Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Norwegian Security Service Predicts Terrorist Attack in Norway Within 12 Months

11/06/2014

There has been a "negative development" in the security situation in Norway, and terrorists could attempt to carry out an attack in the country within the next 12 months, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said Wednesday. "Within the next 12 months it is likely that there could be threats or attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Norway.

Putin: Russia's Arms Exports Portfolio Exceeded $7.7Bln in 2014

11/06/2014

Russia has secured $7.7 billion in arms contracts with foreign customers since the beginning of 2014, the country's President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. "As a result, the foreign orders portfolio shows a steady trend at around $50 billion," Putin said at a meeting on Russia's military-technical cooperation.

Poland To Buy Armed Drones Amid Ukraine Crisis

11/05/2014

NATO member Poland said Tuesday it will acquire combat drones as part of a multi-billion-euro revamp of its armed forces amid heightened tensions with Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. “We will use these drones to defend our territory,” Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek told AFP.

The MoD's fighter jet gamble

11/05/2014

The Ministry of Defence is gambling an awful lot on the stealth characteristics of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (“Britain orders more F-35s as part of biggest-ever defence project”). It is clear from the initial order of just four operational airframes that the RAF and Fleet Air Arm will struggle to afford to field these exorbitantly priced aircraft in anything other than token numbers.

Discovery Air deploys A-4N jets to Germany ahead of training contract

11/05/2014

Discovery Air Defence Services Inc. has begun the deployment of Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft to Germany ahead of a five-year training contract that is set to begin in early 2015, the company announced on 29 October. The subsidiary of Canadian specialist aviation company Discovery Air has started the transfer of seven upgraded A-4N aircraft to Wittmund in northern Germany.

These Are The Chinese Military Advancements That Are Shifting The Balance Of Power In Asia

11/05/2014

As China continues its rise to superpower stature, Beijing is trying to rapidly increase its firepower. China’s attempts to seriously upgrade its military — with next-generation fighter jets, ballistic missiles, and advanced naval vessels — is partly aimed at keeping pace with the US. The two are in a veritable arms race in east Asia. The US engaged in a “pivot to Asia,” focusing military and diplomatic attention on an increasingly important part of the world.

Russian techies in town to clear Sukhoi spook

11/05/2014

A team of experts from Russia has arrived in Pune to investigate the recent accident involving the Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft at Theur village on October 14. Regular sorties of the fighter plane have been suspended due to the ongoing inquiry. The Russians will carry out a technical evaluation of Sukhoi-30 fighter planes, the entire fleet of which has been grounded for over two weeks following the crash of this frontline combat aircraft of Russian make at Theur, about 30 km from Pune.

Australian Super Hornets have bombed 14 Isis targets in Iraq

11/05/2014

Bombs dropped from Australian Super Hornet combat aircraft in Iraq have hit 14 targets, 11 of which were destroyed, defence officials have said. The Australian Defence Force provided the figures on Wednesday for operations conducted since the government gave the go-ahead for RAAF strikes against Islamic State (Isis) militants in early October.

Foreign F-35 Partners Allowed More Freedom to Customize Fighter Software

11/05/2014

Foreign air forces ordering the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be able to customize the mission data packages loaded onto their aircraft in a compromise that defense officials say both preserves U.S. security and allows allies a greater degree of customization of their fighters. Loading specific mission data packages onto the stealth fighter had been a bone of contention amongst the partner nations helping to develop the F-35.

Western Security Services May Be Turning IS Militants on Russia: Ex-Intelligence Officer

11/04/2014

The growing influence of Islamic State militants poses a threat to Russia's security, and there is a possibility that these extremists are supported by Western security services, retired Lt. Gen. Nikolai Pushkarev, formerly of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) told RIA Novosti.

Russia Test Fires Intercontinental Missile From Submerged Nuclear Sub: Defense Ministry

11/04/2014

A Russian Northern Fleet nuclear submarine on Wednesday fired a test intercontinental missile from the Barents Sea to the country's far eastern Kura Range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. "Within the frameworks of testing the reliability of marine strategic nuclear forces, the Tula [nuclear submarine] launched a Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea to the Kura Range [in Kamchatka]," the statement says.

Top US commander of Afghan war reassessing US withdrawal timeline

11/04/2014

The top commander overseeing the international military effort in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell, is assessing whether more coalition troops should stay in the country to train Afghan troops for longer than would be allowed under the Obama administration's current plans for a complete withdrawal in 2016.

Building US-UK Military Relations With Science and Technology

11/04/2014

The last time I was in the United States, I had the honor of receiving the only gold medal I’m likely to get my hands on these days. It came from the Association of Old Crows, an electronic warfare and information operations advocacy group founded in the U.S. in 1964. As the first British recipient, the medal was both a recognition of the United Kingdom’s role in electronic warfare and a symbol of the deep cooperation between American and British personnel in a field.

EUCOM chief: More troops, gear needed to deter Russia

11/04/2014

The top U.S. general in Europe wants to increase U.S. rotational forces in Eastern Europe and stockpile more military equipment across the continent in response to continued agressive moves by the Russian military. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove spoke to reporters at the Pentagon on Monday after a spate of tense confrontations involving Russian military aircraft flying in unusually large formations in the airspace of America’s European allies.

Pentagon to choose regional F-35 MROs this year

11/04/2014

The US Department of Defense (DoD) plans to choose and announce European and Asia-Pacific locations for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for the F-35 the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter airframe and engine, the DoD's programme manager for the stealthy combat aircraft programme said on 30 October.

Russian team in India to review Sukhoi-30 fighters after crash

11/04/2014

The team of 10 experts is currently in Pune, the Sukhoi-30 base, probing the crash that took place on October 14 near there with both the pilot seats ejecting without any command during landing. The pilots were safe but the aircraft crashed about 20 kms short of the runway. The fleet was grounded a week later. The Russian experts along with IAF personnel and officials from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited besides others are conducting a complete evaluation of the fleet of about 200.

Justice for the MH17 Victims is What we all Need

11/04/2014

At 17.17-17.20, the Boeing 777 was in Ukrainian airspace near the city of Donetsk at the height of 10100 m. An unidentified combat aircraft (presumably a Su-25 or MiG -29), which was a tier below, on a collision course, in the cloud layer, sharply gained altitude and suddenly appeared out of the clouds in front of the civilian aircraft and opened fire on the cockpit, firing from a 30 mm caliber cannon or smaller.

Here Are The 'Complex' Russian Air Incursions That NATO Is So Concerned About

11/04/2014

Tensions between Russia and the West have been steadily growing over the past few months, as there has been a sharp uptick in Russian bombers and fighters flying missions over Europe. This increase in activity has taken place against the backdrop of a frozen conflict in Ukraine, which has already pitted Russia and the West against each other.

‘Landmark event’: F-35C successfully lands aboard aircraft carrier (VIDEO)

11/04/2014

The US Navy’s most expensive plane, the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, has finally made its first ever recorded landing on an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz in San Diego, the military has announced. Cmdr. Tony Wilson, a 43-year-old Navy test pilot, made the first landing. “The aircraft handled phenomenally. I couldn’t make it go off the glide slope, it was that smooth of a jet,” Wilson told reporters assembled on the Nimitz.

Anti-IS Coalition Conducts 14 Airstrikes in Iraq, Syria in 2 Days

11/04/2014

The international coalition against Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization has carried out 14 airstrikes on IS positions in Syria and Iraq in the last two days, the US Central Command said Monday. "US and partner nation military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria Sunday and today using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct five airstrikes.

Singapore to join combat coalition against Islamic State militants

11/03/2014

Singapore will join 33 other nations in a multinational coalition to combat the Islamic State terror group, country's Defence Minister said today. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has previously participated in multinational coalition efforts against religious extremists who pose a terrorist threat to the country and its citizens, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said .

Sweden Sees New Chance To Sell Gripen to Finland

11/03/2014

Sweden hopes Saab’s $5.4 billion Gripen-E deal with Brazil can open a dialogue with Finland, which is on course to replace its F/A-18 Hornets in the next 10 years. Finland could engage in a further upgrade of its Hornets, but in reality there is “no other option” beyond acquiring a new combat jet type, said Finnish Defense Minister Carl Haglund.

Lockheed's F-35 fighter to start testing on USS Nimitz carrier

11/03/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is slated to begin two weeks of developmental testing on board the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, marking another key milestone for the Pentagon's biggest weapons program. Weather permitting, the first of two F-35 C-model jets slated for the testing is due to arrive on the carrier on Monday. That will mark the first time the new warplane will land on a carrier using a tailhook that had be redesigned after initial problems engaging the cable.

Eurofighter confident of new orders to avert production slowdown

11/03/2014

The CEO of the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium on Monday said he is confident of winning a new export order for the combat plane to avoid having to reduce production. The consortium, founded in 1986, has only sold the Typhoon to Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman, outside of the consortium's home markets of Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. The United Arab Emirates last year decided against placing a 6 billion pound ($9.60 billion) order.

Korea Won’t Send Aerobatics Team to China Air Show

11/03/2014

South Korea dropped a plan to send an aerobatics team to an air show in China less than two weeks before the event, after Washington raised concerns about exposing key U.S. fighter-jet technology. The South Korean air force’s Black Eagles team, which consists of eight T-50 light combat aircraft, was scheduled to be a main attraction at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the country’s main aviation trade show, in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai.