Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Afghan Air Force Not Ready Until 2020, Top US General Says

03/12/2016

The Afghan air force will not reach necessary strength levels until 2020, according to a top U.S. general. General John Campbell, who ended his command of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan last week, told reporters Friday that some aircraft procured for the force would not arrive in Afghanistan until 2018. The force would then need an additional two to three years to train the pilots needed for the new aircraft, he explained.

North Korean Submarine Lost Off Eastern Coast - Reports

03/12/2016

US spy satellites, aircraft and ships observed as the North Korean navy searched for the missing submarine for several days, the officials said on Friday. The United States is unaware of the submarine’s current whereabouts. On Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea had fired two short-range missiles. The missiles hit waters northeast of the port city of Wonsan, the South Korean military said.

US warns that China could project 'substantial offensive military power' from Spratlys within months

03/11/2016

China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of US national intelligence said.

US Sends 3 Nuclear Stealth Bombers to Pacific

03/11/2016

The United States has deployed three B-2 Spirit nuclear stealth bombers to support U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Strategic Command announced Wednesday. The aircraft are the United States' most advanced bomber and part of its nuclear deterrent defenses. It is not the first time that the United States deployed the B-2 bombers to the Pacific Command. Last fall, the U.S. Air Force deployed three B-2s to Guam. In March 2013, the U.S. sent two B-2s to conduct a flyover near Seoul, South Korea.

Army Apaches with skis: Attack helos get cold weather upgrades

03/11/2016

As the Army builds its very first AH-64 Apache battalion in Alaska, soldiers in the unit are experiencing a lot of firsts. The 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, is the first Apache unit to permanently install skis on the bird. It also is the first to “cold-soak” the aircraft in temperatures as low as 20 degrees below zero for days at a time to see how the system reacts to such extreme cold.

Indian AF Says New Indigenous Missile Will Be Too Heavy

03/11/2016

India's Air Force has raised objections to the indigenous new generation anti-radiation missile (NGARM) currently in development. The 60-kilometer-range NGARM, developed by state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), will undertake flight trials in three months but Indian Air Force (IAF) officials say the missile is too bulky. DRDO is developing NGARM for the service's Mirage-2000H, Jaguar, Su-30 MKI and the upcoming Light Combat Aircraft.

Pentagon: Military spy drones in U.S. used for disaster relief

03/11/2016

Military spy drones used for non-war purposes over the United States were almost exclusively for disaster relief or during training for natural disasters, according to the Pentagon. "I can tell you with 100% certainty that these exercises are of a Defense support-to-civil authorities nature. It's (training for or responding to) a natural disaster of some kind, earthquake, flood, hurricane or nuclear-reactor blowing up. Something like that," said Air Force Lt. Col. Tom Crosson, Pentagon spokesman

Could drones replace Canada’s fighter jets?

03/11/2016

Challenging the orthodoxy isn’t typically encouraged in large organizations, so when it happens, a minor celebration is in order. General Jonathan Vance, the country’s top soldier, is reimagining the future of the Royal Canadian Air Force – and that may include fewer fighter planes, but more drones.

Indian Air Force to showcase combat capability at Iron Fist-2016

03/11/2016

At least 181 aircraft of the Indian Air Force will come together over Thar desert this month in a breathtaking aerial ballet during Exercise Iron Fist-2016 to showcase the force's combat capability across the entire spectrum of aerial operations. Defence Attaches from various countries, except those of Pakistan and China, are scheduled to attend the event that will project India's deterrence power.

Deliveries of Russian S-300 Systems to Iran on Schedule

03/11/2016

There are no problems with the deliveries of Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to Iran, the chief of staff of the Iranian presidential administration said on Thursday. Earlier this week, an Iranian Defense Ministry source confirmed that there were no problems with the S-300 delivery to Iran, noting that work was underway to resolve the remaining technical issues.

Pentagon: US Strikes Degrade Daesh Chemical Weapons Capability

03/11/2016

The United States has launched airstrikes that destroyed some chemical weapons capabilities of the Islamic State (Daesh) and will continue such operations in the future, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook told reporters on Wednesday.

Russia Developing Advanced Laser Guidance System for Mi-28 Gunships (VIDEO)

03/11/2016

Russia is developing a multifunction image processing system and an upgraded laser guidance system for guided weapons for its newest Mi-28NM attack helicopter.

USAF studying future attack aircraft options

03/10/2016

The US Air Force has begun studying future close air support (CAS) aircraft to succeed the Fairchild Republic A-10 as the Pentagon evaluates the weaponry it needs for “prolonged operations” of one year or more.

Army Chinook Helicopter to Fly for 100 Years

03/10/2016

The Army plans to fly its Vietnam-era workhorse CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter for 100 years by continuously upgrading the platform through a series of ongoing technological adjustments designed to improve lift, weight, avionics and cargo handling, among other things. The Army goal is to allow the helicopter, which was first produced in the early 1960s, to serve all the way into the 2060s – allowing the aircraft service life to span an entire century.

USAF equips F-22 Raptor with AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Tactical Missiles

03/10/2016

The US Air Force's 90th Fighter Squadron based in Elmendorf-Richardson has equipped an F-22 Raptor with an AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Tactical Missiles. USAF3rd Wing weapons manager chief master Sergeant Chuck Jenkins said: "This has been in the inventory for the Air Force and Navy for some years; it's nothing new to the military. But to put it on the Ferrari of aircraft, the F-22, the most advanced aircraft we have, it gives the pilots more manoeuvrability, larger range.

Turnbull plays down US bombers in NT

03/10/2016

The government has played down reports that US supersonic long-range B-1B bombers could soon conduct training exercises from an RAAF base in Australia's north. Neither Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull nor Foreign Minister Julie Bishop denied this would happen or commented on a possible reaction from China. Mr Turnbull said US forces rotated through Australia all the time under the close defence relationship.

Report: Navy Aircraft Involved in Iraq Search-and-Rescue Mission

03/10/2016

A mission to recover a U.S. Army reconnaissance plane that went down March 5 in northern Iraq included Navy helicopters and Air Force personnel, according to a news article. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said Air Force pararescuemen and Navy choppers from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5 out of Norfolk, Virginia, participated in the mission, which was launched from the nearby city of Erbil, according to an article in The Washington Post.

Why Is America Using These Antique Planes to Fight ISIS?

03/10/2016

War was just an experiment for two of the U.S. military’s oldest and most unusual warplanes. A pair of OV-10 Broncos—small, Vietnam War-vintage, propeller-driven attack planes—recently spent three months flying top cover for ground troops battling ISIS militants in the Middle East.

French Air Force Plans Hires, Orders New Bombs

03/10/2016

The French Air Force is looking to recruit more mechanics to maintain fighter jets and also urgently acquiring bombs and equipment to support a high rate of operational use, air chief Gen. André Lanata said Tuesday. Urgent operating requirements have been posted for new munitions and satellite communications, he told defense journalists on March 8, daily Le Monde reported.

USAF to get more F-35s, maybe more F-22s

03/10/2016

Congress and American defense officials are realizing that over the last few decades they committed the classic sin of militaries over the centuries. America trained and equipped to fight the last war, a special operations, low intensity conflict, incorrectly defining future threats to the United States. The realization is causing the U.S. government to rethink its procurement of the latest-generation combat aircraft, specifically the F-35 and F-22.

The new Dambusters: Famous 617 squadron is being reformed at US airbase where RAF pilots are training to use F-35 stealth fighter before flying them back to the UK in glory

03/10/2016

British military pilots have been flown to South Carolina to undertake intensive combat aircraft training as the two countries reform the famous 617 Dambusters squadron. Personnel from the Royal Navy and RAF have been embedded with the US Marine Corps as they undertake a unique F-35B Lightning II operational training programme in Beaufort.

Northrop technology on nEUROn UCAV

03/09/2016

Northrop Grumman, together with Saab Aerosystems, has supplied the attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) for the nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, it was announced on 7 March. The nEUROn has now completed over 100 test flights in Sweden, Italy and France.

Mohana, Bhawana & Avani: Meet IAF's first women trainee fighter pilots

03/09/2016

ndian Air Force (IAF) will soon get its first women fighter pilot. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha announced that the force's fighter stream will no longer be a male domain from June 18, 2016 when the first batch of women fighter pilot trainees is commissioned into the force.

Weapons online: F-35A training syllabus advances ahead of IOC

03/09/2016

Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing here successfully employed two laser-guided bombs Thursday morning at a nearby range, advancing the Air Force’s F-35A training syllabus ahead of F-35A Initial Operational Capability.

B-52 bombers to take on ISIS

03/09/2016

American B-52 bombers are “ready and able” to strike ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, a top Air Force official confirmed Monday. The air campaign against ISIS is “taking a toll on our aircraft, our readiness and our airmen” but the “venerable B-52 … remains ready and able to meet combatant commander requirements,” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said during a Pentagon press briefing.