Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Army wants fused 3-D imagery for aviators

01/08/2016

The Army wants to fuse 3-D imagery to enable its aviators to control manned and unmanned aircraft. The goal is to help UAV operators as they "transition from their current roles actively piloting vehicles to serve instead as Mission Commanders supervising highly intelligent autonomous systems," according to the Army Small Business Innovation Research solicitation.

KAI, Indonesia Sign Formal Contract on KF-X Development

01/08/2016

Korea Aerospace Industries and Indonesia have reached a cost-sharing agreement for the development of their next generation KF-X/IF-X fighter aircraft. KAI President Ha Sung-yong (C) signs the work assignment agreement with PTDI head Budi Santoso in Jakarta on January 7, 2016.

F-35 program on the right track

01/08/2016

Lockheed-Martin and the Pentagon’s F-35 Program Office say they’ve finished delivering jets for 2015, increasing their yield from last year by 25 percent. Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman with the F-35 Joint Program Office at the Pentagon, said 45 F-35’s were delivered, which met Lockheed and the program office’s delivery goal for the year and exceeded last year’s deliveries by nine jets.

Ottawa weighs options to boost role in coalition against Islamic State

01/08/2016

The federal cabinet is reviewing options to bolster Canada’s role in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State that run the gamut from maintaining surveillance and refuelling aircraft to clandestine operations, military and government officials say.

Defense Department's love affair with the Super Hercules continues

01/08/2016

The Defense Department is set to expand its fleet of Super Hercules aircraft, a hi-tech workhorse that mixes versatility with toughness. The DOD is awarding Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than $1 billion to build 32 of the C-130 Super Hercules. It is part of a $5.3 billion contract to eventually provide the U.S. Air Force with 78 of these aircraft - 30 MC-130Js, 13 HC-130Js and 29 C-130J-30s and the U.S. Marine Corps six KC-130Js.

Lockheed Martin Brings Color to the Apache Helicopter Cockpit with $54 Million U.S. Army Contract

01/08/2016

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $54.3 million contract in December 2015 to upgrade the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) on the AH-64E Apache helicopter, bringing color to the cockpit for the first time.

How SUGAR could make stealth jets invisible: Anti-reflective coating made from sucrose conceals aircraft from radar

01/07/2016

Flying under the radar has long been the aim for pilots on secret missions. Now scientists have developed a lightweight anti-reflective coating based on the structure of a moth's eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonised sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer.

US Aircraft Reportedly 'Sniffs' Korean Skies for Evidence of Nuke Test

01/07/2016

The U.S. reportedly was sending a WC-135 "sniffer" plane Wednesday to check on North Korea's claim of setting off an underground hydrogen bomb as Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his South Korean counterpart conferred on a possible response. Susan Romano, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Technical Applications Center, said that the Air Force "as a matter of policy" does not discuss the operations of the WC-135 Constant Phoenix.

Zambian Air Force pilots conclude L-15 training ahead of deliveries

01/07/2016

Six Zambian Air Force pilots have completed training on Hongdu Aircraft Industry Group’s L-15 lead-in fighter trainer. As the first export customer for the type, Zambia will soon introduce it into active service. Hongdu, part of China’s Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), announced on 28 December that the first Zambian pilots and maintenance personnel had completed conversion to the supersonic L-15 Falcon.

German Luftwaffe joins the Syrian war

01/07/2016

On Tuesday, four Tornado combat aircraft of the German Luftwaffe were deployed to the Turkish airbase at Incirlik to support the war against ISIS in Syria. According to the official web site of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), the combat jets will conduct their first sorties toward the end of this week. On January 12, two more fighter jets will follow.

WE’VE BEEN SOLD LIES ABOUT ALLIED AIR STRIKES HAVING ISIS ON ITS BACK FOOT

01/07/2016

Last month, Daesh forces (aka IS) launched a surprise offensive against five separate targets in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. It was quickly confirmed that members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) deployed in the area as trainers were involved in the combat effort to contain and ultimately repel the Daesh attackers.

Next US Navy budget battle pits ships against strike fighters

01/07/2016

A recent directive by the US secretary of defence that pits strike fighters against ships in the navy’s next five-year spending plan will be a showdown to watch going into 2016, with increases in F-35C and F/A-18 spending coming at the expense of the Littoral Combat Ship.

Lockheed Martin Receives Sensor Sustainment Contract for the Apache Attack Helicopter

01/07/2016

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $31.8 million contract in December 2015 to sustain the AH-64D/E Apache’s targeting and pilotage system, the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS).

China Conducts More Test Flights at New Airfield in South China Sea

01/07/2016

Two civilian aircraft took off from the Meilan Airport of Haikou, capital of Hainan Province and landed at the airfield on Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands. They flew back to Haikou on Wednesday afternoon. “China's testing of a newly-built airfield is nothing more than an effort by the country to better serve the needs of the great many vessels and seafarers using one of the world's busiest shipping lanes,” Wang Haiqing wrote for an article in Xinhua.

Franco-Indian Rafale Saga Ends? Deal is Close to Getting Signed

01/07/2016

The Indian Ministry of Defense is busy finishing up a final agreement, which is expected to be signed during French President Francois Hollande’s visit to India later this month, the Indian newspaper Financial Express reported.

Just What the Middle East Needs: Turkey’s Getting an Aircraft Carrier

01/06/2016

Turkey is getting ready to widen the reach of its military considerably by building a multipurpose aircraft carrier with “trans-continental” capabilities. The 225-meter ship dubbed the Anadolu (or Anatolia), set to enter service in 2021, is designed to take fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, tanks, troops, and landing vessels to areas around the Mediterranean and as far as the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, officials say.

China lands 1st civilian plane on disputed islands, sparks neighbors' military fears

01/06/2016

A test flight by a civilian plane landed on an island in the South China Sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. It’s the first time the country has done so in the disputed Spratly Islands. Tensions are now high with neighboring Vietnam and the Philippines.

Spain and Belgium prepare to take on Baltic policing duties

01/06/2016

On 7 January, Spain will take the lead role for the next four-month, NATO-led Baltic Air Policing (BAP) rotation, as it deploys four Eurofighters to Šiauliai air base in Lithuania.

Pakistan to sell JF-17 Thunder aircraft to Sri Lanka

01/06/2016

Pakistan to sell eight combat JF-17 Thunder aircraft to Sri Lanka under an agreement signed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit on Tuesday. The multi-roll fighter aircraft is the joint production of Pakistan and China. Defence officials accompanying the prime minister said that both countries signed eight agreements related to defence, security, anti-terrorism, trade and science and technology and Pakistan would provide eight JF-17 fighter jets to Sri Lanka at the first phase.

Algeria Orders 12 Su-34 'Fullback' Fighter-Bombers from Russia

01/06/2016

The Algerian Air Force has ordered 12 Sukhoi (Su-34) 'Fullback' fighter bombers from Russian aircraft manufacturer Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association to replace an aged fleet of Soviet-era MiG-25s, which are long over-due for retirement from service, as part of an ongoing force modernization program.

FG to spend N65bn on warplanes, weapons, others

01/06/2016

The Federal Government is proposing to spend N65.03bn for the acquisition of various military aircraft, combat equipment, trucks and maintenance of boats among others in the 2016 fiscal period. Details of this amount are contained in the 2016 budget which President Muhammadu Buhari presented to a joint session of the National Assembly in December, 2015.

India’s New Fighter Jet Will Make International Debut in Bahrain

01/06/2016

India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will conduct a flight demonstration during this year’s Bahrain International Air Show held from January 21-23, The Business Standard reports based on information obtained from India’s Ministry of Defense. “The show will witness flying demonstration of the ‘Tejas’, the latest and state of the art Light Combat Aircraft, the ‘Four-plus’ generation and highly cost effective fighter aircraft,” a defense ministry spokesperson said on January 1.

New MiG-29 Jets to be Deployed to Russian Airbase in Armenia

01/06/2016

A group of MiG-29 multirole jet fighters will be deployed to the Russian airbase Erebuni in Armenia in the second half of 2016, the press office of the Russian Southern Military District reported. MiG-29 jets which will be deployed to the airbase after being fully repaired have been used to protect Armenia’s airspace within the joint air defense systems of the CIS. They have also been involved in regular training flights in accordance with the combat readiness program.

The End is Near: Syrian Opposition Forces on Offensive in Raqqa

01/06/2016

The units of the SDF, which are also supported by Russia, have been advancing on the Daesh forces near the town of Ain Isa in the country’s northern Al-Raqqa province, SDF spokesman, Colonel Talal Selo, said. "We no longer think as we did before that Daesh cannot be defeated," he added.

BAE and Northrop developing self-protection suite for US gunship

01/05/2016

Two industry heavyweights of electronic warfare have been chosen to equip special-mission Lockheed Martin AC-130J and MC-130Js with next-generation radio frequency countermeasures (RFCM) systems that can “detect, disrupt and defeat” anti-aircraft weapons, radars and other threats that use electromagnetic signals.