Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Training Counterinsurgency, Modernising Pakistani Weapons – Belarus Security Digest

09/02/2015

Official media has celebrated new contracts to buy Russian-made military equipment. Belarus plans to decommission another advanced military aircraft the Su-25, which the newly acquired Yak-130 aircraft with it's limited capacities will fail to replace. Minsk has succeeded in developing defence ties with Pakistan, while its arms designing projects with China may convince Moscow to offer Minsk better options to improve Belarusian defence.

Japan’s Defense Ministry Wants Record Military Budget for 2016

09/02/2015

Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) is requesting a record 5.09 trillion yen ($42.38 billion) defense budget for fiscal year 2016, up 2.2 percent from the current fiscal year, Jiji Press reports. The budget request is heavily geared toward fortifying Japan’s position in the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands – an island chain administered by Tokyo in the East China Sea.

India’s Fighter Acquisition Troubles

09/02/2015

Confronted with shrinking combat aircraft capacity, the Indian Air Force appears willing to swap projected numbers on paper for actual fighters on hand. At least, that is the message being conveyed by IAF brass as they once again trim their fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) requirement.

'No Russian jets sent to Syria' - military source on 'expeditionary force' report

09/02/2015

No Russian jets were deployed to Syria in order to launch attacks against Islamic State militants (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) and Syrian rebels, a military source told RT, dismissing reports in Israeli media. "There has been no redeployment of Russian combat aircraft to the Syrian Arab Republic,” the source told RT on Tuesday. “The Russian Air Force is at its permanent bases and carrying out normal troop training and combat duty.”

Iran, Russia Agree to Cooperate in Aircraft Engine Production

09/02/2015

Iran and Russia have signed a cooperation agreement to produce gas turbines and aircraft engines, Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Manouchehr Manteghi told Sputnik Persian in an interview.

Fierce Fighting in N. Syria as Turkey Launches Air Raids

09/01/2015

Islamic State militants are maintaining their offensive on towns at the heart of a safe zone that U.S. and Turkish authorities want to carve out in northern Syria — despite Turkish fighter jets recently launching their first airstrikes as part of the American-led coalition against the jihadist terror army. Rebel commanders say coalition strikes need to be ramped up to ward off the extremists.

JSTARS: Air Force Taking Way Too Long To Replace Aging Radar Planes

09/01/2015

When it comes to buying weapons, the U.S. government is its own worst enemy. It wastes vast amounts of time and money trying to get new programs exactly right, and then ends up fielding combat systems that are too costly and too late to the fight. If there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on, it’s that the Pentagon needs to buy weapons faster and more affordably that keep America’s military at the cutting edge of warfighting technology.

Exercise Swift Response rapidly builds combat power

09/01/2015

In every airborne operation, the force of paratroopers jumping into a drop zone is only half the battle. Once those Soldiers hit the ground, the next phase of the operation begins: seize an airfield and rapidly build combat power through air-land operations. This operation requires a coordinated team of Air Force and Army personnel to find a viable airstrip, secure it, and then land transport aircraft carrying the heavy equipment and other forces necessary to run any combat exercise.

Russian jets take to Syrian skies to combat IS

09/01/2015

Russian fighter pilots, jets and helicopters will begin arriving in Syria in the coming days to join in the offensive against the Islamic State (IS) and rebel-aligned targets within the failing state Israeli news site Ynet News reported Monday. According to Western diplomats, Russian expeditionary forces have already arrived in Syria to set up camp in an Assad-controlled airbase near Damascus, and will operate as a Russian forward operating base.

MiG-35 Prospects Are Still Good, Says Maker

09/01/2015

Russian Aircraft Corporation “MiG” general director and designer Sergei Korotkov told reporters attending the MAKS’2015 show last week that development of the MiG-35 is continuing, despite the new fighter’s failure to secure domestic or foreign orders. He said that the Russian defense ministry has promised to start buying MiG-35s in 2018, after the aircraft completes flight trials, with at least 30 units planned for purchase.

US military is developing 'Gremlin' drones to overwhelm enemy defenses and conduct missions too dangerous for manned aircraft

09/01/2015

They were the mischievous creatures blamed for causing mechanical failures and faults on aircraft during World War Two and later the destructive monsters in a hit film franchise. So Gremlins might not seem like the first choice for a fleet of robotic aircraft being developed by the US military.

China Reveals Deadliest 'Guam Killer' Missile for First Time

09/01/2015

The People’s Liberation Army has for the first time publicly displayed some of the most modern and deadliest missiles in its possession. During rehearsals for the military parade due to be held on September 3, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese victory over Japan in World War II, glimpses of a number of new Chinese missiles were seen.

China Conducts Test Flight of Largest Domestic Drone

09/01/2015

Caihong 5 (CH-5) is the latest in a series of unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Chinese experts. The first flight of the UAV took place in the province of Gansu in the northwest of the country and lasted for 20 minutes.

Egypt to Buy Russia’s Ka-52 Alligator Attack Helicopters

09/01/2015

Egypt has ordered Ka-52 helicopters but the delivery has not started yet, according to the source that did not specify the timeframe and sum of the contract. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is currently on a visit to Moscow. During talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Sisi reached an agreement to extend Russian grain supplies and switch to ruble transactions in the tourist industry.

China ready to launch military power from artificial islands in South China Sea

08/31/2015

China has won the first round of its contest for control in the South China Sea by completing construction of an archipelago of artificial islands, say senior Australian sources. And there is little that will stop China from winning the next round, too, as an indecisive US Administration and allies including Australia struggle to follow through on earlier promises to challenge unlawful Chinese claims with "freedom of navigation" exercises, the sources say.

China's military might goes on show

08/31/2015

On Thursday, 12,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, between 100 - 200 aircraft and about 500 pieces of military equipment will participate in a military parade in the Chinese capital commemorating the 70th anniversary of the surrender of regional rival Japan to end World War II.

Combat Effectiveness of Yak-130 Enhanced

08/31/2015

Irkut has demonstrated Yak-130 trainer aircraft fitted with laser rangefinder intended for visual identification of ground and surface targets and measurement of slant range to them at the MAKS-2015. Russia has upgraded the the Yak-130 (tail number 01)in a bid to showcase it as not just a trainer but also as a light attack aircraft to its foreign customers.

To Prove Its CAS Capabilities, F-35 To Face Off Against A-10

08/31/2015

To gauge the joint strike fighter's ability to perform in a close-air support role, the Pentagon's top weapons tester has declared the sleek new fighter jet must face off against the lumbering A-10.

KC-46A: Big airplane being delayed by a few big problems

08/31/2015

Delays with development of a new Air Force tanker scheduled to be based and serviced in Oklahoma are causing turbulence at the Pentagon, but local leaders say they're not too worried about a project that is expected to pump millions of dollars into their economies.

Turkey conducts first joint air strikes as part of coalition against ISIL

08/31/2015

The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Turkish military aircraft had started bombing ISIL targets late on Friday. “Our fighter aircraft, along with coalition fighter jets, began carrying out joint air operations as of yesterday (Friday) evening against ISIL targets in Syria that also present a threat to our national security,” said the ministry on Saturday.

Russian Mi-28N Helicopters Receive Cutting-Edge Helmet Imaging Systems

08/31/2015

Pilots flying the modernized version of Russia’s Mi-28N attack helicopters will receive a new helmet imaging and targeting system. The device was unveiled at the MAKS-2015 air expo on Saturday.

US wants F-22s to cooperate with Gripens

08/29/2015

The US wants its F-22 Raptor fighters, which its plans to deploy in Europe, to learn to cooperate with the supersonic fighters of the allies, not only with the most widespread Eurofighter Typhoons but also the Gripen fighters used by the Czechs, daily Lidové noviny (LN) writes today.

Pentagon Awards Deal for Wearable Devices in Silicon Valley Push

08/29/2015

The Pentagon has awarded a $171 million contract to a California-based consortium to develop wearable electronic devices as part of a push to work more closely with Silicon Valley. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the award for the so-called FlexTech Alliance, a group of companies, nonprofits, labs and universities — from Apple Inc. to Boeing Co., from the Cleveland Clinic to MIT — during a speech Friday at Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, which is also home to Google Inc.

Poland to Overhaul Six Bulgarian MiG-29 Fighter Jets by end-2016

08/29/2015

Six Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets will have their engines overhauled in Poland, according to an intergovernmental letter of intent signed in Sofia on Friday. Poland’s state-owned Miltary Aviation Works WZL 2, 4 will carry out the repair and upgrade of the engines of three MiG-29s by the middle of next year and a further three by end-2016, according to the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence.

Tests show F-35s can share data with older aircraft

08/29/2015

Aug 28 Two weeks of joint testing of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet at a California air base by the Royal Netherlands Air Force showed that the new stealthy jets are able to share a significant amount of data with older warplanes, the pilot in charge of Dutch F-35 testing told Reuters.