Military Aviation News Archive

China domestic aircraft carrier has conservative updating of the Soviet version they converted and the next ships will upgrade to nuclear propulsion and electromag launching of planes

01/09/2016

China will consider developing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier after it gains enough experience in operating large vessels, Senior Captain Zhang Junshe with the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute said.

Air Force says drone crash in Iraq was an accident

01/09/2016

An MQ-1 Predator drone crashed Thursday in Iraq but was destroyed and is not in militant hands, the Air Force said in a news release Friday. The remotely piloted aircraft was flying a combat mission when airmen lost control of the aircraft. The craft was not hit by enemy fire, the Air Force said, but an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

KC-135s surpass 100,000 combat hours

01/09/2016

The KC-135 Stratotanker fleet at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, flew more than 14,700 sorties in 2015 accumulating 103,419 combat hours in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Freedom’s Sentinel. “We provide refueling to every flying unit in the area of responsibility which is Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Afghanistan and supported 12 coalition nations,” said Lt. Col. James Murray, the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron director of operations.

Amid Boko Haram Insurgency, Nigeria To Buy JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets From Pakistan For $25M

01/09/2016

Nigeria plans to buy three JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter jets this year from Pakistan for $25 million, which would make the West African country the first export operator of the warplanes. The Nigerian government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has also set aside money to buy 10 PAC Super Mushshak basic trainers and two Mi-35M helicopters, Nigerian newspaper Punch reported Wednesday.

Was Syria intervention worth it for Russia?

01/08/2016

Not withstanding conventional arguments that Russia’s intervention in Syria has sharply increased its influence in the Middle East, Moscow may ultimately find that its gains do not outweigh its losses from the venture. Much will depend on whether, when and how Syria’s civil war ends.

Sri Lanka to Buy 8 Sino-Pak JF-17 Fighter Jets

01/08/2016

During a three-day state visit to Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sealed a landmark deal for the purchase of eight Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft.

Russia Deploys Anti Aircraft Missiles to Syria: US Bombing Fades; British Bombing Stops

01/08/2016

British media confirms that British air campaign in Syria has ground to a complete stop. US media confirms US air campaign in northern Syria has stopped following Russian anti aircraft missile deployments.

Army wants fused 3-D imagery for aviators

01/08/2016

The Army wants to fuse 3-D imagery to enable its aviators to control manned and unmanned aircraft. The goal is to help UAV operators as they "transition from their current roles actively piloting vehicles to serve instead as Mission Commanders supervising highly intelligent autonomous systems," according to the Army Small Business Innovation Research solicitation.

KAI, Indonesia Sign Formal Contract on KF-X Development

01/08/2016

Korea Aerospace Industries and Indonesia have reached a cost-sharing agreement for the development of their next generation KF-X/IF-X fighter aircraft. KAI President Ha Sung-yong (C) signs the work assignment agreement with PTDI head Budi Santoso in Jakarta on January 7, 2016.

F-35 program on the right track

01/08/2016

Lockheed-Martin and the Pentagon’s F-35 Program Office say they’ve finished delivering jets for 2015, increasing their yield from last year by 25 percent. Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman with the F-35 Joint Program Office at the Pentagon, said 45 F-35’s were delivered, which met Lockheed and the program office’s delivery goal for the year and exceeded last year’s deliveries by nine jets.

Ottawa weighs options to boost role in coalition against Islamic State

01/08/2016

The federal cabinet is reviewing options to bolster Canada’s role in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State that run the gamut from maintaining surveillance and refuelling aircraft to clandestine operations, military and government officials say.

Defense Department's love affair with the Super Hercules continues

01/08/2016

The Defense Department is set to expand its fleet of Super Hercules aircraft, a hi-tech workhorse that mixes versatility with toughness. The DOD is awarding Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than $1 billion to build 32 of the C-130 Super Hercules. It is part of a $5.3 billion contract to eventually provide the U.S. Air Force with 78 of these aircraft - 30 MC-130Js, 13 HC-130Js and 29 C-130J-30s and the U.S. Marine Corps six KC-130Js.

Lockheed Martin Brings Color to the Apache Helicopter Cockpit with $54 Million U.S. Army Contract

01/08/2016

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $54.3 million contract in December 2015 to upgrade the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) on the AH-64E Apache helicopter, bringing color to the cockpit for the first time.

How SUGAR could make stealth jets invisible: Anti-reflective coating made from sucrose conceals aircraft from radar

01/07/2016

Flying under the radar has long been the aim for pilots on secret missions. Now scientists have developed a lightweight anti-reflective coating based on the structure of a moth's eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonised sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer.

US Aircraft Reportedly 'Sniffs' Korean Skies for Evidence of Nuke Test

01/07/2016

The U.S. reportedly was sending a WC-135 "sniffer" plane Wednesday to check on North Korea's claim of setting off an underground hydrogen bomb as Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his South Korean counterpart conferred on a possible response. Susan Romano, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Technical Applications Center, said that the Air Force "as a matter of policy" does not discuss the operations of the WC-135 Constant Phoenix.

Zambian Air Force pilots conclude L-15 training ahead of deliveries

01/07/2016

Six Zambian Air Force pilots have completed training on Hongdu Aircraft Industry Group’s L-15 lead-in fighter trainer. As the first export customer for the type, Zambia will soon introduce it into active service. Hongdu, part of China’s Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), announced on 28 December that the first Zambian pilots and maintenance personnel had completed conversion to the supersonic L-15 Falcon.

German Luftwaffe joins the Syrian war

01/07/2016

On Tuesday, four Tornado combat aircraft of the German Luftwaffe were deployed to the Turkish airbase at Incirlik to support the war against ISIS in Syria. According to the official web site of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces), the combat jets will conduct their first sorties toward the end of this week. On January 12, two more fighter jets will follow.

WE’VE BEEN SOLD LIES ABOUT ALLIED AIR STRIKES HAVING ISIS ON ITS BACK FOOT

01/07/2016

Last month, Daesh forces (aka IS) launched a surprise offensive against five separate targets in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. It was quickly confirmed that members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) deployed in the area as trainers were involved in the combat effort to contain and ultimately repel the Daesh attackers.

Next US Navy budget battle pits ships against strike fighters

01/07/2016

A recent directive by the US secretary of defence that pits strike fighters against ships in the navy’s next five-year spending plan will be a showdown to watch going into 2016, with increases in F-35C and F/A-18 spending coming at the expense of the Littoral Combat Ship.

Lockheed Martin Receives Sensor Sustainment Contract for the Apache Attack Helicopter

01/07/2016

The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $31.8 million contract in December 2015 to sustain the AH-64D/E Apache’s targeting and pilotage system, the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS).

China Conducts More Test Flights at New Airfield in South China Sea

01/07/2016

Two civilian aircraft took off from the Meilan Airport of Haikou, capital of Hainan Province and landed at the airfield on Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands. They flew back to Haikou on Wednesday afternoon. “China's testing of a newly-built airfield is nothing more than an effort by the country to better serve the needs of the great many vessels and seafarers using one of the world's busiest shipping lanes,” Wang Haiqing wrote for an article in Xinhua.

Franco-Indian Rafale Saga Ends? Deal is Close to Getting Signed

01/07/2016

The Indian Ministry of Defense is busy finishing up a final agreement, which is expected to be signed during French President Francois Hollande’s visit to India later this month, the Indian newspaper Financial Express reported.

Just What the Middle East Needs: Turkey’s Getting an Aircraft Carrier

01/06/2016

Turkey is getting ready to widen the reach of its military considerably by building a multipurpose aircraft carrier with “trans-continental” capabilities. The 225-meter ship dubbed the Anadolu (or Anatolia), set to enter service in 2021, is designed to take fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, tanks, troops, and landing vessels to areas around the Mediterranean and as far as the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, officials say.

China lands 1st civilian plane on disputed islands, sparks neighbors' military fears

01/06/2016

A test flight by a civilian plane landed on an island in the South China Sea, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. It’s the first time the country has done so in the disputed Spratly Islands. Tensions are now high with neighboring Vietnam and the Philippines.

Spain and Belgium prepare to take on Baltic policing duties

01/06/2016

On 7 January, Spain will take the lead role for the next four-month, NATO-led Baltic Air Policing (BAP) rotation, as it deploys four Eurofighters to Šiauliai air base in Lithuania.