Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Egypt foiled IS in Sinai

07/05/2015

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, wearing battle dress for the first time in over a year, said Saturday that Egypt had foiled an attempt by the Islamic State group to seize territory and set up an extremist state with its recent assault on the military in the troubled northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

NZ defence teams in Darwin for warfighting exercise

07/05/2015

More than 600 New Zealand defence personnel are taking part in a warfighting exercise with Australia and the United States. The NZDF has deployed two ships, four aircraft including two NH90 helicopters, 22 Light Armoured Vehicles and 23 other military vehicles for the exercise. "Over the next three weeks, we will be training with key partners, Australia and the United States, in a challenging multi-national environment," said Colonel Glenn King, Senior National Officer (SNO) for the NZDF contin

IAF seeks 80 fighters, not 36

07/05/2015

The Indian Air Force has told the government it needs at least 80 aircraft of the capabilities of the Rafale to make up for the shortfall in its fighter jet squadrons. In April this year, during a visit to Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the air force would go for an outright purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft, made by French firm Dassault Aviation.

Tests of Extended Range Missiles for S-400 Almost Finished

07/05/2015

Official tests of extended range missiles for advanced S-400 Triumf air defense systems are in the final stage, the head of the Russian Air Force's anti-aircraft missile troops said Saturday. "The official tests of this missile are in the final stage. I think that in the near future they will be successfully completed," Maj. Gen. Sergey Babakov told the Russian News Service radio.

Saab receives order to provide spare parts for Sweden’s Gripen E aircraft

07/04/2015

The Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) has contracted Saab to deliver spare parts for Gripen E multirole combat aircraft. The new development is valued at SEK250m ($30.02m). It is part of a framework agreement signed between Saab and FMV in February 2013 for development work on the JAS 39 Gripen E.

Sabre rattling, or preparing for war?

07/04/2015

After the Vietnam War, I served in West Germany in the 1970s and 1980s before the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact dissolved. Back then there were fearful thoughts about massive Soviet armor and infantry units coming across the border in Central Europe in overwhelming numbers.

The ‘new’ type of war that finally has the Pentagon’s attention

07/04/2015

The Pentagon is increasingly concerned about how to combat “hybrid warfare,” the combination of stealth invasion, local proxy forces and international propaganda that Russia used to annex Crimea and destabilize eastern Ukraine, U.S. officials said. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Thursday released the 2015 National Military Strategy, in which he cited Russia’s actions in Ukraine and said “hybrid conflicts” will persist well into the future.

Russian warplanes not invited to Royal International Air Tattoo

07/04/2015

RUSSIAN aircraft have not been invited to the prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo this year amid rising tensions with NATO countries. Vladimir Putin’s warplanes are not welcome at the world’s biggest military airshow following flashpoints in the skies and eastern Europe. The event has a reputation for showcasing aircraft from Russia, including the Yakovlev Yak-130, a state-of-the-art combat jet.

Pentagon say reason most expensive fighter jet ever the F35 lost a dogfight with an F16 from 40 years ago was because it did not have a special coat of stealth paint

07/04/2015

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have leapt to the defence of the expensive F-35 stealth jet after it was embarrassingly outperformed by a 40-year-old F-16 jet in a dogfight. A mock air battle was held over the Pacific Ocean between the cutting-edge F-35 - meant to be the most sophisticated jet ever - and an F-16, which was designed in the 1970s. But according to the test pilot, the F-35 is still too slow to hit an enemy plane or dodge gunfire.

Russia's 5 Most Dangerous Warplanes

07/04/2015

When it comes to air power, it’s no secret that the United States and the West have often held an edge over Russia. This dates at least as far back to World War II, when the United States and Britain were allied with Russia. While Russia supplied much of the manpower that ultimately defeated Nazi Germany, it was the United States and UK that took the lead in the strategic bombing campaigns against Germany.

80 Rafale-type jets needed: IAF

07/04/2015

Facing a crisis of a dwindling fleet of fighter jets, the Indian Air Force (IAF), has formally told the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it needs at least 80 Rafale-type multi-role combat fighter jets to be battle-ready in the next few years.

In defence of the F-35: Why future air combat will be different

07/04/2015

Former RAF group captain shoots down claims F-35 can't protect itself as modern aerial battles demand a new way of thinking Air combat is advancing at such a pace and about to head in a new direction that reports of a hi-tech F-35 fighter “losing” a simulated dogfight to a 1970s-design F-16 are irrelevant to the new stealth jet’s future, according to an ex-RAF group captain.

Russia Ramps Up Black Sea Fleet With Modernized War Aircraft

07/04/2015

The aviation units of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Air Force, Air Defense and Naval aviation have received modernized attack aircraft and fighter jets, including Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-30M2 fighters, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Mi-8MTPR electronic warfare helicopters.

Iraq receives four more Russian combat helicopters

07/03/2015

The Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 July that it has taken delivery of four more "advanced combat helicopters" from Russia. It did not identify the type of aircraft that has been delivered. Iraq currently has Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters and Mi-35M assault helicopters on order from Russia.

A-10 Warthog "Is Ruthlessly Effective, and the Grunts on the Ground Absolutely Love It Because It Keeps Them Safe"

07/03/2015

The Air Force claims shutting down the A-10 program would save $4.2 billion over five years, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office shoots that down, finding USAF analysis incomplete. More worrying (and unsurprising, to anyone who’s been paying attention), the GAO report says dropping the A-10 would “create potential gaps” in close air support.

Can the F-35 Beat the F-16 After all?

07/03/2015

The Pentagon argues that a recently leaked report does not ‘tell the entire story.’ Yesterday, in an attempt to defend the $400 billion F-35 Lighting II procurement program, the Department of Defense responded to the recent revelations that an F-35A was defeated by a two-seat F-16D in simulated aerial combat (see: “F-35 Loses Dogfight to Fighter Jets From the 1980s”).

Predator shootdown raises questions about Syrian air threat

07/03/2015

The U.S.-led coalition in Southwest Asia is confident in its ability to conduct flights over Syria without coordinating with the Assad regime, even after a U.S. Predator remotely piloted aircraft was shot down earlier this year.

Lockheed's F-35 Live-Bomb Drops Hit Targets

07/03/2015

The first live-bomb drops for Lockheed Martin 's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in a nontest environment were successful as the Marine Corps gets ready to declare the jet combat ready. Fourteen pilots dropped 30 weapons last week over a restricted area in southeastern California, and all of the high-explosive weapons went off.

Egypt's warplanes strike back at militants in troubled Sinai

07/03/2015

Egyptian warplanes launched new airstrikes and troops went house-to-house Thursday in the troubled Sinai Peninsula, a day after Islamic State-linked militants set off the area's bloodiest fighting in decades in an unprecedented, coordinated attack.

Russia's Once-Mighty Fighter Jet Firm MiG Struggling as Rivals Make Gains

07/03/2015

Once one of the world's most famous aircraft designers, Russia's MiG aircraft company has fallen on hard times. Though MiG aircraft continue to populate almost 30 world air forces, the firm has not won a major design competition or aircraft tender in its post-Soviet history.

RAF faces struggle to find extra firepower after cuts

07/03/2015

The admission by the UK government that it would not increase the small number of combat aircraft committed to the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) in Iraq should it get a mandate to launch strikes in Syria reflects the reality that the Royal Air Force would struggle to muster much extra firepower.

China Nearly Finished With Runway on 'Wall of Sand' Island in S. China Sea

07/03/2015

The images, taken on June 28, show the rapid progress made by the Chinese government in building the 10,000-foot runway on Fiery Cross Reef. Large enough to support almost every type of military aircraft, the airstrip is also accompanied by an apron and taxiway.

Japan's ATD-X fighter has PLA Air Force in mind: Sina Military

07/02/2015

Japan is developing its Mitsubishi ATD-X experimental aircaft with a showdown against the People's Liberation Army Air Force in mind, says the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. The ATD-X, known in Japan as "Shinshin", meaning "spirit of the heart," is a research prototype being used to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a fifth generation fighter are viable.

Here’s what training is like for the Air Force’s most elite operators

07/02/2015

America has some of the world’s most elite special operators and they get a lot of press. But on most of the missions that Special Forces, SEALs, and other top operators conduct, they bring a very special airman.

MiG 29K simulator commissioned

07/02/2015

A state-of-the-art cockpit simulator of MiG 29K fighter aircraft was commissioned at the Southern Naval Command, the force’s training command, on Wednesday. Chief of the Command Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba set the simulator to work at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT).