Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Indian Air Force ad invites recruits to fly aircraft it doesn't operate

07/09/2015

An Indian Air Force (IAF) recruitment advertisement has generated controversy - and ridicule - in domestic military circles for depicting a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, an aircraft that it does not operate. The F/A-18 image, featuring in several Indian newspapers on 5 July, appeared alongside Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Dassault Mirage 2000H combat aircraft that are in IAF service and above the tagline 'Join the mission'.

US predicts 42,000 unmanned Chinese military planes by 2023

07/09/2015

According to the United States Defense Department’s latest report on China’s military build-up the “Middle Kingdom” will spend more than $10 billion on land and sea based unmanned aircraft. These will include fixed wing and rotary aircraft to conduct surveillance, attack and even air combat missions.

China Seeks New Strategic Bomber

07/08/2015

A recent report in a military affairs magazine has shed light on a recent meeting in the Chinese military where the need for a strategic aerial capability was made clear. China already has strategic bombers in its inventory but they will not meet the future military needs of the country.

US Air Force and Pentagon want hypersonic planes that can cross the globe in 4 hours by 2023

07/08/2015

The US Air Force has decided to team up with the Department of Defense to speed up the development of hypersonic aircraft and hopes to achieve its goal by 2023. Hypersonic refers to any aircraft that travels at five times the speed of sound, which is about 3,800mph and known as Mach 5. In order to achieve this, the plane needs to be lightened using Supersonic Combustion Ramjet Engines (Scramjet) technology.

Pave Hawk Maintainers Keep Rescue Birds Flying

07/08/2015

Airmen assigned to the 41st Expeditionary Helicopter Maintenance Unit here constantly work maintaining HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters so that the combat rescue mission in Afghanistan can be a success if and when it is needed. The 41st EHMU is part of the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and is responsible for delivering airworthy helicopters to the expeditionary rescue squadron to complete its personnel recovery mission.

Japan’s Abe facing opposition in bid to broaden defense options

07/08/2015

Support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to expand Japan’s military role has waned in recent months, and moving forward with a “collective self-defense” proposal could jeopardize his political influence, recent polls suggest. n a July 5 Yomiuri Shimbun poll, 80 percent said the government hadn’t properly explained the proposed changes that, among other things, would allow the Japanese military to legally defend U.S. forces in combat.

Most combat sorties in Iraq end without striking ISIS

07/08/2015

U.S. aircraft are coming back from most combat missions in Iraq without dropping any bombs, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Martin Dempsey said Tuesday. "At a similar period in the Afghanistan conflict in 2012, the number of aircraft that returned with their ordnance because there were not targets available on the ground was 83 percent," Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It's 65 percent in Iraq right now."

Military fixed wing aircraft market will be worth $72 billion in 2023

07/08/2015

The global fixed wing military aircraft market will go from earning revenues of $63.33 billion in 2014 to $72.77 billion in 2023 as the market grows due to procurement and modernisation programmes, according to a new report.

2 killed when F-16, Cessna collide in midair over S.C.

07/08/2015

Two people in a small Cessna were killed after an F-16 fighter jet collided with the civilian plane in a "very rare" crash in South Carolina on Tuesday morning. The Cessna was destroyed and both people aboard were killed in the crash, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson told USA TODAY.

US-Jordan Defense Bill Strong Message of Support to Middle East - Lawmaker

07/08/2015

The passage of the US-Jordan defense bill that will enhance cooperation between the two countries in fighting Islamic State terrorists shows Washington’s commitment to the Middle Eastern security, US Congressman and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce said in a statement.

First US Drone Strikes Against ISIL in Afghanistan Kill Nearly 50

07/08/2015

The first of two strikes was carried out at noon Monday in Nangarhar province's Achin district, on the border with Pakistan, killing 12 militants, according the provincial governor's spokesman, Ahmad Zia Adulzai. A short time later, US officials acting on reports that indicated the fighters were moving to a new location conducted a second strike in the same district, leaving 37 militants dead.

Russian bomber crashes, killing both pilots in 5th recent crash involving military aircraft

07/07/2015

A Russian military aircraft crashed Monday while taking off on a nighttime training flight and both pilots were killed, the Defense Ministry said. It was the fifth accident involving a Russian military aircraft in the past month, but the first with fatalities. The Su-24 bomber crashed while taking off from an airfield in the Khabarovsk region in Russia's Far East at 9:35 p.m. local time, the ministry said in a statement.

Lockheed Martin ready to build 94 F-35 combat jets in $920.4 million contract

07/07/2015

The U.S. military is placing orders worth nearly a billion dollars with Lockheed Martin Corp. to prepare for building 94 F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter combat jets. The order involves conventional and vertical takeoff and landing versions, as well as carrier versions.

Israel’s Ties to Syria’s Rebels Provoke Mob Violence in the Golan

07/07/2015

When an ambulance rolled through Druze villages near the Israeli-Syrian border last month, it was met by an angry mob of stone-throwing protesters shouting that they’d been betrayed by Israel. Surrounding the emergency vehicle, they claimed that Israel’s government is giving medical treatment to Islamist fighters who are now threatening to kill their Druze brethren in Syria. The mob opened up the doors of the ambulance and dragged out the two patients inside, killing one of them.

Airbus Helicopters joint venture with Mahindra Defense in India

07/07/2015

Airbus Helicopters and India's Mahindra Defense have agreed to form a joint venture to produce helicopters in the country to meet local military needs. Airbus and Mahindra Defense, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, said the two companies will not enter discussions to finalize the joint venture which will act as the prime contractor for India's military helicopter tenders.

Iraqi Air Force Jet Accidentally Bombs Baghdad, Killing 7

07/07/2015

An Iraqi fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on a Baghdad residential neighborhood on Monday, killing seven people, government officials said. The Russian-made Sukhoi jet was returning from a mission against Islamic State targets in western Iraq at the time, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan said. The bomb, which had failed to release from the aircraft earlier in the flight, detached as it flew over the neighborhood, he said.

China's J-10B Fighter Aircraft To Enter Export Market

07/07/2015

China could possibly export its J-10B fighter to Pakistan, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Russia has agreed for a deal to sell its advanced AL31FN engines which will be fitted to the J-10B, Kanwa defense review reported Sunday adding that the first batch of the engines is expected this year.

Russia, Pakistan Negotiating on Military Mi-35 Helicopters Deal

07/07/2015

Russia is holding the talks with Pakistan on the sale of the combat Mi-35 helicopters to Islamabad, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Monday. "Currently, negotiations are underway to supply Islamabad with a consignment of Mi-35 military transport helicopters, which will be used for the counter-terrorism operations in the north-west of the country," Ushakov said.

US Jets Scramble to Intercept Russian Bombers off States’ West Coast

07/07/2015

At 10:30 on the morning of July 4, the US Air Force launched two F-22 fighter jets to intercept a pair of Tu-95 Bear long-range bombers off the coast of Alaska. According to NORAD, the aircraft were within the Air Defense Identification Zone, but were over 100 miles from US airspace. Half an hour later, NORAD detected two more Tu-95’s flying off the coast of California. A pair of F-15s were scrambled, but again, the aircraft were hundreds of miles from US airspace.

Russian Investigative Committee to Probe Su-24M Jet Crash

07/07/2015

A criminal case has been open for alleged violations of flights rules which led to a Monday crash of a Russian Su-24M Fencer supersonic attack jet in Russia's eastern Khabarovsk region, a representative of the Military Investigation Department of the Eastern Military District of Russian Armed Forces said Tuesday.

Reconsidering Australia’s Iraq role in fighting Islamic Jihad

07/06/2015

Last month, US President Barack Obama announced the dispatch of 450 US military “trainers” to Anbar, adding to the 3000 US non-combat soldiers already in Iraq. Despite admitting that he does not yet have “a complete strategy” for countering Islamic State, Mr Obama has insisted he will not reconsider the tactics currently being used. Understandably, he remains resolutely opposed to deploying troops to fight on the ground.

HAL production under lens after Hawk trainer crash

07/06/2015

Production quality of the country's only aircraft manufacturer, defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), is once again under the scanner after the crash of a Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) last month. Sources said "quill-shaft failure" in the engine has emerged as the prime reason behind the crash of the twin-seat Hawk AJT, which went down in Odisha while on a training sortie from the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal on June 3. Fortunately, the two pilots managed to eject safely.

First Tejas Mark II engine to arrive in September

07/06/2015

The plan to develop a more powerful, modernised version of the current Tejas fighter is getting a welcome boost. In September, US engine-maker General Electric (GE) plans to deliver the first F-414INS6 engine (hereafter F-414), which will power the Tejas Mark II.

IAF combats lowest fighter strength

07/06/2015

Continuous warnings over the past decade as regards the alleged tardy pace of induction of new fighter jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the resultant loss of “combative edge” are now ringing true. By the end of this year, the IAF would be at its lowest combat strength in more than a decade, a source said.

US-led Coalition Conducts Largest Attack on ISIL Held Syrian City

07/06/2015

The recent airstrikes conducted by US-led coalition have severely constricted the Islamic State militant's freedom of movement. US-led coalition forces said they accomplished a series of 16 airstrikes on Saturday on Islamic State militants in the Syrian city of Raqa.