Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

With fewer U.S. troops in Afghanistan, pressure grows for more air strikes

02/11/2016

Pressure is growing on the U.S. military to do more to help Afghan forces repel the threat posed by Taliban militants, and commanders in Washington and Kabul agree that enhanced air power may be where it can make the most difference. With fewer American soldiers on the ground and their rules of engagement limited, the outgoing commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, believes broader authorization of force is the best way of supporting stretched local troops.

DEMANDS ON THE MARINE CORPS ARE SLOWLY BREAKING MARINE AVIATION

02/11/2016

Last month’s release of the 2016 Marine Corps Aviation Plan highlighted the service’s struggles to keep its planes flying and its pilots trained. Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, the deputy commandant for aviation, stated in the report’s introduction that the Corps has seen “a decrease in flight hours per month per aircrew and an uptick in [its] mishap rates,” leading to concerns about the readiness of Marine squadrons.

New Fighter Aircraft to Expand Russian Air Campaign in Syria

02/11/2016

Russia’s air power assets operating in Syria are about to be given a significant boost. The most modern fighter aircraft in service today with the Russian Aerospace Forces will deploy to Kheimim aerodrome near Latakia, Syria. The Russian contingent in Syria announced Feb. 5 that the aircraft, the Su-35S will be place in operation for the first time outside the borders of the Russia.

2/10/2016 Navy Halts Funding for Northrop Grumman’s Carrier-Based Combat Drone

02/11/2016

As it reconsiders its unmanned aviation strategy, the Navy has decided to cease funding the X-47B bat-winged drone that made aviation history in recent years. The first-ever autonomous unmanned aircraft to be launched from and recovered on a carrier deck, the X-47B, is likely to run out of funding by the end of fiscal year 2016. The Navy has not requested money for the program in its fiscal year 2017 budget.

Sri Lanka shows interest in Indian combat aircraft

02/11/2016

Sri Lanka has reportedly shown interest in purchasing Light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas from India. Light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas is the multi-role light fighter that is in development with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and recently showcased its acrobatic skills successfully at Bahrain International Airshow 2016, a first such display outside India.

PM witnesses aerial display by Pakistani combat aircraft

02/11/2016

An impressive airshow put up by PAF at the old Doha International Airport yesterday was witnessed by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A JF-17 Thunder, a multi-role light combat aircraft indigenously produced in Pakistan in co-operation with China, and a Super Mushshak trainer jet presented aerial stunts at the show where pilots demonstrated the two aircraft’s advanced capabilities.

Russia, India Resume Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft Talks

02/11/2016

Russia and India have resumed talks on the joint Sukhoi/HAL Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project after nearly a year of stagnation, The Times of India reports. "We have got the clearance to restart the talks. Accordingly, a Russian team is here and cost negotiations began yesterday," a high-level defense source told the newspaper on Wednesday.

Su-35's 'Splendid Performance' in Syria Stirs Appetite Among Buyers

02/11/2016

The remarkable performance of Russia’s advanced, super-maneuverable Su-35S multirole fighters in Syria has gained the attention of military buyers throughout the world, according to journalist, military expert and Director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade Igor Korotchenko.

Pentagon curtails aircraft procurement in 2017 budget plan

02/10/2016

This lower funding level buys eight fewer fixed-wing aircraft including five Lockheed Martin F-35As and three C-130Js for the US Air Force and 35 fewer rotorcraft for the Army and Navy than are afforded in the current budget, according to US Defense Department (DOD) officials. The budget does protects other high-priority air force procurements including the Boeing KC-46A and Northrop Grumman Long-Range Strike Bomber.

KC-135 integral to F-16 training in Greece

02/10/2016

The first time the USAF attempted to refuel an aircraft in flight, aircrews successfully stayed aloft for 151 hours. That was over 85 years ago, and the Air Force today has made quite a few innovations since then. A KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is providing air refueling support to the F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron over the skies of Souda Bay, Greece, during a flying training.

America’s Lethal F-35 Goes Up Against the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

02/10/2016

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet are both American warplanes competing for orders on the international fighter market. While the F-35 represents a new generation of technology, not every nation can afford the stealthy fifth-generation fighter. Moreover, the United States might not always be willing to sell the F-35 to all of its allies and partners. That represents an opportunity for Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Taiwan: Vulnerable in ways it has not been before

02/10/2016

Taiwan's incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration is about to come face to face with unprecedented vulnerabilities in national security, thanks to a variety of factors which the new government is likely to find difficult to alter in the near future.

Deployment of Russia's armaments in Kaliningrad region limits NATO’s capabilities — expert

02/10/2016

Deployment by Russia of its state-of-the-art armaments in the Kaliningrad Region, a Baltic exclave, limits NATO’s capabilities in the Baltic region, Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies John Chipman said during presentation of The Military Balance 2016 report.

After Drawdown, Marines Propose Investments in Aircraft, Training

02/10/2016

Drawdown days are officially over for the Marine Corps. The service's fiscal 2017 budget request would keep the active-duty force at a steady state of 182,000 troops, a number projected to remain constant until fiscal 2021. The Marines' base budget request of $23.4 billion represents a $169 million increase over the previous year, with an additional $1.6 billion in overseas contingency operations funding earmarked for operations and maintenance, personnel and procurement.

Iraqi pilots finish training in Prague

02/10/2016

The first group of Iraqi Air Force pilots officially ended training on the L-159 aircraft. It is part of the contract between the company Aero Vodochody Aerospace and the Ministry of Defense of Iraq. Four pilots and 12 technical staff graduated. Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnický (ANO), Iraqi Ambassador the Czech Republic Walid Hamed Shiltagh and several other Czech and Iraqi officials and Aero representatives attended the graduation ceremony.

West's military advantage is being eroded, report warns

02/10/2016

The west’s decades-long advantage in military technology is being eroded as defence spending in the rest of the world, notably Asia, soars, an authoritative report says. The latest annual Military Balance by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) shows that advances in weapons-related technology once the preserve of the west – including cruise missiles, unmanned drones and electronic warfare – are becoming increasingly accessible to more and more countries.

India’s Tejas aircraft conducts first test firing of Derby BVRAAM missile

02/10/2016

India's light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas has reportedly conducted the first test firing of a beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), Derby, in Jamnagar, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. Carried out by a limited series production (LSP) platform, the LSP-7 Tejas fired the BVRAAM missile on a Ballistic Non Guided (BNG)mode, reported OneIndia.

Russia Redeploys 40 Combat Aircraft at Forward Airfields in Snap Drills

02/10/2016

Some 40 combat aircraft have been redeployed at forward airfields in southern Russia as part of the large-scale snap combat readiness drills, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. "Some 40 combat planes, including fighter jets, tactical bombers, strike aircraft, military-transport planes, as well as attack helicopters from the 4th Air and Air defense Army of the Southern Military District have been redeployed," the ministry said in a statement.

TAI to offer T129 for Poland's Combat Helicopter Procurement Programme

02/09/2016

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Turkey's centre of excellence in defence and aerospace industries, and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) are planning to extend cooperation for the Kruk Combat Helicopter Procurement Programme of the Armament Inspectorate of Poland. The proposed plan will see TAI supplying customised T129 ATAK multi-role combat helicopter for Poland's Kruk programme.

A-10 likely to stay at Selfridge

02/09/2016

A proven warfighter appears likely to stay at Selfridge ANGB for the immediate future. The A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, an air-to-ground attack platform best known as the ‘Warthog,’ will remain in the U.S. Air Force inventory until at least 2022, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.

Albania Puts Cold War Planes up for Auction

02/09/2016

Once they were the pride of the isolated communist country – a fleet of 210 military aircraft bought decades ago from Russia and China. However, much like the old munitions inherited from that era, many of these planes no longer fit modern needs and have become a burden to the Albanian armed forces. Now the Albanian Defence Ministry has decided to sell off some of these relics in an international auction.

Haters, shhhhh! The V-22 Osprey is an unbelievably accomplished aircraft

02/09/2016

The V-22 Osprey was once considered a true “ugly duckling”, one of a number of platforms and systems that were too costly, performed badly and even posed a danger to their users. Without question, designing, building and operating a platform that could fly like an airplane and take off and land like a helicopter was a challenging endeavor.

DOD aims to back up underarmed fighters with networked “arsenal planes”

02/09/2016

The US Air Force has a problem. While it bets its future on the stealth of the F-22 and F-35 fighters, that stealth has come at a cost: reduced weapon loads. To be stealthy, the aircraft both have to carry all of their weapons in internal bays, significantly limiting how many bombs and missiles they can carry to strike at targets on the surface and defend themselves from other fighters.

Beijing plans S. China Sea buildup after US warship makes second pass near island: Gertz

02/09/2016

China toned down vitriolic rhetoric in response to the recent passage of a US warship near a disputed island in the South China Sea. Chinese government-controlled media outlets, however, seized on the transit of the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on Jan. 30 within 12 miles of Triton Island in the Paracels archipelago with stepped up threats to deploy missiles and warplanes on some of its 3,200 acres of newly-created islands.

Did Northrop Grumman Just Reveal America's Next Fighter?

02/09/2016

We now have an idea of how defense giant Northrop Grumman visualizes America's first sixth-generation fighter, and it comes from an unlikely source: A Super Bowl commercial. The plane seen buzzing around during the high-dollar ad may foreshadow the real fighter that will enter service in 15 to 20 years, replacing the F/A-18 Super Hornet and perhaps even the F-22 Raptor.