Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed F-35's Cybersecurity Flaws Cited by Pentagon Tester

03/24/2016

Cybersecurity weaknesses in Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 are among “many unresolved deficiencies” hobbling the costliest U.S. weapons program as production of the fighter jet ramps up, the Pentagon’s top tester said. “The limited and incomplete F-35 cybersecurity testing accomplished to date has nonetheless revealed deficiencies that cannot be ignored,” Michael Gilmore, the director of combat testing, said in a prepared statement for a House Armed Services panel hearing Wednesday.

India keen to buy Boeing's F-18 fighter jets as talks loom in April

03/24/2016

India is keen to consider Boeing’s offer to supply F/A- 18 Super Hornet fighter jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Sources said that New Delhi will take a hard look at the proposal in April when a high-level delegation will engage the Indian officials over the offer. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will be in India on April 10 in a visit that is expected to lift cooperation to a new level.

Federal Report Says Pratt's F135 Engine Still Has Some Problems

03/24/2016

Federal investigators said Wednesday that Pratt & Whitney's engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still is "not performing at expected levels" and is one of many glitches still plaguing the nation's next generation of fighter jets.

Russian Il-76 Transport Jet Leaves Syria With 160 Support Personnel

03/24/2016

A Russian Il-76 (NATO reporting name Candid) military transport plane carrying 160 material and technical support personnel has departed from Syria to return home, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Wednesday.

Sweden toughens up Military Strategy Doctrine

03/23/2016

Sweden’s defense command has responded to the growing unpredictability of a changed security landscape in the greater Baltic Sea area by toughening up the Military Strategy Doctrine (MSD) under which the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) deals with threats against the country’s sovereignty, Defense News reports.

Weighty Matters For Small Pilots

03/23/2016

The U.S. Air Force continues to have problems with the weight of its new the "look and shoot" helmet developed for the F-35. These HMDS (Helmet-Mounted Display System) smart helmets were first developed in South Africa during the 1970s and much improved by Israeli firms in the 1990s. HMDS are currently used by F-15, F-16 and F-18 pilots.

Lithuanian company to help maintain Ethiopian Air Force aircraft

03/23/2016

Lithuanian company FL Technics has won a tender to provide spare parts and components for aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Air Force (EAF), including L-39, An-12 and An-32 trainers and transports. The aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company made the announcement on 18 March, saying the company’s military division – FL Technics Defence – will ensure the provision of various spare parts for Aero L-39 Albatros, Antonov An-12 and An-32 aircraft.

Red Flag 16-2: Italian, Turkish and U.S. Forces Train to Fight Advanced Adversary

03/23/2016

The second Red Flag of 2016 featured an international coalition training against a dynamic and integrated “Red Adversary” Force. The exercise, running from Feb. 29 to Mar. 11 included some 23 units representing the US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and contingents from NATO partners: the Aeronautica Militare (AM – Italian Air Force) and the Turkish Air Force (TAF).

Flying Attack Missions in the A-10

03/23/2016

Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky - able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.

Analysis: what the attacks will mean for the EU

03/23/2016

The March 22 terrorist attacks in Brussels come as the European Union is still reeling from the November Paris attacks and scrambling to solve the migrant crisis. More important, they come as nationalist forces are challenging key principles of the Continental bloc, including the free movement of labor and the Schengen Agreement, which eliminated border controls among several member states.

Aquino’s Military Modernization: Unprecedented But Insufficient

03/23/2016

With his term set to end in June, it’s an appropriate time to review the Philippines’ military modernization efforts under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. During his six years in office, military modernization has advanced at a scale unprecedented since the Marcos era – but it remains insufficient.

Boeing likely to miss delivery date for tankers, Pentagon says

03/23/2016

Boeing is likely to miss the first major requirement of its $51 billion tanker program for the U.S. Air Force: delivering the initial 18 aerial refueling planes by August 2017, according to the Pentagon agency that oversees contracts.

Japan, mulling new fighter jets, opens talks with defense contractors

03/23/2016

Japan has opened talks with Western defense contractors about building a new generation of fighter jets, sources say, in what would mark an important milestone in Tokyo's strategy to maintain its air superiority over rival China. The discussions with defense companies including Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Ltd come as Japan readies its ATD-X experimental aircraft for its first test flights within days.

The U.S. military is moving into these 5 bases in the Philippines

03/22/2016

A new agreement between the United States and the Philippines clears the way for a new permanent American military presence across five bases that will support rotational deployments near the contested South China Sea. The bases include:

Serial production for Russian attack helicopter variant

03/22/2016

Russia's Rostvertol has started mass production of Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters with dual controls. According to Rostec, the Russian state corporation that promotes exports, the dual-control configuration enables the helicopter to perform as a training platform as well as a combat aircraft and is the result of a modernization program.

Indian Navy Retires Sea Harriers

03/22/2016

The Indian Navy has retired the Sea Harrier fleet that operated from its aircraft carrier INS Viraat, and plans to replace them with MiG- 29Ks that India has bought from Russia. The Indian Navy bought 30 British-made Sea Harriers in 1983 but only 11 now remain. The Navy once considered upgrading the Sea Harriers but abandoned the plan.

Tejas light combat aircraft misses target; probe ordered

03/22/2016

A laser-guided bomb fired by the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft missed its target during an exercise in Pokhran in Rajasthan and a probe had been ordered into this, a senior Indian Air Force officer said on Monday. This apart, the 'Iron Fist 2016' exercise on Friday was "largely successful", the officer said, adding the bomb missing the target was not due to pilot error.

US Army Awards Boeing $185Mln Contract for Apache Combat Helicopters

03/22/2016

The Department of Defense announced that the US Army has awarded Boeing a nearly $185 million contract to produce an undisclosed additional number of heavily-armoured Apache AH-64 attack helicopters.

Egyptian Air Force Kills 20 Daesh Terrorists in North Sinai

03/22/2016

The Egyptian Air Force carried out a anti-terrorist operation in the North Sinai province, and killed 20 militants from the Islamic State (Daesh) group, local media reported, citing a source in the military leadership.

Russia’s New MiG-35 Fighter Jet Soars Towards Test Flights

03/22/2016

Aircraft-Manufacturing Corporation MiG (RSK MiG) has built its first batch of pre-production Mikoyan MiG-35 aircraft, according to company CEO Sergei Korotkov. Without specifying how many of the aircraft have been built, he said that the planes will soon be delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense for early testing.

Beijing Raises Concerns Over US-Philippines Base Deal in South China Sea

03/22/2016

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, the recent agreement between the US and the Philippines, allowing for a US military presence at five military bases in the South China Sea, threatens "third party interests and sovereignty."

The Five Most Expensive Military Operations Since WWII

03/22/2016

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the price tag of the Russian anti-terrorist air operation in Syria – 33 billion rubles (about $464 million US). To get a handle on whether this was a little or a lot, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency has prepared an overview of some of the most expensive military operations since WWII.

The Wrong Kind Of Victory: Is the US More Powerful Militarily?

03/21/2016

One often hears of the fact that the US spends more on its military than most other nations combined. This is usually presented as evidence that the US is more powerful militarily—perhaps so powerful that it could take on the rest of the planet, and prevail. I find this attitude highly questionable. If we look at what sort of “defense” the US actually spends money on, and what it gets in return in terms of military capabilities, an entirely different picture emerges.

RUSSIA, AUSTRALIA AND THE CHANGING STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT

03/21/2016

I had the chance to meet with students and to give a presentation at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies which is part of the Australian Defence College. I made a presentation last year to the Williams Foundation, and this discussion was a follow on to that.

Death toll climbs from airstrikes on ISIS-held Syrian city

03/21/2016

The death toll from purported Russian airstrikes on the ISIS-held city of Raqqa in the past 24 hours has climbed to at least 55, mostly civilians, Syrian opposition activists and the Islamic State group said Sunday.