Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Tokyo, Manila to agree framework for Japanese military aid: sources

11/16/2015

The Japanese and Philippine leaders will agree this week on a deal paving the way for Tokyo to supply Manila with used military equipment, possibly including aircraft that could be deployed to patrol the disputed South China Sea, sources said. The deal will mark the first time Japan has agreed to directly donate military equipment to another country, and is the latest example of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's more muscular security agenda.

Government sets up new office to buy replacement aircraft for CF-18s

11/16/2015

The federal government has started taking action on a Liberal promise to dump the F-35 stealth fighter and purchase a cheaper aircraft to replace the military’s CF-18 jets. Public Services and Procurement Canada has created a new office to oversee the purchase. Paula Folkes-Dallaire, a senior public servant from the Fisheries department, is slated to start Monday as senior director of the Future Fighter Capability project, sources told the Citizen.

What Is France Doing in Syria?

11/16/2015

After Friday’s attacks in Paris, two sides that don’t usually agree on anything found common ground on one issue: Both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ISIS said the attacks were retaliation for France’s own foreign policy.

Australia and the F-35 Debate

11/16/2015

Australia has on order 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) planes. The problem? For years many have been saying that they’re simply… not very good. Yet public debate over this large purchase has been largely absent, though Canada’s rethink could drive up costs further for other nations.

Jihadi John: Lincolnshire air base 'played vital part in the mission to kill him'

11/16/2015

Mohammed Emwazi, from London, who killed Western hostages including British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines, was himself killed on Thursday evening in a drone attack involving two American and one British aircraft.

France launches 'massive' airstrikes on Islamic State in Syria

11/16/2015

French warplanes launched a ferocious retaliatory assault late Sunday on targets in Raqqa, Syria - the Islamic State's de facto capital - after coordination with U.S. defense officials who helped with the targeting.

Denmark Should Expand Anti-ISIL Operations to Syria - Foreign Minister

11/16/2015

The Danish aircraft should broaden its participation in the anti-Islamic State coalition, and participate in its aerial operations in Syria, Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen said.

US, Czech Experts to Fly Over Russia Under Open Skies Treaty - Official

11/16/2015

The US and Czech experts will conduct an observational flight over Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on November 16-21, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said Monday.

Russia to Conduct Observation Flight Over Austria Under Open Skies Treaty

11/16/2015

The Russian experts will conduct an observation flight over Austria under the Treaty on Open Skies on November 16-19, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said Monday.

After Paris, Is It Time to Roll on Raqqa, the ISIS Capital?

11/15/2015

As this stunned city tried to come to terms with the horror that struck it the night of Friday the 13th, the word “war” echoed in cafes, on the streets, and in the statements of government officials. Teams of suicide bombers from the so-called Islamic State, striking at soft targets in the heart of the city and a stadium on the outskirts, had taken their own lives along with those of at least 129 innocents, blasting away with Kalashnikovs at a rock concert and restaurants, and at a soccer game.

NATO’s Turn to Attack

11/15/2015

On the morning after France’s long night of terror, the language of war has been impossible to avoid. President François Hollande declared the attacks on Paris “an act of war that was waged by a terrorist army, a jihadist army, by Daesh [the Islamic State], against France.” The Islamic State has hailed the “blessed” operation of its “soldiers” and has vowed continued attacks. Pope Francis has described the current state of events as “a piece” of a piecemeal Third World War.

After Paris attacks, pressure builds for big military response to Islamic State

11/15/2015

The Paris terror attacks are likely to galvanize a stronger global military response to Islamic State, after a U.S.-led air war that has lasted more than a year has failed to contain a group now proving itself to be a growing worldwide threat. The United States, long accused of taking an incremental approach to the struggle, is under growing political pressure at home and abroad to do more and it is expected to examine ways to intensify the campaign, including through expanded air power.

ASDF to train women to pilot fighter jets

11/15/2015

The nation’s first female fighter pilots will be combat-ready and take to the skies by around 2018, the Defense Ministry said. The move is touted as part of the government's push to add more women in the workplace, as women, only about 30 in total, pilot transport aircraft, patrol planes and patrol helicopters.

France Pays Price for Front-Line Role From Syria to West Africa

11/15/2015

France, which has been hit by deadly terror attacks twice this year, is paying the price for its front-line role in combating Islamic militants. French special forces have been tracking Islamist militants in the Sahara since 2013. France was the first European country to join the U.S. air strikes on Islamic State in Iraq last year and is the only European country to join the U.S. in air strikes in Syria.

Modi's UK visit - HAL in talks with BAE to manufacture weaponized Hawks

11/15/2015

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is likely to manufacture the combat version of military aircraft Hawk in the coming months. HAL and BAE Systems discussed this in London during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK.

F-35 Program Ramps Up Training for Pilots, Technicians

11/15/2015

The F-35 joint strike fighter program is transitioning to a day when its pilots will come fresh out of flight school and the new jet fighter will be their first assignment. The services’ cadre of pilots so far have been veterans of other programs such as the F-15, F-16, Harrier or A-10s, said Mike Luntz, director of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 training systems. “Many of the pilots that we have trained to date have been the more experienced pilots,” he said in an interview.

Paris attacks test Liberal pledge to end ISIS combat mission

11/15/2015

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived at a G20 leaders’ summit that has been overshadowed by the brazen terror attacks in Paris, a killing spree blamed on Islamic State extremists that will test the commitment of the new Liberal government to end its combat mission against the militants.

Defence minister's marching orders: End Canadian combat mission in Iraq, Syria

11/14/2015

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given new defence minister his marching orders - and Harjitt Sajjan's top priority is to end Canada's combat mission in Iraq and Syria. The Nov. 6 letter, released Friday in a package of so-called "mandate letters" from the prime minister to his cabinet members, was also notable for what it didn't say in terms of the other thorny defence issues facing the new Liberal government.

French Navy Tests Rafale’s RBE2 Radar From Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier

11/14/2015

The French Navy has completed the test of Rafale's new RBE2 active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during combat missions over Iraq. The French Navy operated an AESA radar-equipped Rafale M F3 omnirole combat aircraft in the test during actual close air support (CAS) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) combat missions over Iraq, Naval-Technology reported Thursday.

This is the first glimpse of America's most secretive spy plane

11/14/2015

The Pentagon is unflinchingly tight-lipped about any new, high tech planes it has in the works. But every so often, a bit of information manages to squeak out into the public domain. In 2013, the U.S. Air Force sent a secret spy plane out over the Pacific region. The unknown aircraft — possibly a drone — flew "national collection missions" — a euphemism for strategic intelligence against states like North Korea or China.

Need a Cheap Fighter Aircraft? The JF-17 Might Work

11/14/2015

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and its and its partner, the Pakistan Aeronautical complex (PAC) Kamra, is once-again reiterating that it has signed a deal to sell the JF-17 Thunder to an unnamed customer at the Dubai airshow.

Awesome Science: Did China Just Turn All Fighter Jets Invisible?

11/14/2015

A team of researchers from China is said to have created a material that could hide the world's best war machines from the all-seeing eyes of the most powerful anti-stealth microwave radars… and they have made the technology publicly available.

Russia’s T-50 PAK FA '100 Percent Digital Aircraft'

11/14/2015

The Russian T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation jet fighters is a "100 percent digital aircraft" because of the "smart covering" of its body, Igor Nasenkov, Deputy CEO of KRET Holding, told RIA Novosti. KRET, part of Russia’s Rostec hi-tech corporation, developed electronic systems for the aircraft.

US Approves Surveillance Aircraft Sales to Japan, Australia - Pentagon

11/14/2015

The US government has approved the sale of advanced electronic surveillance aircraft to Japan and Australia, the Department of Defense said in two contract notifications.

US sends B-52 nuclear bomber over disputed South China Sea islands

11/13/2015

A UNITED States B-52 strategic bomber flew over artificial Chinese islands in the South China Sea recently and was contacted by Chinese ground controllers but continued its mission undeterred, a Pentagon spokesman said overnight.