Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

A Fighter Pilot's Six Steps to Surviving the Most Dangerous Threat - Change

04/30/2015

We all know we are in a period of profound change, as well as an extremely disruptive time in technology. I’m excited about the possibilities, but I also have to manage in this time of change. I’ve spent a lot of time focused on how to do that well, both at the helm of an incumbent business and at an upstart. How can I focus my team? How do we really make a difference?

Will the F-35 change Middle East warfare?

04/30/2015

US Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech in Washington April 23 on the occasion of Israeli Independence Day celebrations. He announced that in 2016, the United States will deliver two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Israel. Yet, the debate still rages on the cost-effectiveness of the Joint Strike Fighter project, with rumors circulating that the project may be terminated due to its phenomenal $1 trillion budget.

Know what Cameron is helping Modi with

04/30/2015

Guess who has applauded PM Modi's 'Make in India' initiative now? It is British Prime Minister David Cameron. According to a recent Economic Times report, the man has not only praised India's initiative to become a global manufacturing hub, but has also offered technological assistance to achieve its targets, including in developing its "own world class fighter aircraft" that is "better than Rafale."

Will The F-35 Be The Last Manned Fighter Jet? Physics, Physiology, and Fiscal Facts Suggest Yes.

04/30/2015

Earlier this month Navy Secretary Ray Mabus remarked that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter “should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” This sparked a lot of discussion both inside and outside the military about the advantages, vulnerabilities, and ethical concerns of armed remotely piloted aircraft.

Making Unmanned Search And Rescue A Reality: Unmanned K-MAX® Helicopter Conducts First Collaborative Casualty Evacuation

04/30/2015

Dangerous frontline operations call for a safe and efficient method to locate and evacuate wounded personnel. To address this critical need and help save lives, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Kaman Aerospace (NYSE: KAMN), and Neya Systems demonstrated the first ever collaborative unmanned air and ground casualty evacuation using the unmanned aerial system (UAS) Control Segment (UCS) Architecture and K-MAX® cargo helicopter on March 26.

US, Japan Prepare Joint Air Patrols in South China Sea

04/30/2015

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Washington to discuss his plans for Japan to take on a wider security role beyond the direct defense of its home islands. The talks resulted in the two countries unveiling new guidelines for defense.

Russia to Renew Production of Tu-160 'Blackjack' Strategic Bomber

04/30/2015

Russia will renew the production of its Tu-160 (Blackjack) supersonic strategic bomber and missile carrier, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. "Today it is already necessary to solve the task of not only maintaining and modernizing long-range aviation, we must also produce the Tu-160 missile carrier," Shoigu said during a visit at the Kazan Aviation Plant.

US Air Force refuelling jet lands safely at British base after disappearing off radar over English Channel

04/29/2015

A US Air Force refuelling aircraft disappeared off the radar over the English Channel last night but has since landed safely in Britain. The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker left Amiens in northern France at 0.05am local time (11.05pm BST) and was last reported on a flight tracking website between Dover and Calais 15 minutes later.

Editorial: Manned aircraft still vital

04/29/2015

For decades, senior military leaders and analysts have predicted the demise of manned aircraft. The Navy, expressing that the end is on the horizon, has created a new office to oversee unmanned air systems. Unmanned aircraft have certainly proven indispensable for more than a dozen years in reconnaissance, strike, communications relay and even transport. And the Air Force plans to increase its reliance on unmanned aircraft to remove worrying "about the limitations of the human body."

Ukrainian Civilians Prepare for All Out Russian Invasion

04/29/2015

Outside this city at a Ukrainian army facility called the Polygon, which is typically used for tank training, about 200 civilian volunteers gathered this past weekend for a military exercise. Many had no military experience; some had never held a weapon. But many decided to train for war due to widespread worries about an escalation in the Ukraine conflict and the potential for it to spread all the way to Dnipropetrovsk, with its nearly 1 million residents, is Ukraine’s fourth largest city.

What Did Saudi Arabia Achieve in Yemen?

04/29/2015

Hundreds of air strikes later, Hadi remains in Riyadh and the Houthis remain near Aden. Riyadh needs a new approach. After nearly four weeks of consistent aerial bombardment against Houthi military positions across Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — with full backing from its colleagues in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, and Morocco — announced with great fanfare on April 21 that Operation Decisive Storm had ended.

Why India Needs Rafale Jets immediately!

04/29/2015

Ending the deadlock over Rafale fighter aircraft deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalised the delivery of 36 fighter jets in fly-away condition during his France visit two weeks back but more shocking is how the Indian government sidelined the ‘Make In India’ project to seal the deal with Dassault Aviation, a French defence manufacturer. There are multiple reasons behind the immediate actions of buying the Rafale jets

Air Force Mulls Mothballing F-16s if Congress Blocks A-10 Retirement

04/29/2015

The House Armed Services Committee inserted $683 million into the 2016 defense bill to stop the Air Force from retiring the A-10 Warthog. However, Air Force leaders said the service will have to mothball F-16s and delay the deployment of the F-35 in response to the move by the committee.

Saab Develops Mk4 Version Radar For Gripen C/D Fighter Aircraft

04/29/2015

Saab announced today that it has developed PS-05/A fighter radar to a new version designated Mk4 for Gripen C/D improved performance and operating range. The PS-05/A Mk4 is the recent development of PS-05/A radar, originally developed for the Gripen fighter. A new hardware configuration with a complete new radar back-end gives improved radar performance and operational range, enhancing Gripen Weapon System capabilities and offers full AMRAAM and Meteor integration.

Just Google It: Info to Hack a Military Drone is Already Online

04/29/2015

The information necessary to hack a military drone is freely available to the public, in academic publications and online documents, according to an Israeli defense manufacturer. One such paper was published just a month before Iran claimed it downed a CIA stealth drone in 2011, Esti Peshin said Monday at the Defensive Cyberspace Operations and Intelligence conference in Washington DC. Peshin is the director of cyber programs for Israel Aerospace Industries.

Navy Tests New Software to Make it Easier to Land Jets on Carriers

04/29/2015

A pilot landed an F-18 equipped with the aptly named “Magic Carpet” software program on the deck of the Navy's Nimitz-class supercarrier USS George H W Bush, naval-technology.com reported. "This underway marked the first use of the Magic Carpet technology on an aircraft carrier. This software greatly reduces misses and wave-offs, which translates into more time on-mission and makes us an overall more effective force.”

US State Department Approves 1.5Bln Sale of F-18 Fighters to Australia

04/29/2015

The US State Department has approved a foreign military sale with Australia for the Boeing Company’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft in the amount of $1.5 billion, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a release on Tuesday.

SAUDI-LED AIRSTRIKES AGAINST HOUTHIS IN YEMEN APPEAR TO BE BROADENING

04/28/2015

The New York Times noted that “the coalition carried out airstrikes in several other provinces, suggesting a broadening, rather than a scaling back, of the monthlong Saudi air offensive against Houthi rebels.” Saudi-led warplanes targeted the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, forces loyal to Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the northern city of Saada, the western city of Taiz, and the southern city of Aden, reported The Associated Press.

House panel moves to block A-10 retirement

04/28/2015

The House announced moves this week to protect the A-10 Thunderbolt from a proposed retirement. The aircraft program is fully funded in a version of the annual defense budget unveiled Monday by the House Armed Services Committee. An Arizona congresswoman said she also plans to float an amendment that would bar the Air Force from eliminating the aircraft, also known as the Warthog, when the committee votes on the massive defense bill Wednesday.

The M-346 of the Italian Air Force

04/28/2015

Chosen by Italy, Israel, Poland and Singapore to prepare their pilots to the 4th and 5th Gen. fighter jets, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 “Master” is considered one the world’s most advanced jet trainers.

Saab dismisses prospect of Gripen jet fighters sale to Argentina

04/28/2015

Sweden's Saab AB on Monday ruled out facilitating the sale of Gripen fighter aircraft to Argentina as the result of a deal to build and export combat jets from Brazil. Argentina has expressed interest in buying 24 Gripen fighter jets from its Latin American neighbour once Brazil is able to export them, early next decade. Such a deal would face an almost certain veto from Britain, which provides some 30 percent of the Gripen's content, including the radar on its next-generation Gripen E/F.

Belarusian Air Force receives four new Yak-130 aircraft

04/28/2015

A solemn ceremony to hand over four new training and combat aircraft Yak-130 to personnel of the 116th guards assault airbase took place at the Lida airfield on 27 April, BelTA has learned. The four new aircraft will make up an independent wing as part of the airbase. The aircraft were delivered to Belarus on board of an IL-76 cargo aircraft. They were then assembled by specialists of the Russian R&D corporation Irkut using the premises of the 116th airbase.

Winners And Losers In The Changing Arab Gulf Fighter Market

04/28/2015

For decades, the Arab Gulf countries have been a very strong market for Western combat aircraft manufacturers. The Mideast is the largest single export fighter market, accounting for 29%, or $38 billion, of Teal Group’s $130.5 billion 2015-2024 export fighter forecast. This excludes tens of billions of dollars in weapons, support, and upgrade work. But over the past year, there have been profound political changes and diplomatic shifts in the region.

$80 Million Training Contracts Awarded to Lockheed Martin

04/28/2015

Lockheed Martin continues to advance C-130 aircrew and maintenance training under recent contract awards from the U.S. Air Force valued at more than $80 million. Contracts include the delivery of the following training solutions.

New US-Japan Defense Guidelines Strengthen Deterrence of North Korea

04/28/2015

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also said that Washington’s defense cooperation with Tokyo would no longer be relegated to Japan’s surrounding waters as outlined in the 1997 defense guidelines. The new framework, according to Carter, would be extended to anywhere in the world where the two nations have common security interests.