ushering in 2016, when it transpired at a recent Chinese Defense Ministry press conference that Beijing’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, and the second one for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) after the Liaoning entered service since September 25, 2012, is currently under construction.

Is ISIS Operating a Secret High-Tech Weapons Lab?

01/19/2016

New video footage seems to reveal that the Islamic State (ISIS) operates its own research lab that is developing weapons of unprecedented sophistication for a nonstate actor. If the footage is confirmed, ISIS poses a much more lethal threat than first thought, not only against ground attacks, but also against airpower.

Search off Hawaii Finds Life Rafts but No Sign of 12 Marines

01/19/2016

Authorities searching the area where two Marine helicopters crashed off Hawaii have found some life rafts that were carried aboard the aircraft, but still no sign of the 12 crew members who were on board. The Coast Guard said Monday that three of the four life rafts confirmed to have been aboard the helicopters have been recovered and efforts were being made to recover the fourth. Some of the rafts were inflated, but it was unclear how they came to be inflated, USCG Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooe

F-22 Performs over Syria/Iraq Despite Comms Issues

01/19/2016

As Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) continues over Iraq and Syria, the U.S. Air Force has maintained the involvement of top-of-the-line Lockheed Martin (LM) F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. On six-month rotations to Al Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirtates, the Raptors have flown approximately 300 sorties in OIR, dropping weapons and providing “mission assurance” to other elements of the strike package, according to U.S. Air Force officials.

Combat-coded F-35A to begin dropping bombs

01/19/2016

In February or early March, a combat-coded F-35A from the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB will release an inert, laser-guided bomb at the nearby Utah Test and Training Range. What will seem ordinary and routine to the pilot will actually be a “monumental achievement” for the multinational F-35 programme, which has been building to this moment since Lockheed Martin won the Joint Strike Fighter contract in 2001.

Modern Military Hardware to Total 70% in Russian Southern District in 2016

01/19/2016

About 1,200 units of modern and modernized weapons and military hardware are expected to be delivered to the Russian Southern Military District forces, according to Commander of the Southern Military District Col. Gen. Alexander Galkin.

Russia Hopes Easing of Tehran Sanctions Will Boost Helicopter Sales to Iran

01/19/2016

For Russian Helicopters company, the end of sanctions against Tehran means an opportunity to supply Iran with new military helicopters and after-sales services, according to the Russian state technology company Rostec.

Swedish-Finn Alliance May Influence Fighter Choice

01/18/2016

The deepening in bilateral defense collaboration between non-aligned Nordic states Sweden and Finland is expected to include the establishment of joint units and the sharing of naval and Air Force infrastructure. Moreover, Sweden remains interested in selling the JAS Gripen-E to Finland, which has begun the process of replacing the Air Force’s F/A-18 C/D Hornet aircraft, which are scheduled to be retired between 2025 and 2030.

Specially Painted Helicopters Celebrate Coast Guard Aviation Centenary

01/18/2016

US Coast Guard Air Station Astoria received a yellow-painted MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at its base in Warrenton on Jan. 15, in celebration of 100 years of Coast Guard aviation. The Jayhawk helicopter, the first of all this year’s specially painted aircraft delivered by the Coast Guard to an operational unit, arrived from Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and will operate out of the Warrenton base for the next 4 years.

With or without the F-16s, Pakistan will remain a regional game changer

01/18/2016

Fighting Falcon F-16, an American built multi-role fighter jet, has enjoyed a deep-rooted relationship with Pakistan for over three decades. Thanks to its design, it offers an almost complete solution to the tactical and narrowed strategic demands of a compact Air Force like Pakistan’s. Its matchless aerodynamics and upgraded avionics put it a notch above its peers of third generation fighters.

Abandoned Defence Deal: Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jets offer

01/18/2016

Congratulatory messages on several social networking sites flowed in big numbers from Pakistanis around the world saying kudos to their Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his first ‘sale’ of 8 JF-17 thunder jets to Sri Lanka, but within a few days, it came down with a thud when Sri Lanka said, “Sorry we call it a day with the deal.” Several Pakistani media also quoted that the deal for JF-17s will be inked during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s three-day visit to Colombo that took place two weeks ago.

Nigeria: U.S.$2.1 Billion Arms Procurement Deal - Blame Not Yakassai, Blame the System

01/18/2016

One domestic issue with many foreign policy implications currently generating much national and international interest is that of $2.1 billion arms procurement deal. Under the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) administration, the $2.1 billion was earmarked to purchase arms for the prosecution of the anti-Boko Haram war.

Money Ballast Keeps Rafales on Runway

01/18/2016

With barely a week left for the arrival of French President Francois Hollande in the national capital, a crucial deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France has hit turbulence. Nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Paris India’s plans to buy the fighter aircraft directly from the French government, officials of the finance wing of the Ministry of Defence are worried about the high costs of the warplanes, which has turned out to be the way above their calculations.

Search for missing Marines continues following helicopter crash off Oahu

01/18/2016

The ongoing search for 12 Marines who are missing after two helicopters crashed off Hawaii entered the third day with no plans Sunday to call off or suspend the massive effort, the Coast Guard said. While high surf complicated the mission for rescuers on the water, a green laser off Haleiwa Beach Park on Saturday night struck a Coast Guard plane, forcing crew members to alter search patterns.

Airstrike Era Over, Time for Local Ground Ops in Iraq - Canada Def. Chief

01/18/2016

The Canadian minister of defense has openly favored a ground operation against Daesh instead of airstrike-only campaigns. But Canada’s army has a more important job to do at home: engage more women and minorities into the military service. Someone else will have to do the dirty job in the Middle East in the end, most likely.

Formidable Boost: China to Produce Cutting-Edge Aircraft

01/18/2016

The fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighter and the Y-20 heavy-lifting transport plane are about to enter the initial production stage, the observers said. Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the newest J-20 prototype must be tested to inspect technical changes designers made to it based on test results from earlier prototypes.

Russia Moves Closer to Building New Aircraft Carrier

01/18/2016

Currently, Russia has only one aircraft carrier in service – the Admiral Kuznetsov. It was built in the Ukrainian SSR, at the Nikolayev shipyards. After the USSR collapsed in 1991, Russia lost access to the facilities which built all Soviet aircraft carriers. As a result, Moscow was forced to create its own aircraft carrier industrial base.

Russia to deploy Ka-52 attack helicopters to Syria to protect Latakia air base

01/16/2016

Russian Kamov Ka-52 (NATO reporting name “Hokum-B”) helicopters would be about to deploy to Syria according to a source who talked to ITAR-TASS.vThe attack choppers will be used to protect the Russian Task Force deployed to Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, as well as to conduct CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) missions as the one launched to rescue the two pilots who ejected from the Su-24 Fencer shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 in November 2015.

TEXTRON AIRLAND’S SCORPION: A SMART GAMBLE

01/16/2016

For starters, the subsonic, twin-engine jet costs $20 million, and operating costs dial in at around $3,000 per flight hour, according to a BBC report by Russell Hotten. For comparison, the efficient A-10 Thunderbolt II, otherwise known as the “Warthog,” costs an initial $19 million and operational costs are estimated at $17,716 per flight hour, though these numbers will vary based on year and modifications.

The US Thinks China May Have Stolen Military Robot Designs

01/16/2016

The federal government wants to know if hacked trade secrets are aiding the rise of an army of Chinese androids. At least one China-backed cyberspy operation reportedly snared robotics research from QinetiQ, a Pentagon contractor and the supposed inspiration for gadget-maker “Q” in the James Bond movie franchise.

Future of Croatian Air Force In Question Due to Lack of Funds

01/16/2016

Government and military leaders should make a decision this year about the fate of the Croatian Air Force combat aircraft. In April last year, the National Defence Council decided to retain combat air force capabilities and acquire Western-type aircraft. However, in the meantime, the government and military leadership have reportedly changed their minds.

Military aircraft collide off Oahu; search on for survivors

01/16/2016

Two Marine Corps helicopters carrying six crew members each collided and went down off the Hawaiian island of Oahu while on a nighttime training mission, and rescuers searched choppy waters Friday where debris had been sighted, military officials said. There was no immediate word on the fate of those aboard or what caused the accident.