Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

IAF keen on US Scorpion aircraft offer

09/04/2015

After asking state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to stop work on the intermediate jet trainers (IJT), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now keen on the US offer of Textron’s AirLand Scorpion light-attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft.

Tu-160 Heavy Strategic Bomber Undergoes Major Upgrade

09/04/2015

The supersonic Tupolev Tu-160, whom Russian pilots lovingly call the White Swan, is about to undergo a major upgrade which will see 60 percent of its equipment replaced with top-end gear, including hypersonic missiles, improved avionics and electronics.

Israel Reportedly Refuels Jordanian Jets During Combat Exercise

09/04/2015

Ten Israeli F-15 fighters recently concluded a joint exercise at an American air force base with the air forces of the United States, Singapore and Jordan. The Israeli planes refueled in mid-air several times en route from Israel to the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis air force base in Nevada. According to the aviation website Foxtrot Alpha, the Israeli contingent also provided the Jordanian fighters with mid-air refueling en route.

Hill Air Force Base Receives First Two F-35A Lightning IIs

09/04/2015

The first two Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing were officially delivered to the base today. The two F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variants, known as AF-77 and AF-78, are the first of 72 F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base.

China Building Two Aircraft Carriers, According to Taiwanese Intelligence

09/04/2015

China is building two aircraft carriers, according to a new report by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, as Beijing nears what some experts say is its goal of deploying domestic-built carriers by 2020.

Typhoon and Spitfire to fly together for the first time at Battle of Britain Anniversary Air Show

09/03/2015

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a Eurofighter Typhoon from 29 (R) Squadron and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take to the skies together for a remarkable flying display as part of The Battle of Britain Anniversary Air Show on Saturday, September 19.

Russia Rejects Report of Aircraft, Troops Deployment to Syria

09/03/2015

Moscow has rejected reports by Israeli media that it aims to deploy fighter jets and military personnel to Syria to help the Arab country in its battle against the Daesh Takfiri group. "There has been no redeployment of Russian combat aircraft to the Syrian Arab Republic," the website of Russia's television network RT quoted an unnamed source as saying on Tuesday.

Russia, China Will Create Heavy-Lift Helicopter From Scratch

09/03/2015

Russia and China will jointly create a brand new heavy-lift helicopter, the Russian Helicopters company deputy CEO for sales, Grigory Kozlov, said Wednesday. According to the Russian Helicopters deputy CEO, Russia and China will sign a contract on the joint development of a heavy-lift helicopter before the end of the year.

Russia Ready to Supply India With Required Number of Helicopters

09/03/2015

Earlier in the day, media reported that India's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the purchase of 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters worth $1.1 billion from Russia for the needs of the country's armed forces.

Serbia to Purchase Two Russian-Made Military Helicopters

09/03/2015

Serbia is seeking to purchase two Russian military helicopters from Russia in the near future, the Russian Helicopters company's deputy CEO for sales, Grigory Kozlov, said Wednesday.

MAKS: Belarus buys second batch of Yak-130 trainers from Irkut

09/02/2015

The new deal was signed with the type's manufacturer, Irkut, at the MAKS air show in Moscow in late August. A Commonwealth of Independent States member, Belarus sources most of its military equipment from Russia, and placed its first Yak-130 order in 2011. Those four aircraft have already been delivered.

Air Force becomes an integrated new Aerospace Force

09/02/2015

he new Aerospace Forces, which entered combat duty in early August, are a combination of the air force, air defence and missile defence, and space defence wings. The Air Force has ceased to be a standalone force and has become a branch of the armed forces.

MAKS: Chinese firm unveils new sensors for J-20, J-31

09/02/2015

Wang Yanyong, technical director for Beijing A-Star Science and Technology, confirms that two systems – the EOTS-89 electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) and the EORD-31 infrared search and track (IRST) – are in development for China’s J-20 and J-31 fighters.

U.S., Ukraine Exercise Sea Breeze Begins in Black Sea, Russia Promises to Observe

09/02/2015

The U.S. and Ukraine formally kicked off almost two weeks of naval exercises on Monday in and around the Black Sea as part of the latest iteration of Sea Breeze. The Russian military has pledged to keep close tabs on the 11 nation drills and has dispatched the Krivak-class guided missile frigate Ladny to shadow U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) since the destroyer crossed into the Black Sea last week, according to a report from the Russian news agency Interfax.

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.