Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

ACC commander predicts up to seven-year fight in Iraq, Syria

06/03/2015

At 6 p.m. on a recent evening on a base in southwest Asia, an Air Force F-22 Raptor took off for a strike mission against the Islamic State group in Syria. What the aircraft accomplished before it landed 11 1/2 hours later shows why the aircraft is vital to the U.S. fleet, and why it is now tasked with flying in every strike package that goes north into Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command said Monday.

Nellis-based F-35 fighters debut in simulated combat

06/03/2015

The Air Force’s newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II, is taking a star turn in an ongoing air combat training exercise over the Army Combat Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. The Air Force has used aircraft equipped with F-35 sensors in past exercises, but this will be the first time that more “operationally representative” aircraft take part, Air Combat Command Gen. Herbert Carlisle said Monday after an Air Force Association event.

New £51M Chinook Helicopter Simulators and Training System for RAF

06/03/2015

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investing £51 million in a new synthetic training system developed by Lockheed Martin for the Royal Air Force’s Chinook Mk6 helicopter. Lockheed Martin will design and build a purpose built training facility at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, the home of the Chinook fleet, that will prepare pilots and crew for deployment on operations.

Australia Flies RAAF’s First C-17 Equipped with Advanced Network Access

06/03/2015

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew its first Boeing-built C-17A Globemaster III equipped with a new advanced satellite communication (SATCOM) and imagery display system, providing the flight crew and passengers with unprecedented situational awareness.

Finnish Air Force to Conduct Aerial Bombing for First Time Since WWII

06/03/2015

Finland's Air Force has announced it is going to conduct aerial bombing at its artillery practice range in Rovajärvi for the first time since the Second World War; next week's bombing test is part of a scheduled lifecycle update for the country's Hornet fighter jets.

The Pentagon’s War Moves against China. US Provocations in the South China Sea

06/02/2015

The Pentagon in the third week of May sent a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane near Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea — called the East Sea by Vietnam. The Fiery Reef is in the archipelago called the Spratly Islands by the U.S., the Nanchan Islands by China and the Truong Sa Islands by the Vietnamese.

WHY WE AREN'T BOMBING ISIS

06/02/2015

Three out of every four times that Obama dispatches American warplanes over Iraq, they return to base with dropping any bombs or launching any missiles. “Seventy-five percent of the sorties that we’re currently running with our attack aircraft come back without dropping bombs, mostly because they cannot acquire the target or properly identify the target,” said U.S. Army General (ret) Jack Keane in testimony before the U.S. Senate last week.

Iraqi Air Force stretched thin over growing ISIS front

06/02/2015

Iraqi forces have been ramping up their offensive against ISIS, and now its fighters are sending a ruthless message of their own. Since Sunday, a U.S.-led coalition has launched another 10 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq, and 13 strikes in neighboring Syria. The Iraqi Air Force is part of that coalition, flying into dangerous territory to combat the terrorists.

Taranis UCAV Set for New Flight Tests

06/02/2015

A third and possibly final series of flight tests planned for Britain's Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle demonstrator is planned for later this year, according to the Ministry of Defence. An industry team led by BAE Systems completed two phases of trial flights at Woomera, Australia, between August 2013 and January 2014, and a third series of test flights is "now planned for the end of this year," an MoD spokesman confirmed.

Lockheed F-35s get first role in major military exercise

06/02/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet will drop weapons and take part in a major U.S. military exercise this week for the first time, another milestone for the Pentagon's largest weapons program, Air Force officials said Monday. The exercise, called "Green Flag West," tests the U.S. military's ability to engage in air-to-surface conflicts and helps get ground troops who pinpoint potential air strikes ready for combat.

Former Air Chiefs say 36 jets not enough for IAF’s modernisation plans

06/02/2015

Limiting the order for new generation Rafale fighters at 36 will play havoc with Indian Air Force's modernisation plans and the number will not be enough to plug capability gaps that are emerging in the air force as older aircraft retire, several retired officers including two air chiefs who were involved in the process of selecting the French aircraft told ET.

Will the F35 be the gamechanger

06/02/2015

With the game-changing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in early production stages, rival manufacturers are racing against time. The F-35 may be regarded almost as much as an industrial and coalition-building policy as a warplane made by Lockheed Martin Corp., the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales and the world's largest aerospace company.

Confirmed: India to Buy Only 36 Rafale Fighter Jets

06/02/2015

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar confirmed on Sunday that India will only purchase 36 instead of 126 Rafale fighter jets from France, an announcement that appears to finally bury the much hyped “mother of all defense deals” for good.

RMAF to retain MiG-29N fighter aircraft

06/02/2015

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet of MiG-29N fighter aircraft will remain an important asset to the country's air defence. RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Roslan Saad said there has been no decision to replace the MIG-29N which had been in service since 1990 and the aircraft will still remain in service.

US Approves $1.7Bn Sale of Advanced Hawkeye Surveillance Airplanes to Japan

06/02/2015

The US State Department has approved a $1.7 billion sale of four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft and associated parts to Japan, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Monday. “The proposed sale of E-2D AHE aircraft will improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defense utilizing an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) capability,” DSCA stated.

The UK is Complicit in the Destruction of Yemen

06/01/2015

Following the deadliest day of air strikes and with the death toll approaching 2000, the humanitarian situation in Yemen is only getting worse. Like in all wars it is civilians that are on the receiving end, with the World Health Organisation stressing that 8.6 million are in 'urgent need of medical aid'. Lives, livelihoods and infrastructure are being destroyed, peace talks are failing and aid is failing to reach those in need.

As the US-led coalition continues to pounds Isil the question remains - can air power alone win a war?

06/01/2015

A hundred or so years since the enormous potential of aerial warfare first came to be fully appreciated, the question of just how much commanders should rely on air power to achieve their campaign objectives is as vexed as ever.

Guided-Bomb Makers Anticipate GPS Jammers

06/01/2015

The makers of precision-guided munitions no longer take for granted that simple GPS-guidance systems will always work on their own. Jammers and spoofing equipment threaten to populate future battlefields; manufacturers have taken notice and answered the threat.

A-10 'Warthog' likely to keep flying

06/01/2015

The A-10 is poised to dodge retirement. Again. After a near-death experience in 2014, the aircraft known among troops as the “Warthog” appears to be cruising toward renewal from Congress. The Air Force has waged a protracted battle to mothball its fleet of A-10s, calling it a necessary cost-saving move that would save roughly $4 billion.

Carter to face Indian demand for engine technology

06/01/2015

The US-India defence relationship needs an engine to drive it, say leaders on both sides. But there are different perceptions on what that engine might be. Americans believe the engine should be the "Defence Trade and Technology Initiative" (DTTI), a high-level committee of officials from both sides that moots projects for working together, and removes bureaucratic roadblocks.

Arabs Outperform The RAF

06/01/2015

As Saudi Arabia carries out the longest air campaign (against Yemen) in its history it was noted that the Saudis were sending up to fifty British made Typhoon and Tornado fighter-bombers a day on combat missions. The Saudis have 80 Tornados and 48 Typhoons with another 72 Typhoons on order. In contrast Britain has 125 Typhoons and 98 Tornados.

The Turf War Launched by America’s First Drone Strike Is Still Raging

06/01/2015

The CIA’s then-secret weapon missed the Taliban's leader, starting a 14-years-and-counting fight over who controls the U.S. drone program.

Tensions High as Russia Responds to Exercise

06/01/2015

Russia's decision to conduct unscheduled large-scale maneuvers in response to the Norway-led Arctic Challenge exercises in the High North has added fuel to geo-political tensions in the region. Arctic Challenge participants from within NATO and the non-aligned Nordic countries view the Kremlin's response as a demonstration of Russia's military strength in the region and its unease over the deepening defense partnerships between NATO and neutral Finland and Sweden.

Russian Inspectors to Fly Over United Kingdom Under Open Skies Treaty

06/01/2015

Russian inspectors will conduct an observation flight over the territory of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, under the Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists on Monday.

U.S., allies conduct 22 air strikes against ISIS militants

05/31/2015

U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in Iraq with 16 air strikes from Friday morning through Saturday morning and conducted another six strikes against the group in Syria, the U.S. military said on Saturday. The strikes in Iraq were spread throughout the country, hitting targets near Baghdad, Bayji, Fallujah, Hit, Kirkuk, Mosul, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar, according to a military statement.