Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Putin's New Diplomacy: Act Now, Talk Later

10/19/2015

Russia has invented a new type of diplomacy that defies easy categorization. It might be called "post hoc diplomacy" because Moscow begins negotiations with partners and adversaries not before taking action, as is customary, but only afterward, and with the goal of either consolidating the results of that action or using it as leverage in subsequent negotiations.

Is a No-Fly Zone Over Syria Achievable?

10/19/2015

A number of congressional leaders, former officials, and presidential candidates have advocated the establishment of a no-fly zone or safe zone in Syria to protect Syrian civilians against attack from both the Islamic State and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

India rescuing western defence firms, not developing domestic ones

10/19/2015

The impression created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meetings with western leaders is that India will buy any de-rated military goods offered. His announcement about purchasing 36 1980s-vintage French Rafale planes to meet the Indian Air Force’s requirement for ‘medium multi-role combat aircraft’ (MMRCA) wrong-footed defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who favoured the bigger, more versatile and economical Su-30 — superior to the Rafale in all roles, including nuclear delivery.

Military Drills in Indian Ocean Signal Deepening Ties

10/19/2015

Warships and aircraft from the U.S., India and Japan practiced hunting enemy submarines during wide-ranging exercises in the Bay of Bengal over the weekend, signaling the three powers’ deepening ties as they contend with a more assertive China. Worries about Beijing’s rapidly increasing military strength and its growing ability to deploy forces far from Chinese shores have helped drive a convergence of strategic thinking in Washington.

Stingers prove lethal at Combat Archer

10/19/2015

More than 120 members of the 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard, deployed 38 short tons of cargo and eight F-16 fighter jets to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in September to participate in Combat Archer. The two-week exercise is part of the Air Combat Command Air-to-Air Weapons Systems Evaluation Program, which assesses a units overall operational effectiveness, weapons systems performance and reliability.

Russian Airstrikes Help Syrian Army Liberate New Areas Near Aleppo

10/19/2015

Syrian military officials reported army and popular forces, backed by Russian air support, took control of southeastern territories of the northern province of Aleppo after killing and wounding dozens of terrorists in the liberation operation.

Japan's air force to do more aerial refueling

10/18/2015

Japan's Air Self-Defense Force will run more refueling missions once it introduces a new Boeing KC-46A aerial tanker to its fleet in fiscal 2016. The plan is to expand the number of joint operations between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military as well as to better protect remote islands and respond to major disasters.

US steps up intelligence aid to fight against Boko Haram

10/18/2015

The imminent deployment of 300 US soldiers in Cameroon is intended to provide nations around Lake Chad with what they most lack in the battle against Boko Haram: reliable intelligence.

Syria – a test bed for high-tech weapons of electronic warfare

10/18/2015

The relationship between Russia and the West is becoming increasingly dangerous with potential flashpoints developing in both eastern Europe and Syria. After repeated incursions into Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes on bombing raids over Syria, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow that it stands ready to “defend all allies”.

F-35C completes carrier tests aboard the Ike

10/18/2015

Across the board success was how the test pilots scored the second carrier testing run for the Navy's F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, which wrapped up Oct. 9 aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. The multifaceted two-week flight test was used to develop launch and recovery bulletins. The former focused on 55,000 and 60,000-pound catapult shots at military, the catapult shot with standard jet thrust, and maximum power.

Turkey Says Wouldn't Hesitate to Shoot Down Planes Violating Air Space

10/18/2015

'We downed a drone yesterday. If it was a plane we'd do the same,' Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu tells a party rally; Turkey is still investigating where the drone came from, but U.S believes it was Russians'.

Here's one surprising reason Russia might not want to pick a fight with US planes over Syria

10/18/2015

The skies over Syria are dangerously crowded these days with the US, Russia, and the Assad regime all bombing various actors on vaguely opposite sides of the country's multidimensional conflict. In both Iraq and Syria, the reality of overlapping aerial operations among countries with little geopolitical fondness toward one another has already led to claims that British aircraft have been authorized to engage Russian aircraft over Iraq if threatened.

DARPA Developing Tech To Keep Squadrons Connected Even With Jamming Attacks

10/18/2015

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for developing emerging technologies for military use, is coming up with a technology that will keep squadrons connected even when during jamming attacks.

Chinese Bomber Can Now Launch Long-Range Strikes

10/18/2015

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has revealed its long-range precision strike capabilities. Beijing’s H-6K bomber can strike distant targets with precise ammunition, according to Chinese media.

Russia to Hold Talks With Egypt on Sales of Equipment for Mistrals

10/18/2015

Russia will hold talks with Egypt on the possible purchase by Cairo of the Russian equipment for the Mistral helicopter carriers on October 21-23, a source in the military-technical cooperation sphere said Saturday.

F-35's Heavier Helmet Complicates Ejection Risks

10/17/2015

In the latest hurdle for the Pentagon's F-35 joint strike fighter, testers this summer discovered an increased risk of neck damage when a lightweight pilot is ejecting from the plane. The Joint Program Office blamed the phenomenon on the jet's ejection seat, Martin-Baker's US16E. But interviews conducted by Defense News in recent weeks indicate the added weight and bulk of the new F-35 helmet complicates the problem.

Cameroon recon: US troops to Nigerian border to monitor Boko Haram

10/17/2015

Boko Haram has spilled out of the forests and villages of northern Nigeria and into the cross hairs of the U.S. military. Nearly 100 American military personnel are headed to the Central African nation of Cameroon, with another 200 expected to follow in the near future. Using drones to gather intelligence, they will help their counterparts in Cameroon monitor the growing threat from the Islamic terrorist group as it expands its bloody reign out of its stronghold in Nigeria.

Wright-Patt sold $19B to foreign militaries in FY 2015

10/17/2015

The Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate, headquartered at Wright-Patterson, had the second highest sales to foreign militaries in a decade reaching $19 billion, more than doubling sales from the year prior, figures show. Sales of the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to South Korea at $6.3 billion, to Israel at $2.8 billion and to Japan at $1 billion were the biggest driver of higher spending, according to figures released to this newspaper Friday.

Air Force sets weight restrictions for F-35 pilots

10/17/2015

Air Force leaders recently made a decision to restrict pilots weighing less than 136 pounds from flying the F-35A Lightning II due to safety concerns about the ejection seat in a portion of the flight envelope. The manufacturer of the seat has been conducting tests to ensure the escape system works reliably and safely in all planned conditions.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter Denies South Korea's Request For Transfer Of Fighter Jet Technology

10/17/2015

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday denied South Korea’s request for transfer of key American technologies for its project to develop KF-X indigenous fighter jet, Yonhap News Agency reported. South Korea is represented by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Korea Aerospace Industries for the KF-X program, for which America's Lockheed Martin Corporation was selected in March.

Iraq shows off airstrike by new Chinese-made combat drone (VIDEO)

10/17/2015

The Iraqi military has released a video displaying the combat deployment of a CH-4B drone which the country recently bought from China. Baghdad has been diversifying its arms supply to decrease its reliance on American producers. The Caihong (Rainbow) 4B drone flew from the al-Kut Air Base southeast of Baghdad and shot an AR-1 laser-guided anti-tank missile at an Islamic State target, according to the Iraqi Defense Ministry.

Thank You for Being a Friend

10/17/2015

“Sweeter than the sweetest honey in this world, deeper than the deepest sea in the world . . . ,” the suitor crooned, “higher than the highest peak . . .” Soul singer Barry White? No, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, remarking on Pakistan's relationship with China in 2014, using words that had been repeated many times before over the past 40 years.

Boeing Mulls Chinook/Apache Assembly Line in India

10/17/2015

In what may come as a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India campaign, American aviation manufacturer Boeing on Friday said that it will assemble its Chinook heavy-lift helicopters or Apache attack helicopters in India.

US suspects Turkey shot down Russian drone aircraft near Syrian border, official says

10/17/2015

Turkey has shot down an aircraft that US officials have suggested was a Russian drone in its air space near the Syrian border. The Turkish general staff said it shot the aircraft in accordance with its rules of engagement, giving three warnings, and would continue to follow its duties in line with its rules, in a statement posted on the military's website.

Russian Su-30SM performed a Visual ID intercept on a U.S. plane over Syria

10/16/2015

On Oct. 10, a Russian Su-30SM belonging to the contingent deployed to Latakia, in Syria, had a close encounter with a unspecified U.S. combat plane supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, the Flanker-derivative 4++ Gen aircraft was providing air escort for a package of attack planes in Syria when it approached the American plane, to perform a VID (Visual Identification).