Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Sinai's ISIS offshoot is most effective in Mideast, senior IDF official say

07/27/2015

Wilayat Sinai is a well organized and highly skilled terrorist organization. That’s the impression senior Israel Defense Forces officers have gotten from the Islamic State-affiliated group after its string of attacks on Egyptian security forces in Sinai, culminating in a major attack near the town of Sheikh Zuweid on July 1.

Philippine Build-Up At Subic Relies On U.S. Air, Navy To Stop Chinese

07/27/2015

Mysterious containment booms with Chinese markings on them have ratcheted up tensions in the South China Sea while the Philippines plans to return Subic Bay to its historic mission as a military base. Local fishermen describe the booms, painted orange, linked in a string one kilometer long, as buoys intended to mark off oil spills.

Military Reports Weekend Airstrikes Against ISIL Terrorists

07/27/2015

U.S. military aircraft, including planes from the soon-to-be San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt, continue to strike Islamic terrorists, with 31 strikes reported so far this weekend. The Defense Department regularly reports the airstrikes under Operation Inherent Resolve, which includes aircraft from the U.S., other Western nations and Arabian allies. The attacks are directed at the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, better known as ISIL or ISIS.

Talisman Sabre: Trying to deter China

07/27/2015

More than 33,000 U.S. and Australian troops took part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial exercise that involved 21 ships including the aircraft carrier George Washington and the landing helicopter dock Bonhomme Richard’s expeditionary strike group.

Saab Earns Dividend as Europe Struggles With Budgets

07/27/2015

Saab is about to reap the financial reward of a state-backed defense-industrial strategy shaped under Sweden's former Moderate government, which was ousted by the current pro-defense spending Social Democratic Party-led coalition in September 2014.

Under Obama, Our Military’s Strength Has Significantly Decreased

07/27/2015

Barack Obama is not likely to be mistaken for Teddy Roosevelt. Yes, his foreign policy has been quite soft-spoken—especially when addressing openly hostile states such as Iran. But he has whittled America’s “big stick” down to kindling.

Stealthy F-22s aid combat against militants

07/27/2015

Screaming through the air along southern Virginia’s coast, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor routinely puts on a dazzling show of loops, dives and combat maneuvers designed to bedevil and defeat opponents before they ever know it’s there. But in its first months of combat in the skies above Iraq and Syria, the stealthy jet’s contribution has been more of an escort role. It has been using its high-tech sensors and communications to guide and protect other fighters that are actually dropping the bombs.

Canada, Hungary to Hold Observation Flight Over Russia – Security Official

07/27/2015

Canadian and Hungarian experts will fly over Russia on Monday as part of the Treaty on Open Skies, the head of the Russian National Center for Reducing the Nuclear Threat said. Sergei Ryzhkov said the joint Canadian-Hungarian mission will be carried out by a Hungarian An-26 observation aircraft.

Turkish Jets Strike Kurdish Targets in Northern Iraq

07/27/2015

The Turkish jets, scrambled from the Diyarbakir airbase, struck PKK positions in the area of Harkurk along the Iraqi-Turkish border, according to the MyNet web portal. Ankara is yet to confirm the strikes.

Taiwan Pursues MH-60R ASW Helos

07/26/2015

Taiwan's Navy seeks to procure eight to 10 MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters via the US Foreign Military Sales program to replace aging MD500 "Defender" helicopters, a local defense industry source said. An announcement is expected by the end of this year and a possible letter of acceptance in 2016, the source said. A US-based defense industry analyst said the deal was estimated at $700 million to $800 million.

Turkey Says it Could Send Troops into Syria to Fight ISIS

07/26/2015

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Friday Turkey could send troops into Syria to combat ISIS shortly after it was announced that coalition aircraft could start flying missions against ISIS from Turkish airbases. In the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), NATO ally Turkey would be prepared to send its army across the border into Syria "if there was such a need," Davutoglu said at a news conference Friday.

Augmenting operational strength: IAF in the process of inducting more aircraft

07/26/2015

Augmenting its operational strength, the IAF is in the process of inducting additional Su-30 MKI aircraft manufactured under licence by HAL and Light Combat Aircraft ( LCA), which is manufactured indigenously by HAL, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Lok Sabha. He said that the requirement of fighter aircraft is periodically reviewed to ensure that the IAF meets its operational needs.

Russia Creating Air Force, Air Defense Forces for Northern Fleet

07/26/2015

Russia is set to form an air force and an air defense force within the Northern Fleet, its commander said on Saturday. The decision to establish these forces in the Northern Fleet was announced by the head of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov in late 2014. "We have started the development of air force and air defense force armies within the ranks of the Northern Fleet," Admiral Vladimir Korolev said.

Moscow Close to Selling Air Defense System Better Than S-300 to Tehran

07/26/2015

Negotiations on delivery of a more modernized Russian air defense system than S-300 to Iran are close to a successful conclusion, a source in the Iranian Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Saturday.

Raytheon to Provide US, Saudi Arabia With $180Mln in Air-to-Ground Missiles

07/26/2015

US defense contractor Raytheon has been awarded a $180 million contract to provide the US Navy and Saudi Arabia with guided air-to-ground missiles, the US Defense Department announced.

US State Dep't Confirms Use of Turkish Base for Airstrikes on ISIL in Syria

07/26/2015

The Turkish government approved the use of the Incirlik airbase by US and other anti-Islamic State coalition partners to carry out airstrikes in Syria, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Friday.

Turkish Planes Carry Out Fresh Strikes on ISIL Positions in Syria - TV

07/26/2015

Turkish F-16 Falcon combat jets are carrying out a second wave of airstrikes on Friday against positions of Islamic State militants in Syria, the NTV television reported citing military sources.

US to Continue Training Ukraine Security Forces in Autumn

07/26/2015

Washington plans to continue training Ukraine’s defense personnel in the autumn 2015 in the West of the country, US State Department Deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said on Friday. “The United States intends to continue training Ukrainian security forces this fall in western Ukraine,” Toner said during a press briefing.

Russian Navy to Get Over 20 Ship-Borne Fighter Jets by Year-End

07/26/2015

The aviation branch of the Russian Navy will get more than 20 new ship-borne MiG-29K fighters by the end of 2015, the Defense Ministry’s press service said. The warplanes will serve as a backbone for a new aviation unit within the Northern Feet.

Philippines Boosts Military Spending to Record Highs Amid S. China Sea Row

07/22/2015

The proposed 2016 national budget, which President Benigno Aquino is to present to parliament for approval on Monday, would reserve a record 25 billion pesos ($552 million) for defense spending, Agence France-Presse reported.

Lockheed Martin to acquire United Technologies’ Sikorsky Aircraft Unit

07/20/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp., the largest U.S. weapons maker, has agreed to buy United Technologies Corp.’s Sikorsky Aircraft unit, the maker of Black Hawk helicopters, for more than $8-billion (U.S.), a source familiar with the negotiations said on Sunday. The two companies plan to announce the deal on Monday before both report second-quarter results on Tuesday, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Russia Orders 'Submarine-Killer' Be-200 Amphibious Aircraft For Production By 2020, Official Says

07/20/2015

The Russian navy plans to purchase a “submarine-killer” version of its Be-200 amphibious aircraft by 2020, an unnamed official said Sunday. President Vladimir Putin has made the modernization of Russia’s military aircraft a priority as part of a larger plan to revamp the armed forces by the end of the decade.

Intrigues Surround Militants’ Shooting Of Nigerian Military Plane With Ukrainian Mercenaries

07/20/2015

A shroud of secrecy appears to surround the shooting down last week of a military plane allegedly carrying Ukrainian mercenaries. Nigerian military officials as well as Ukrainian diplomats deflected questions on the attack in which five occupants of a surveillance plane, according to details provided to SaharaReporters by a military source.

Pacific Fleet commander signals intent by joining flight over South China Sea

07/20/2015

The new commander of the United States Pacific Fleet took part in a seven-hour “surveillance mission” over the disputed South China Sea over the weekend, a move that could spark another diplomatic row with China. The fleet said via Facebook yesterday that Admiral Scott Swift, who arrived in the Philippines on Thursday for a four-day visit, was aboard the P-8A Poseidon aircraft on Saturday “to witness firsthand the full range of the Poseidon’s capabilities”.

Philippine Military Upgrade Stalls

07/20/2015

A push by the Philippines to overhaul its obsolete military has ground to a halt just as the U.S. ally is striving to deter China in the disputed waters between them. A string of programs collectively valued at $1 billion stalled early last year, according to military officials and executives involved in Philippine defense deals.