Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Martin-Baker: Saving Lives in the Family Way

06/16/2015

A custom-made window blind in Andrew Martin’s office displays testimonies from 12 pilots who owe their lives to Martin-Baker ejection seats. Significantly, their photos include family members, whose grateful comments are also included. It’s a good motivator for the company’s director of business development and marketing, although he hardly needs it. Martin-Baker has been in the business of saving lives for 68 years, and 7,477 aircrew have safely ejected on one of their seats.

United Technologies Plans to Sell or Spin Off Sikorsky Unit

06/16/2015

he United Technologies Corporation said on Monday that it planned to either sell or spin off Sikorsky Aircraft, the maker of the Black Hawk helicopters favored by the United States military. The announcement follows a review of strategic alternatives for the 90-year-old Sikorsky business that United Technologies conducted this year.

U.S. Air Force to Boost Presence in Europe Amid Russia Tensions

06/16/2015

The U.S. Air Force plans to further increase the number of forces it brings to Europe amid tensions with Russia and could deploy stealthy F-22 fighter jets as a show of force, Service Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Monday. “The biggest threat on my mind is what is happening in Russia. That is a big part of why I am here,” Ms. James said at the Paris Air Show.

Combat, Surveillance UAV Projects Thrive in Europe

06/16/2015

Britain and France will find funds for a future combat drone as they wish to keep building fighter jets, while France, Germany and Italy could invite other nations to sign up as partners to build a surveillance drone, said French procurement chief Laurent Collet-Billon. Britain and France last year signed a £120 million (US $187 million) contract for a two-year feasibility study for the bilateral future combat air system development program.

Confirmed: Sino-Pak JF-17 Fighter Jet Has its First Buyer

06/16/2015

The Sino-Pakistan jointly developed JF-17 Thunder fighter jet has its first confirmed foreign buyer, Flightglobal reports. “A contract has been signed with an Asian country,” stated Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, head of sales and marketing for the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, at the biennially held Paris Air Show yesterday.

No. 2 Qaeda Leader May Have Died in U.S. Airstrike in Yemen

06/16/2015

Yemeni officials and extremists reported on Monday that the leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate and recently the second-ranking official of the global terror network, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, had been killed in an American drone strike. American officials said they could not confirm the reports but were investigating.

Boeing, Qatar Confirm Purchase of Four C-17s

06/16/2015

Boeing and the government of Qatar recently signed an agreement for the purchase of four more C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. These aircraft will join the Qatar Armed Forces’ (QAF) existing fleet of four and help meet their ongoing airlift requirements.

Large Parts of Strategic Border Town Captured from ISIL

06/16/2015

On Monday, ISIL lost a key supply line to its capital Raqqa after a group of Kurdish fighters known as YPG entered Tal Abyad, a town to the north of Syria, and seized a large part of its territory. "We expect to have full control over Tal Abyad within a few hours," Redur Khalil, a spokesman for the main Kurdish fighting force told the Associated Press.

Russia to Unveil New Su-35 Fighter Engine at Paris Air Show

06/16/2015

Russia's state technology corporation Rostec will showcase an engine for its famous Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) at the world’s oldest air show in France, the company said on Monday. Some 37 Russian organizations are expected to be among 2,000 participants from 46 countries at the week-long 51st Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport kicking off on Monday.

For Military Aviation, China Not Yet Rising

06/15/2015

Despite much handwringing in the US about China's next-generation aircraft technology, analysts don't expect the Pacific power to expand its grip on the global military aviation market. The obvious niche for China to target is the market filled during the Cold War by Russian equipment. For nations outside of Europe, Russia represented an alternative supplier to the US, one which was generally cheaper to procure than American equipment.

US military aid to Lebanon gains added urgency

06/15/2015

Perhaps it is not a well-known fact, but Lebanon is the fifth largest recipient of US military aid in the world. The tiny Mediterranean country enclosed between war-torn Syria and a temperamental Israeli regime south of its border has been steadily receiving military equipment over the years to protect itself from regional dangers.

Dempsey doubts wisdom of deep U.S. role in Iraq

06/15/2015

In the homestretch of a 41-year U.S. Army career shaped by war and the scars of war, Gen. Martin Dempsey sounds unconvinced that Iraq has found its path to lasting victory over the Islamic State group. But neither does the top military adviser to President Barack Obama say the threats to Iraq today justify sending American ground troops back into combat. He counsels patience, for now.

Boeing Bullish On Near-term Future for F/A-18, F-15 Upgrades

06/15/2015

With a little help from the U.S. Congress and the potential for international orders, Boeing is bullish about prospects for its international fighters. A year ago, the fate of the F/A-18 production line in St. Louis was uncertain. Pentagon orders were trailing off, and the Navy again did not formally request money for the platform for fiscal 2016.

Italy Swaps Eurofighter With M-346 for Training

06/15/2015

Italian Air Force Eurofighter pilots will fly training exercises alongside an M-346 jet trainer, which will take on the role of an "aggressor" aircraft, an Italian industrial source has said. The use of the M-346 in air combat training at Italy's Eurofighter base at Grosseto in central Italy is designed to save money which would have otherwise been spent on flying a more expensive Eurofighter in its place, the source said on the eve of the Paris Air Show.

F-35 - Beyond Stealth

06/15/2015

The arrival of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters will introduce new dimensions in aerial warfare, given the unique attributes of the new 5th Generation (5GEN) fighter. While low-observable techniques are always the most obvious and outspoken about the new fighter, the F-35 has much more to offer than stealth, Lockheed Martin experts say.

US airstrike targets al-Qaida-linked militant in Libya

06/15/2015

The U.S military launched weekend airstrikes targeting and likely killing an al-Qaida-linked militant leader in eastern Libya who has been charged with leading the attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013 that killed at least 35 hostages, including three Americans. The Libyan government said warplanes targeted and killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar and several others in eastern Libya. A U.S. official said two F-15 fighter jets launched multiple 500-pound bombs in the attack.

Royal Air Force raids on IS leave ONE THIRD of fighter jets out of action

06/15/2015

Ministry of Defence figures show that 36 of the 91 Typhoon fighters and 39 of 96 Tornados are grounded needing repairs. RAF sources say campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have taken a heavy toll on fighter aircraft. The £10million Tornados, dating back to 1978, have taken a “real battering” attacking Islamic State positions in Iraq almost daily since last summer. As the Iraq crisis worsens, even more planes could be needed

T-X Trainer Grows Into Fighter Territory

06/15/2015

A trainer doesn’t have to be the fastest, biggest or stealthiest aircraft ever, just predictable, reliable and economical. Air forces nevertheless have a long history of getting trainer programs wrong. The problem is usually the requirement. The U.S. Air Force’s T-X requirement, seeking a replacement for the Northrop Grumman T-38, has been evolving steadily since the first industry teams formed in 2010-11 – in the direction of a bigger and more expensive aircraft.

Plane Makers Scramble for Survival in Fighter-Jet Market

06/15/2015

Western combat-jet makers from Boeing Co. to the Eurofighter consortium are scouring for new export deals that could prove crucial to extending production lines at risk of closing. A string of deals for fighter aircraft is redrawing the global battle lines among the world’s leading military aircraft makers, leaving those left empty-handed scrambling to reverse their fortunes or face a market exit.

Ghost Planes: NATO Aircraft Conduct Flights With Transponders Off

06/14/2015

NATO military aircraft conduct flights with their transponders shut off, the German magazine Spiegel reported. NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly criticized Moscow saying that Russian military aircraft flew with their radio beacons off near the aerial borders of the alliance and posed threats to civil planes, the article reads.

Russian military aircraft buzzes NATO warships in Baltic

06/14/2015

In a still publicly unacknowledged incident, a Russian military surveillance aircraft flew close to four NATO warships in the Baltic Sea on Thursday, including the destroyer USS Jason Dunham, which captured video of the incident, a U.S. Defense Department official said Saturday.

US military chief wary of deeper involvement in IS fight

06/14/2015

In the homestretch of a 41-year US Army career shaped by war and the scars of war, Gen. Martin Dempsey sounds unconvinced that Iraq has found its path to lasting victory over the Islamic State group. But neither does the top military adviser to President Barack Obama say the threats to Iraq today justify sending American ground troops back into combat.

Unleash air power to thwart ISIS

06/14/2015

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s recent remarks on the efficacy of Iraq’s army reflect the fact that, despite years of training by thousands of U.S. and coalition forces, the army has not been able to halt Islamic State aggression. What makes anyone think that a few more months of similar training will yield success?

Out with Kiowa helicopters, in with Apaches, as JBLM brings back air cavalry unit

06/14/2015

Joint Base Lewis-McChord this week is gaining 24 Apache attack helicopters, doubling the number of those aircraft at the base and restoring a unit the Army cut last year as part of a military downsizing plan. All together, JBLM will net about 400 new soldiers to build up a unit called the 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. That unit was stationed at JBLM from 2005 until last year, primarily flying Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters.

Paris Air Show goes green amid sluggish sales

06/14/2015

If you're in the market for a fighter jet, passenger plane, satellite, or drone, the biennial show - the 51st since 1909 - is the place to be. There'll be plenty to choose from. As with previous shows, the news flow will be dominated by the big beasts of aerospace, Airbus and Boeing. Planemakers like, if possible, to time their multi-billion-dollar orders to coincide with air shows. But such stage-management tends to be a decision for the customers, not the suppliers.