Military Aviation News Archive
07/14/2015
Over the next two weeks, Southern Utah, southern Nevada and possibly the Arizona Strip between the two, may experience some reverberation as military exercises are underway at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Beginning Tuesday GPS intervention testing commences in the same region intermittently over the same period, impacting aviation. Nevadans, in particular, may notice increased military aircraft activity.
Read More...
07/14/2015
The U.S. on Monday delivered the first lot of F-16 fighter jets to the Iraqi government to be used in the fight against Islamic militants. Brett McGurk, the administration’s deputy special presidential envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), confirmed the deliver on Twitter.
Read More...
07/14/2015
For more than a decade now, China and Pakistan have worked together to develop and manufacture a new kind of fighter jet. The aircraft itself exemplifies the friendship and cooperation between the two countries. China named this beauty “FC-1 Xiaolong” – which stands for “ Fighter China, Fierce Dragon”, and in Pakistan it’s called “JF-17”, short for “Joint Fighter”.
Read More...
07/14/2015
Summer is the silly season for defense coverage in the nation’s capital. With much of official Washington gone, journalists have to work harder to find anything worth reporting. When they uncover an item that sounds like it might be newsy, they get as much mileage out of it as they can.
Read More...
07/14/2015
Lockheed Martin demonstrated its multi-mode Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), engaging two laser-designated stationary targets during recent Government-led flight tests at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In the first test, the missile flew four kilometers, engaged its precision-strike, semi-active laser and hit the stationary target.
Read More...
07/14/2015
Russian engineers are developing a one-of-a-kind communications system for Russia's next-generation PAK DA strategic bomber which will be able to conduct analysis, make changes and switch its operation modes, a representative of Russia's United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC) told RIA Novosti.
Read More...
07/14/2015
Three Su-25UTG aircraft and three Su-33 carrier-based fighters were redeployed from the Severomorsk-3 airfield of the Northern Fleet to the Saki airfield. The training sessions will take several weeks and include 10 flying shifts.
Read More...
07/14/2015
The principal advantage of an airship is the large surface of its body where radar systems can be mounted. The antennas of anti-ballistic missile radars will be mounted on the cover of an airship, according to a representative of Russia’s KRET company.
Read More...
07/13/2015
China needs to develop a new long-range strike bomber capable of attacking targets farther out in the Pacific. This is the principal conclusion of a meeting of Chinese military officials, according to AFP citing a full-page China Daily article published last Tuesday as its source.
Read More...
07/13/2015
On July 11, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 airstrikes using bomber, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 11 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense using attack, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.
Read More...
07/13/2015
Russia's Air Force is falling from the sky. As the Kremlin continues to assert its air power in a bid to intimidate NATO allies in Europe and North America, its mostly Soviet-built aircraft are being pushed to their limits — a fact experts point to when attempting to explain the loss of five aircraft of different designs in just the past month.
Read More...
07/13/2015
Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland on July 12 celebrated the centenary of the formation of the Westland Aircraft Works in Yeovil and the many aeronautical achievements that have been made during 100 years of continuous aircraft manufacturing on the site. Established in 1915 Westland has produced many famous fixed wing aircraft designs such as the Whirlwind, Welkin, Wapiti, Lysander before focussing on helicopter production and later on its own designs such as the Lynx and AW101.
Read More...
07/13/2015
Mumbai airport played host to a new guest recently. A Japanese Air Force aircraft made stops twice in the last week during its anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, a peninsula in the north-east of the continent. The airplane landed in Mumbai to refuel as well as to allow its crew to rest.
Read More...
07/13/2015
European defense clout is expanding in South Korea, which has long been regarded as a second home turf for American weapon systems. In a sign of growing popularity of European weapons here, Airbus has clinched back-to-back arms acquisition deals for helicopters and in-flight refueling tankers.
Read More...
07/13/2015
Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels and their allies struck several Yemeni cities on Sunday, with combat raging near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait despite a declared truce, military and security officials said. Some 500 troops loyal to exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, along with allied militias, were pushing to take areas near the strait, the officials said.
Read More...
07/13/2015
The prime minister has asked them to look at increasing funding for special forces as part of the strategic defence and security review. They have also been urged to consider new spy aircraft, including drones. The priorities were set out after last week's Budget pledged to spend 2% of national wealth on defence until 2020.
Read More...
07/13/2015
The United States has launched negotiations with a number of North African countries to position drones on their territory to monitor the Islamic State's activities in Libya, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday citing undisclosed US officials.
Read More...
07/12/2015
“One Belt, One Road” is a concept whereby China spreads an economic network over land and sea that they control. “One Belt” refers to the land that they will potentially dominate and unite from western China to central Asia and Europe. “One Road” refers to the maritime lanes that China plans to control, from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Arabic Peninsula and the East Coast of Africa.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Lockheed Martin is deep in talks to buy United Technologies’s Sikorsky, maker of the iconic Blackhawk and the White House’s Marine One helicopters, The Wall Street Journal reported late Friday. Citing sources close to the matter, the Journal said the sale could bring more than $8 billion to United Technologies. A deal could be reached in the coming days, it reported.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Russian authorities are working to relaunch production of the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-160 "Blackjack" supersonic nuclear bomber, a Russian defense ministry official reportedly said Friday. "We are already working quickly [on the project], we have created a working group, scheduled monthly meetings with the Industry and Trade Ministry on how the work is progressing and appointed chief designers," Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov told RIA Novosti, cited by the Moscow Times.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Bearded and wearing bright blue bandanas, the Islamic State group’s “special forces” unit gathered around their commander just before they attacked the central Syrian town of al-Sukhna. “Victory or martyrdom,” they screamed, pledging their allegiance to God and vowing never to retreat.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Marine pilots recently dropped dozens of live bombs from the F-35B joint strike fighter for the first time, bringing the aircraft a step closer to its long-anticipated rollout. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 dropped 30 bombs over five days without a hitch in late June near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. It was a first for the squadron testing the aircraft's capabilities, and Marines said they can hit targets in little- to no-visibility.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Even as India and France negotiate a final agreement for direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets, there is a renewed push by the aircraft makers left out in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest to re-enter the race.
Read More...
07/12/2015
Delayed by more than 15 years, India's homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-1 is ready for critical test flights necessary for its final operational clearance (FOC) at the end of the year, but analysts and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials say that clearance will slip again, to next year.
Read More...
07/12/2015
The July 1st attack in Egypt’s north Sinai has signaled a change in strategy from the previous attacks launched in the region, adopting a strategy used by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria forcused on taking and holding territory. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, Egypt’s most active militant group in the Sinai, swore allegiance to ISIS in November 2014 becoming Sinai Province. The attempt to fly the ISIS flag in Sheikh Zuweid failed due to the Egyptian Armed Forces repelling the attack, killing over 250
Read More...