Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Canadian Fighter Jets and Personnel to Deploy in Romania for Training

02/26/2016

Canada will send about 100 Air Force personnel and four F-18 Hornet fighter jets to train with the Romanian military, Canada’s Defense Ministry announced in a press release. "This exercise continues to build on the strong relationship between Canada and Romania, an important NATO ally, strengthening our mutual confidence in using common NATO procedures," the release quoted Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan as saying on Thursday.

U.S. Air Force Awards Lockheed Martin JASSM Contract for Additional Polish Air Force Integration

02/26/2016

Lockheed Martin recently received a $7.9 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM®) onto the Polish Air Force F-16C/D aircraft. This second contract for Poland includes support for a broad range of certification and flight activity. Integrated logistics support and program and technical oversight will conclude in 2018. Poland became JASSM’s third international customer in September 2015.

Russia hopes to sign Algerian Su-34 deal this year

02/25/2016

Russia hopes to sign a contract for Su-34 strike aircraft with Algeria later this year, with talks at an advanced stage, according to a Russian military-diplomatic source speaking at the Singapore Airshow. “The related talks are ongoing and they have reached an advanced stage. The contract has yet to be signed,” a high-ranking military-diplomatic source told Russia’s TASS news agency.

OVER FORTY YEARS AND STILL CUTTING-EDGE: THE STORY OF TORNADO

02/25/2016

Rushing across the sky with supersonic speed. Capable of all-weather, low-level, high-speed penetration into enemy territories. Designed to replace a whole range of existing air force fleets of its time. Tornado: a nation-uniting miracle of engineering.

Cope North 16 Pacific partners sharpen air combat skills

02/25/2016

Pilots from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force conducted a large force employment here Feb. 18-26 as part of exercise Cope North 16. The exercise began with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training Feb. 14, followed by an LFE exercise that shifted the focus to air-combat tactics.

The Military’s Airborne Target Tracker Is Getting an Upgrade

02/25/2016

After 30 years, the U.S. Air Force’s eyes behind enemy lines, called JSTARS or Joint Stars (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System), is finally getting an upgrade. Contracts are expected to be awarded this year for industry to update the system with new technology and a replacement aircraft. It’s been a long wait for JSTARS, which uses airborne radar to monitor targets on the ground—particularly moving vehicles—and relay the data to allied forces below.

Navy Pondering Helicopter Future After MH-60 Seahawk

02/25/2016

The Pentagon’s Joint Multirole (JMR) investigation into a new generation of helicopters is highlighting the differences between what the Army and Navy need in terms of vertical lift aircraft, Navy and industry said last week.

Mountain Home tests to help determine if F-35s are ready for combat

02/25/2016

Flying the next generation F-35A Joint Strike Fighter jet is like stepping out of a Toyota Camry into a Lamborghini, a U.S. Air Force pilot told reporters Wednesday. “That’s as close as I can give you as an example,” Maj. Chris White said. When you take off, it gives you a shove into the back of the pilot’s seat, he said.

Australia to increase defence spending by $26bn amid rising regional tensions

02/25/2016

Australia will increase its annual defence spending by $26bn over the next decade amid concerns about the increasing pace of military modernisation to its north, regional tensions and the continuing threat of terrorism.

US Navy to Boost Presence in Disputed South China Sea Region

02/25/2016

As tensions escalate in the South China Sea, the US plans to increase its freedom-of-navigation (FON) operations through Chinese waters. Last October, the Pentagon conducted its first FON in the South China Sea, sending the USS Lassen within the 12-mile territorial limit of Beijing’s artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago. The move elicited outrage from Chinese officials.

Russian Military Shares Syria Operational Data With US Defense Attache

02/25/2016

The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday handed a map depicting the current operational situation in Syria to the US defense attache in Moscow, the ministry's press service said.

Brazil looks to sell its basic trainers to IAF

02/24/2016

Brazil’s Embraer company will be showcasing its basic trainer A-29 ‘Super Tucano’ at the forthcoming DefExpo in Goa for the first time. Keeping in mind that the Super Tucano’s role will not be limited to training alone, the company has equipped the A-29 (the Super Tucano version for the Brazilian Air Force) with systems designed not only to comply with basic requirements, but also to keep pace with the continual changes taking place in the aircraft’s potential operating theatres.

India will open all combat roles in military to women: Pranab Mukherjee

02/24/2016

Women will finally be allowed to serve in fighter streams of all armed forces in the country. Four months after the government approved the induction of women into the combat stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF), President Pranab Mukherjee said, “In the future, my government will induct women in all fighter streams of our armed forces.” The announcement was made on Tuesday during his address to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

China’s not-so-wonderful weapons

02/24/2016

For the past 15 or 20 years, China been engaged in a concerted effort to modernize and upgrade its military. To be sure, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2016 is a much more formidable fighting force than it was in 1996. It has — as the result of a concerted, multi-decade effort, backed up by a rapidly expanding defense budget – crafted a new military force increasingly more capable of projecting power across the modern battlespace, particularly at sea, in outer space, and in cyberspace.

Trial F-35A deployment smooths path for first combat squadron

02/24/2016

Six F-35A of 31st Test Evaluation Squadron have deployed to Mountain Home AFB in Idaho this month for an “operational deployment test” that will clear the way for 10 operational jets from the first combat-coded squadron, which will follow this summer.

Smoky Mountain Air Show announces lineup of aerial acts

02/24/2016

Organizers of the Smoky Mountain Air Show, featuring the Navy's Blue Angels, on Tuesday announced the rest of the lineup for the April 16-17 show. Besides the Navy's renowned demonstration team, the acts at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base will include Greg Koontz Airshows, Younkin Airshows, Aeroshell Acrobatic Team, Commemorative Air Force's Dixie Wing WW II warbirds and Jacquie B Airshows.

Questions Linger Over Russia’s Endgame in Syria, Ukraine and Europe

02/24/2016

The partial truce that Russia and the United States have thrashed out in Syria capped something of a foreign policy trifecta for President Vladimir V. Putin, with the Kremlin strong-arming itself into a pivotal role in the Middle East, Ukraine floundering and the European Union developing cracks like a badly glazed pot.

TAQNIA Aeronautics and Sikorsky Sign Agreement to Explore Helicopter Business Opportunities in Saudi Arabia

02/24/2016

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT) today signed an agreement with Taqnia Aeronautics to jointly explore helicopter production opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new agreement outlines the investment, technology and skills needed to establish production jobs for Saudi citizens, and could lead to direct involvement in the assembly of Sikorsky S-70 BLACK HAWK helicopters in the Kingdom.

Gaining Momentum: ‘Chinese Weapons Doing Reasonably Well’ on Global Market

02/24/2016

China has almost doubled its weapons exports over the past five years, a military think tank said on Monday. According to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, China’s arms imports have shrunk by twenty five percent from 2011 to 2015.

Russian Aerospace Forces Equipment Renewed by Over 50% - Deputy Commander

02/24/2016

Equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces has been renewed by more than a half, the forces deputy commander, Lt. Gen. Andrey Yudin, said Tuesday. "We are rearming with modern multi-purpose aircraft, in particular here in the south of Russia, with Su-30SM, Su-35S, new helicopters. In general, the aviation fleet has been seriously renewed and can successfully perform any tasks," Yudin told reporters at the Armavir aviation school in southwestern Russia.

Bullish Saab Sets Rollout Date For Gripen E

02/23/2016

Saab will roll out the first Gripen E version at Linkoping, Sweden on May 18, said Richard Smith, the company’s head of marketing and sales for the combat aircraft. In a bullish briefing at the Singapore Airshow last week, Smith said that thanks to the 60 new-build E/F jets for Sweden, plus the Brazilian Gripen order and other surveillance and submarine programs, the Swedish company’s backlog was at an all-time high of $13.5 billion.

Air force, DRDO, pleased with Tejas performance at Bahrain

02/23/2016

In a milestone for India’s Tejas light-combat aircraft (LCA), two Tejas fighters travelled from India to performed aerobatics at the Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS-2016) from January 21-23. Business Standard has obtained the first official account of this first international outing, where the Tejas impressed global aerospace experts, taking an important first step towards export in the future.

Raytheon Announces Bid for USAF T-X Trainer Competition

02/23/2016

Raytheon on Monday officially announced it is teaming with Italian aerospace company Finmeccanica and CAE to offer the T-100 for the US Air Force T-X advanced trainer competition, a move first reported by Defense News last week.

US Dominates Arms Trade as Asia, Mid-East Boost Imports

02/23/2016

The global transfer of major arms has risen in recent years, with the United States increasing its dominance of the trade while the flow of weaponry to Africa, Asia and the Middle East has increased, a new study published Monday showed.

F-16 sales to Pakistan to address specific counter-terrorism: US Envoy

02/23/2016

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Monday reiterated that Washington's decision to sell F-16 combat aircraft to Pakistan was to help it fight terrorism. “Our security partnership with Pakistan was made clear,” Verma said while answering questions after delivering a lecture on “Indo-US strategic partnership: Present status and future trends”