Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Pakistan To Use China’s Technology In Military Drones

10/03/2015

In another sign of the increasingly close relationship between the two nations, Pakistan is to use Chinese technology in its drones. Pakistan had several requests for drone technology rejected by the United States, and went on to manufacture its own indigenous drones. Those drones have seen combat action in the tribal regions, where Pakistani troops are fighting Islamic militants along the border with Afghanistan, writes Syed Fazl-e-Haider for The National.

SU-30 Fighter Pilots Focusing on Beyond Visual Range Combat

10/03/2015

IAF's Su-30 fighter plane pilots are focusing on beyond visual range combat and night flying capabilities even as they gear up for the installation of the 'game changer' BrahMos missiles, with a strike range of nearly 300 kms, in the aircraft.

11 People Killed in Crash of U.S. Military Aircraft in Afghanistan: Military

10/03/2015

A United States military transport plane crashed at an airfield in Afghanistan on Friday, killing all 11 people on board, the U.S. military said, adding there were no reports of enemy fire at the time. The cause of the crash at Jalalabad airfield was under investigation, a spokesman said, refusing to rule out the possibility that there may be dead or wounded on the ground. First responders were on the scene, he said.

Shipbuilding, Fighter Aircraft Pick Up Extra Funding In NDAA Conference Report

10/03/2015

Sea and air power were major winners in the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act conference report released on Tuesday. In their versions of the NDAA, both the House and Senate proposed funding increases that would boost the number of fighters, increase the pace of shipbuilding and number of vessels procured. For the most part the Senate’s larger increases were adopted in the reconciled bill, resulting in a $1 billion hike for Navy shipbuilding and the procurement of additional fi

Boeing Completes Major Upgrade to Air Force F-22 Simulators

10/03/2015

Boeing has completed its upgrade of all U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Mission Training Centers with its high-fidelity Constant Resolution Visual System (CRVS). The system trains pilots in a more realistic visual environment than current simulators and allows them to experience extreme maneuvers that typically are only practiced in a simulator.

Boeing B-52 Bomber Flies into the Future with Digital Upgrades

10/03/2015

The nation’s entire B-52 bomber fleet will soon be equipped with technology that greatly enhances the aircraft’s combat capabilities in the digital battlespace. The U.S. Air Force on August 28 awarded Boeing a contract for B-52 bomber Combat Network Communications Technology, known as CONECT.

ISIL Nightmare: Russia’s Most Dangerous Plane

10/03/2015

Since the beginning of the Russian Armed Forces operation in Syria, everyone’s attention has been captured by the top-of-the-line Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H fighters and the Su-34 Fullback bombers, but the single most effective Russian aircraft deployed to Syria is the Su-25 SM, or as NATO calls it, the ‘Frogfoot.’

Russian Helicopters to Unveil New Aircraft, Drone at Innovation Expos

10/03/2015

The Days of Innovations of the Southern, Western and Central military districts are scheduled for October 5-6 in the southwest city of Rostov-on-Don, Kubinka in Moscow Region, and Yekaterinburg respectively. "The company will introduce modifications of Ka-52K, Mi-26T2, Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopters and a VR-Technologies UAV in the Moscow region," Russian Helicopters said.

US and Russia to hold urgent talks on Syria strikes after Putin defies West, 'targets US-backed rebels' - live updates

10/02/2015

Russian air strikes risk driving Syria’s “entire opposition” into the arms of Isil, Britain warned on Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin's jets bombed targets in three different provinces, report Harriet Alexander in New York and Roland Oliphant in Moscow.

Russians Strike Targets in Syria, but Not ISIS Areas

10/01/2015

Russian aircraft carried out a bombing attack against Syrian opposition fighters on Wednesday, including at least one group trained by the C.I.A., eliciting angry protests from American officials and plunging the complex sectarian war there into dangerous new territory.

Boeing Receives Order from India for 22 Apache and 15 Chinook Helicopters

10/01/2015

The India Minat will greatly enhance India’s capabilities across a range of militaristry of Defence has finalized its order with Boeing for production, training and support of Apache and Chinook helicopters thy and humanitarian missions. India will receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Both are the newest models of those aircraft.

Su-34: Russia’s Ultimate ISIL-Crushing Machine

10/01/2015

As Russia begins its air campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group in Syria, the jet responsible is the Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback, Russia’s secret weapon in the skies.

Russia Approves Use of Armed Forces in Syria

10/01/2015

Russia’s upper house of parliament on Wednesday approved the country’s armed forces to be used abroad. The decision includes only the use of the Air Force and does not foresee any ground troops operations, Kremlin Administration Aide Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday.

Next-gen monitors to help fighter pilots cut out distractions

09/27/2015

Using optics, material sciences, electronics and precise designing to develop an advanced head-up display for aircraft. Consider a pilot in a fighter aircraft, flying at 2,000 km per hour. All the controls inside the cockpit are placed either besides the pilot’s seat or at positions for which he needs to divert his attention from his ‘forward vision’. A pilot needs to change his line of vision repeatedly to keep track of information like airspeed, heading scale, climb descent rate, angle of atta

Russia's T-50 5th Generation Fighter Jets to Enter Service in 2017

09/27/2015

Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation prototype fighter jets will enter into service with the Russian Armed Force in 2017, Russian Air and Space Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev told reporters Saturday.

Our shrinking military power

09/26/2015

Over a period of nearly 10 years, the Harper government has been at pains to project an image of Canada as a military nation and a military power. It has done so in a wide variety of ways. It lavishly celebrated the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, even though that war took place long before Canada was a nation and primarily pitted the forces of Great Britain and the United States against each other.

America's F-35 Stealth Fighter vs. China's New J-31: Who Wins?

09/26/2015

Recently revealed details concerning China’s Shenyang J-31 fighter suggest that the aircraft not only looks like the Pentagon’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), but it also offers comparable aerodynamic performance. But the real question is how far along Beijing has come in the development of subsystems like radars and engines. Moreover, there is the question of how well Chinese industry can integrate all of those disparate technologies into an operational aircraft.

India is Sharing Secrets of Its Predator-Like Drone to Boost Military

09/24/2015

India is opening up the designs of its first indigenously developed drones to domestic private companies, seeking to spur further technological advances and encourage manufacturing as Prime Minister Narendra Modi modernizes the military.

Search still on for missing military aircraft, pilots

09/24/2015

The military has yet to locate an AT-3 Air Force Academy training aircraft and its two pilots after the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers on Tuesday during a routine training flight. In a statement, the Ministry of National Defense said it set up a search and rescue center shortly after the incident to look for the pilots and the aircraft that was last seen on radar screens in skies over central Taiwan early Tuesday afternoon.

Chinese Military Aircraft Intercepts US Spy Plane, Performs 'Unsafe' Maneuver Over Yellow Sea

09/24/2015

A Chinese military aircraft performed an “unsafe” maneuver while intercepting a U.S. spy plane last week, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The incident was revealed the same day that China’s President Xi Jinping touched down in the United States for a weeklong and potentially pivotal visit, according to Reuters.

Rejected U.S. tech transfer jeopardizes S. Korea’s KF-X project

09/24/2015

South Korea’s ambitious project to develop an indigenous fighter jet is running into a major impasse as the United States’ rejection of a core technology transfer sent the country scrambling to find replacements for the multi-billion dollar project. In what would be one of South Korea’s biggest defense projects, the country has been pushing the Korean Fighter Experimental, or KF-X, project, also dubbed locally “Boramae.”

Russia's Su-35 Fighter vs. America's F-16 Fighting Falcon: Who Wins?

09/24/2015

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon has been the mainstay of the U.S. and allied air forces for decades. Over the years, the aircraft has evolved from a lightweight visual range dogfighter into a potent multirole warplane that flies the gamut of missions ranging from the suppression of enemy air defenses to air superiority.

Here’s how the Russian Air Force moved 28 aircraft to Syria (almost) undetected

09/24/2015

Satellite imagery released in the last couple of days has exposed the presence of 28 Russian aircraft at al-Assad airfield, near Latakia, in western Syria. The photographs taken from space gave us the possibility to identify the combat planes as 4x Su-30SMs, 12x Su-25s (based on their color scheme, these are Su-25SMs belonging to the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment from Budyonnovsk) and 12 Su-24M2s along with about a dozen helicopters, including 10 Mi-24PN, Mi-35M and a couple of Mi-8AMTSh.

Nigerian Troops Free Hundreds of Women, Children, Arrest Boko Haram Leader

09/24/2015

An operation launched Tuesday by the Nigerian military in the villages of Jangurori and Bulatori rescued 241 women and children from two camps controlled by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Upgraded Anti-Submarine Planes Enter Russia's Pacific Fleet

09/24/2015

Russia’s modernized anti-submarine warfare planes have entered into service with Russia’s Pacific Fleet, the aircraft’s developer announced Wednesday. "The Il-38N anti-submarine planes [NATO reporting name May] upgraded by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex has entered service with the Naval Aviation of the Russian Pacific Fleet," the developer’s press service said in a statement.