Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Who invented Stealth? Court revives 1996 suit against Pentagon

02/20/2016

After 20 years, a St. Louis company may finally get its chance to try to prove that the Pentagon used its technology to make stealth combat aircraft stealthy without paying for it. An appeals court on Friday revived a patent-infringement suit that Zoltek Corp. first filed in March 1996. The court said a judge erred in ruling the patent invalid, and ordered a hearing on whether the F-22 fighter plane and B-2 bomber used a Zoltek invention.

U.S. strike on Libya camp escalates campaign against Islamic State

02/20/2016

A U.S. air attack killed dozens of militants in Libya on Friday, marking an escalation in the American campaign against the Islamic State as the militant group expands its reach from North Africa to Central Asia. U.S. and regional officials said that U.S. F-15 fighter jets struck a suspected Islamic State camp on the outskirts of Sabratha, a restive city in western Libya, killing at least 40 people in an early-morning attack that targeted senior militant Noureddine Chouchane.

Chinese fighter jet cleared for exports

02/20/2016

China have given the green signal for exporting its domestically-developed J-10 fighter as the country looks to attract buyers at the Singapore Airshow, the media reported on Thursday. A large-scale model of the FC-20, the export version of the J-10, is on display at the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp booth at the six-day Singapore Airshow 2016 that started on Tuesday.

Saab's Next-Gen Gripen Fighter Jets Ready in May

02/19/2016

Saab’s next-generation Gripen E combat jet will be rolled out of the assembly site at Linkopping, Sweden, on May 18, the company announced during a briefing with reporters at the Singapore Airshow. Three aircraft are planned for the test phase of the new aircraft E/F variant, which has been purchased by Swedish and Brazilian air forces.

Red in Tooth and Claw: China Arms L-15 AFT Trainer

02/19/2016

What began as a simple lead-in fighter trainer (LIFT) has evolved into an aircraft armed to the teeth. At the Singapore Airshow this week, the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. (CATIC) displayed the supersonic Hongdu-built L-15 Falcon attack/fighter/trainer (AFT) aircraft armed with new weapon systems not seen outfitted on the Falcon before.

New images show RAF Typhoons intercepting Russian Blackjack bomber - capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles - as it headed for UK airspace

02/19/2016

This is the moment a Russian Blackjack bomber, capable of carrying 16 nuclear missiles, was intercepted by RAF Typhoons as it headed for UK airspace. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack aircraft were spotted heading towards Britain with Typhoons sent out in response.

A Glimpse Into China's Military Presence in the South China Sea

02/19/2016

Widely published satellite imagery from Feb. 14 shows the presence of new Chinese air defense systems on Woody Island in the South China Sea, highlighting continuing maritime frictions in the area. But new imagery obtained by Stratfor provides a higher-resolution view of the deployment and activities taking place across the island.

U.S.: Russian fighter jet sale to Iran would violate arms ban

02/19/2016

The Obama administration said Thursday that a proposed Russian sale of fighter jets to Iran would violate a U.N. arms embargo on Tehran, setting up another standoff related to last year's nuclear negotiations. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said transferring the Sukhoi-30 jets, comparable to American F-15E fighter bombers, requires the U.N. Security Council's approval.

Battle Over the Aegean: The Undeclared Greco-Turkish Air War

02/19/2016

On February 15, six Turkish fighter jets and a Navy transport plane violated Greek airspace over island territories in the eastern Aegean Sea nearly two dozen times. Commenting on the latest violation, Russian military analyst Alexei Kupriyanov decided to take a look back at the recent history of the decades-long conflict between Athens and Ankara.

Analysis: China's missile deployment ups the ante for the U.S. and allies

02/18/2016

China’s deployment of anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed island it has occupied and expanded in the South China Sea ups the ante for the United States and its allies as they seek to deter further Chinese expansion in the area.

Russia Receives Over 60 Yak-130 Aircraft Since 2010 – Manufacturer

02/18/2016

The Russian Aerospace Forces have received over 60 Yak-130 combat training aircraft since 2010, the plane’s manufacturer said Wednesday. "Deliveries of Yak-130 aircraft to the Russian Defense Ministry were commenced in 2010, and in 2011 for export. As of the beginning of 2016, over 60 Yak-130 aircraft have been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces, which are widely used in educational centers," the Irkut Corporation representative told reporters at the Singapore Airshow 2016.

US stealth jets fly over S Korea amid tiff with North

02/18/2016

A formation of four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters swept through the skies of South Korea on Wednesday as the militaries of South Korea and the U.S. flexed their muscles against North Korea following its nuclear and missile tests.

CAE, Draken International bid for Canadian contract

02/18/2016

CAE reports it has bid on a Canadian government contract to provide combat support training services to the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, and Canadian Army. The bid for the 10-year Contracted Airborne Training Services program was submitted earlier this week and includes CAE's joint venture partner Draken International, a U.S.-based company with the world's largest fleet of privately owned fighter aircraft for adversary and threat training.

Vietnam, Philippines Lead Region’s Reaction to China

02/18/2016

China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact,” Beijing’s then foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, impatiently told Southeast Asian leaders looking for U.S. support in the South China Sea in 2010. The message was clear enough: they should do as they were told.

The U.S.-funded Afghan air force is growing. So are civilian casualties it causes.

02/18/2016

The Afghan air force is poised to take a major step forward in 2016 with the initial deployment of the A-29 Super Tucano, an attack plane bought by the Pentagon to give the Afghan military the ability to drop bombs in combat. But before the plane has flown a single combat mission, a new report suggests the Afghan military is struggling to avoid killing civilians with the other aircraft it already has.

RAF jets scrambled to intercept Russian bombers

02/18/2016

The Typhoon jets were dispatched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Wednesday afternoon following the security alert. An RAF spokesman said the situation was "on-going" and was not uncommon.

Private sector will build fighter jets in India: Parrikar

02/18/2016

Officially throwing open the contest for fighter aircraft once again, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that India will select one or two fighter aircraft which will be manufactured locally by a private company under Make in India initiative. This is in addition to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the production of which is being scaled up.

Spain Agrees to Purchase Predator Drone System With Four Planes

02/18/2016

The Spanish military decided to purchase a Predator B drone system consisting of four planes and two ground control stations with satellite links, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) said in a press release on Wednesday.

Iraqi Officials Fear Daesh May Have Stolen Radioactive Material

02/18/2016

Iraqi officials have lost track of "highly dangerous" radioactive material. Authorities are desperately tracking down the missing materials, and are worried that it may have fallen into the hands of Daesh (IS/Islamic State).

China Reveals New Missiles At Singapore Airshow

02/17/2016

According to Richard Fisher, a senior fellow on Asian military affairs with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the TL-7 is making its debut as the export model of the KD-88 precision-guided air to surface missile that entered PLA Air Force service on the Xian-built JH-7A fighter bombers in 2006 and 2007.

Malaysia Orders MD530G Light Attack Helicopters

02/17/2016

The Malaysian government has selected MD Helicopter’s new MD530G as the country’s attack helicopter in competition with Airbus, Bell, Boeing and Turkish Aerospace Industries for the long-running requirement. MD will deliver six MD530Gs to Malaysian Army Aviation. Deliveries are expected to start towards the end of this year, while the full complement will arrive in country during the first quarter of 2017.

Hopeless but not Syri-ous

02/17/2016

Welcome to Permanent War, as Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev dubbed today’s Middle East. It isn’t as bad as it sounds, provided, of course, that you’re not in it. The bonfire built on tribal enmity and national disillusionment will have to burn itself out over time. The risk lies in the possible spread of the fire outside the region.

SINGAPORE: New self-protection suite ordered for Indonesian Hawk

02/17/2016

Indonesia’s 24-strong fleet of BAE Systems Hawk light combat aircraft are to receive a self-protection system upgrade from Finmeccanica. Performed by Singaporean prime Aptronics, Finmeccanica’s Seer radar warning receiver will be installed on an initial batch of aircraft for current operations, with an option to provide further systems in future, Finmeccanica says.

WHAT CHINA'S NEW MISSILES MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

02/17/2016

In late 1995, escalating Chinese threats against Taiwan prompted President Bill Clinton to stage a show of American support for the beleaguered island that Beijing’s leaders couldn’t ignore. Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups steaming into the conflict zone, their heavily armed fighter jets poised on deck for takeoff.

GAO Turns Down Boeing Protest Over Bomber Contract - 2nd Update

02/17/2016

Northrop Grumman Corp. can resume work on developing a new Air Force bomber after a federal overseer on Tuesday rejected a protest led by Boeing Co. on Northrop's contract for a program that could ultimately cost more than $80 billion.