Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Syrian Army Advances as Russia Intensifies Air Strikes in Region - Media

11/22/2015

"The upgrade has significantly boosted the combat capabilities of the aircraft and the operating conditions for the crew," Alexei Gusev, CEO of Aviakor, said. The aircraft was named Dubna (after a town outside Moscow). The adjustment of the Tu-95 for the new armament and new military requirements took three months. The second aircraft is currently being upgraded by Aviakor and will be delivered to the Defense Ministry later in 2015.

'Bear's Newest Claws': Russia Unleashes Bigger, Better Missile on ISIL

11/22/2015

Experts across the world seem to be impressed by the latest addition to Russia's war arsenal – the Kh-101 cruise missile, which has been spotted in footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense earlier this week.

Russia 'Paralyzes' Lebanon Airspace with Exercise

11/21/2015

The government of Lebanon is warning that a Russian military maneuver being conducted this weekend "will have a direct effect on Lebanon's airspace and will bring air traffic to and from Beirut's airport to a complete halt." According to a post on the Lebanese government's website, "specialized authorities at Rafik Hariri International Airport received information from the Russian navy notifying them that they will be carrying out training and maneuvers for three days, starting midnight tonight.

Data Link Solutions testing enhanced communications between new and legacy military jets

11/21/2015

Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins, won a contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) to help bridge the communications gap between fifth-generation stealth aircraft and fourth-generation fighter jets.

War on ISIS: Who's doing what?

11/21/2015

In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, President Barack Obama took some very intense questions about whether the United States is hitting ISIS hard enough. Was it time to change strategy? He said no, that the answer was to ramp it up. A variety of military powers are engaged against ISIS -- the United States, France, Russia, the United Kingdom -- along with several Arab nations and the Kurds, who are fighting them in northern Iraq and Syria.

Calls for Pentagon to raise combat-coded bomber count to 160

11/21/2015

Air power advocates in Washington have called for the Pentagon to consider building to a force of 150 to 160 mission-ready heavy bombers before the Boeing B-1 and B-52 retire in 2045. According to estimates presented in a new report by the Mitchell Institute, America would need to muster 258 heavy bombers to succeed in a large-scale conflict with Russia if 50% of the targets in 180 days of campaigning were assigned to long-range bombers.

Twenty-nine long-range aircraft deliver strikes at IS facilities from Russia — minister

11/21/2015

Twenty nine long-range bomber aircraft have delivered strikes at positions of the Islamic State terrorist group in Syrian territory from direction of the Caspian Sea, Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergey Shoigu said in a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces, on Friday.

Russian bombers fly around Europe to strike Syria in 8,000 mile show of strength

11/21/2015

RAF Typhoons from Lossiemouth in Scotland scrambled to escort the two Blackjack Tu-160 bombers as the skirted UK airspace along the Atlantic. The supersonic Russian jet bombers then flew south to Gibraltar before entering the Mediterranean and firing cruise missiles at targets in Syria and heading home north eastwards.

US Approves $1.2Bln Sale of Long-Range Surveillance Drones to Japan

11/21/2015

The US State Department has approved a possible sale of a high-altitude, long-endurance drones and related equipment to Japan amounting to more than a billion dollars, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a press release on Friday.

Russia's Newest Weapons Used in Syria for the First Time (VIDEO)

11/21/2015

Russia has used its successful aerial campaign in Syria to showcase the best weapons the country has in its arsenal. Some of them, including the Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack) strategic bombers and the Raduga Kh-101 cruise missiles, were combat tested for the first time.

India to Supply Afghanistan With Russian Helicopters to Fight Taliban

11/21/2015

India will supply Afghanistan with four Russia-made attack helicopters within the next two months to help in its fight against the Taliban militant group, an Indian broadcaster cited its sources as saying.

Upgraded E-3 Sentry deploys to combat theater

11/20/2015

The long-awaited, highly anticipated deployment of the E-3 Sentry (AWACS) Block 40/45 is finally over, with the deployment of the first upgraded weapon system to a combat theater of operations. The first E-3G arrived in Southwest Asia Nov. 18, marking the deployment of the most comprehensive modification to the weapon system in its 38-year history. The changes improved communications, computer processing power, threat tracking and other capabilities.

Russia’s air group in Syria operates round the clock — Aerospace Force spokesman

11/20/2015

November 19. /TASS/. Russia’s combat aircraft based at Hmeimim have been attacking terrorist positions in Syria round the clock. The intensity of their strikes grew noticeably over the past few days, Russia’s Aerospace Force spokesman Igor Klimov has said. "We have been actively using all combat aircraft at the Hmeimim base," he said. "The planes fly sorties round the clock, day and night."

Russia’s air group in Syria operates round the clock — Aerospace Force spokesman

11/20/2015

Syria, November 19. /TASS/. Russia’s combat aircraft based at Hmeimim have been attacking terrorist positions in Syria round the clock. The intensity of their strikes grew noticeably over the past few days, Russia’s Aerospace Force spokesman Igor Klimov has said. "We have been actively using all combat aircraft at the Hmeimim base," he said. "The planes fly sorties round the clock, day and night."

Tu-160 Strategic Bomber: Russian 'Formidable' Weapon Against ISIL in Syria

11/20/2015

The Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack supersonic strategic bomber made its combat debut on Tuesday as the Russian Aerospace Forces attacked Islamic State (ISIL) positions in Syria. The Tu-160 was the last strategic bomber developed in the USSR. It became a formidable answer to the stealthy Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit – the last US-made Cold War-era strategic bomber, military analyst Dave Majumdar wrote in his article for The National Interest.

Russia Confirms Signing Contract With China on Delivery of 24 Su-35 Jets

11/20/2015

Russia and China have signed a contract on the delivery of 24 multirole Su-35 Flanker jet fighters, Rostec’s director of international cooperation and regional policy Viktor Kladov said Thursday.

Russia intensifies all types of intelligence in Middle East — senior military official

11/19/2015

Russia has intensified all types of intelligence in the Middle East region, including space reconnaissance, the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Col. Gen. Andrey Kartapolov, said Wednesday.

Potential Canadian pullout from F-35 program troubling, but not fatal

11/19/2015

While Canada’s newly elected leader is seriously considering pulling that nation out of the global partnership building the F-35 joint strike fighter, the action is not expected to slow down the production ramp-up underway at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth.

USMC’s MV-22 Osprey to support amphibious exercises from HMS Ocean

11/19/2015

The US Marine Corps' (USMC) MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft are set to extend support to a series of US / UK exercises from the flightdeck of HMS Ocean. During the amphibious assault training in the Mediterranean, an Osprey detachment will be based on the Royal Navy flagship for several weeks to transport US and Royal Marines from ship to shore.

$115 Million Special Ops Plane a Loss After Test Flight Went Horribly Wrong

11/19/2015

An Air Force Special Operations AC-130J Ghostrider plane valued at $115 million will be scrapped due to a “mishap” that occurred during a test flight earlier this year, the military announced this month.

Superpowers in unlikely alliance against Islamic State

11/19/2015

Whatever Islamic State made of Vladimir Putin’s order to the Russian navy to treat French forces “as allies” in the waters off Syria, it will have sent a shiver through at least a couple of Paris’s allies. Russia’s president gave the command on Tuesday, as he and his French counterpart pledged separately to crush a terror group that claims to have launched Friday’s attacks in Paris and downed a Russian airliner over Egypt two weeks earlier.

Russia and France will organize joint military operations against IS — General Staff

11/19/2015

The Russian Armed Forces will organize joint military operations with the French Navy to combat terrorists in Syria, chief of the main operations directorate of Russian army’s General Staff Andrey Kartapolov said on Wednesday.

Here’s one way Canada can help France fight terrorism

11/19/2015

It is, to say the least, an awkward situation: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new Liberal government is committed to pulling Canadian jet fighters out of combat against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, just as the attacks on Paris have prompted French President François Hollande to urge much greater international co-operation to fight the terrorists.

US Approves $80Mln Sale of Bell Helicopters to Argentina

11/19/2015

The United States has authorized an $80 million sale of Bell helicopters and related equipment and parts to Argentina, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a release on Wednesday.

French Aircraft Carrier to Reach Anti-ISIL Operation Zone Within Week

11/19/2015

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will be ready to begin its operation against ISIL radicals before the end of the week.