Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Photo proves Libyan Mig-21s (not Egyptian aircraft) have conducted air strikes in Benghazi recently

10/18/2014

On Oct. 16, some media outlets reported the news that airstrikes against jihadists in Libya were conducted by Egyptian Air Force aircraft piloted by Libyan officers. Free Libya Air Force (as the Libyan Arab Air Force was dubbed in 2011), is equipped with a handful of front line fighter jets, most of which are obsolete, scarcely overhauled Soviet combat planes that have survived the uprising and the subsequent fierce struggle between militias. Among them, there are a handful of Mig-21 Fishbeds.

Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets'

10/17/2014

Iraqi pilots who have joined Islamic State are training its members in Syria to fly three captured fighter jets, according to a UK-based activist group that monitors the conflict. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said witnesses had seen the planes being flown around a military airport in Aleppo. Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the SOHR, said IS was using Iraqi officers who were pilots under ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to train fighters in Syria.

Delayed FGFA Deal May Get the Nudge During Putin’s India Visit

10/17/2014

India and Russia may finally settle on a number of delayed defense deals including the Fifth Generational Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India this December. Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit in July where both leaders reportedly agreed that the $30 billion program to build 200 jets should move forward.

India test-fires n-capable missile Nirbhay

10/17/2014

India Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously-developed nuclear-capable sub-sonic long-range cruise missile 'Nirbhay' that can hit a target 1,500 km away. The missile was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha's Baleswar district. The missile has a capacity to hit targets at a distance of 1,500 km and was successfully test fired at 10.03 a.m. Friday, said B.K. Das, additional director of Chandipur Integrated Test Range.

Air campaign against ISIS is just getting off the ground

10/17/2014

The stated objective of the American-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria is to "degrade, and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — language carefully crafted to imply a gradual process that may take months, even years. Yet just over two months into the campaign, some are already asking for results.

Navy Grounds Top Guns

10/17/2014

The F/A-18s needs spare parts and in too many cases they’re being taken from brand new jets. This is a risk to national security and pilots’ lives. The U.S. Navy’s elite cadre of fighter pilots—made famous by Top Gun—are not flying nearly often as they would like. Instead, many of the Navy’s elite Boeing F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons are sitting on the ground with only two or three flyable jets available.

BAE Systems upgrades Typhoon to boost fighter jet's abilities to attack targets both in the air and on the ground

10/17/2014

Defence giant BAE Systems has upgraded a clutch of the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to boost the aircraft’s abilities to attack enemy targets both in the air and on the ground. The supersonic Typhoon was originally designed as a Cold War-era fighter to take on fleets of enemy aircraft, like a modern day equivalent of the Second World War’s iconic Spitfire. But modern operations in warzones like Afghanistan and Iraq have proved the need for the Eurofighter to perform as a bomber and eng

Belarusian Air Force to get four combat training aircraft in Q1 2015

10/17/2014

Four Yak-130 aircraft will be commissioned by the Belarusian Air Force in Q1 2015, BelTA learned from Major-General Oleg Dvigalev, Air Force and Air Defense Commander. “We are about to begin the practical implementation of the contract to buy Yak-130 combat training aircraft for the Air Force. Four aircraft are expected to be delivered to Belarus in Q1 2015 and we will begin using them,” said Oleg Dvigalev.

Russian Aviation Regiment Receives New Su-34 Fighter-Bombers

10/17/2014

Russia's Southern Military District (SMD) aviation regiment has received six new Su-34 fighter-bombers, renewing the regiment's fleet by 75 percent, the SMD press service said Friday."In accordance with the plan of re-equipping the troops of the SMD, a separate bomber aviation regiment, stationed in the Rostov region [town of Morozovsk], has received another batch of new fighter bombers Su-34 in the amount of six units.

Lockheed Martin Awarded $124.6 Million THAAD Contract

10/17/2014

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $124.6 million fixed-price contract for the manufacture and delivery of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ground components. The contract provides for the delivery of U.S. government THAAD launchers, support equipment, fire control and communication spares, and launcher spares.

Boeing Delivers 18th P-8A Poseidon to U.S. Navy

10/17/2014

Boeing delivered the 18th P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the U.S. Navy ahead of schedule October 14, where it joined other Poseidon aircraft being used to train Navy crews. The P-8A departed Boeing Field in Seattle for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., and was Boeing’s fifth delivery this year.

Bell Unveils New 'Valor' Tiltrotor

10/15/2014

Bell Helicopter on Monday unveiled a full-scale model of its V-280 Valor — the next generation in tiltrotor aircraft — at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting here. Slightly larger than the UH-60 Black Hawk, the V-280 is a third-generation tiltrotor aircraft designed for the Joint Multi-Role demonstrator and Future Vertical Lift programs.

Russia to open airbase for fighter jets in Belarus in 2016

10/15/2014

Russia is due to establish an airbase in Babruysk, in eastern Belarus, in 2016 and deploy Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets, Russian Air Force Commander-In-Chief Colonel General Viktor Bondarev said on Wednesday. “The airbase of the Russian and Belarusian Air Force will be created in 2016. Su-27 fighter jets will be based there,” Bondarev told reporters during his three-day visit to the facilities under construction.

US Army details combat experience with AH-64E

10/15/2014

The US Army is counting on the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter to remain in service for the foreseeable future, which will require incremental upgrades beyond the most up-to-date E model aircraft that have already seen thousands of hours of combat. All of the army’s AH-64Es should be out of Afghanistan by the end of the current fiscal year, after which time they will be reset for future missions, Col Jeff Hager, the service’s Apache project manager.

A-10s, Apaches proving their worth in combat once again

10/15/2014

The two aircraft based at Gowen Field are once again proving their worth in combat. The Apache helicopter and the A-10 are on the front lines in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This just four months after the A-10 was dubbed obsolete. As Roland Beres shows us it now has a chance to prove the critics wrong.

Special Operations unit on verge of fielding most advanced Chinook helicopter ever

10/15/2014

Members of the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment are known for flying Navy SEALs, Army Rangers and other elite members of the U.S. military into combat at a moment’s notice, even when they might take fire themselves. But they sometimes do so with twin-rotor Chinook helicopters that have been in use for years, and are looking to modernize.

U.S., Partners Continue Airstrikes Against ISIL

10/15/2014

U.S. and partner-nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria yesterday and today, using bomber and fighter aircraft to conduct 22 airstrikes, U.S. Central Command officials reported. Separately, Centcom officials said, U.S. military forces used attack aircraft yesterday to conduct an airstrike against ISIL in Iraq.

Russia's Irkut to Deliver 60 Combat Jets to Russian Military in 2015: Company

10/15/2014

Russia's Irkut aircraft maker will deliver 30 Su-family fighter jets and 30 Yak-130 combat trainers to the Russian Armed Forces, the company said Monday. "The year 2015 will be a record-setting year for us as we will deliver 60 aircraft, including 30 of the Su-family and 30 Yaks," head of Irkut, Oleg Demchenko, said in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Lockheed Martin Receives $90 Million Contract for Qatar Apache Targeting and Pilotage Systems

10/15/2014

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $90.6 million foreign military sale contract from the U.S. Army to provide Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) systems to the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Qatar marks the 14th international customer for the M-TADS/PNVS system. Fielded in 2005, M-TADS/PNVS provides Apache pilots with long-range, precision engagement and pilotage capabilities for safe flight during day, night and adverse weather missions.

THE 2014 MIRAMAR AIR SHOW: THE END OF THE CH-46 ERA AND THE BEGINNING OF THE F-35B TRANSFORMATION

10/13/2014

Spectators at the Miramar Air Show witnessed the end of an era in Marine aviation and a beginning, when a helicopter that served in the Vietnam War flew its last active duty performance and a stealthy, supersonic F-35B fighter jet flew its San Diego debut. The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter is being retired from Marine Corps service and replaced by the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, which can fly faster and farther carrying more weight.

Race against time: More people, money needed to keep aging fleets flying

10/13/2014

More than a decade of constant combat and the oldest airframes in the history of the service has degraded the Air Force’s mission capability to the lowest in recent memory, meaning more work for airmen who must keep them safe to fly and less flying time for planes in need of constant work.

'This isn't a video game' - footage of Australian bombs hitting IS targets won't be released

10/13/2014

Footage showing Australian bombs obliterating Islamic State targets won't be publicly released. Defence head Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin says the conflict with Islamic State isn't a video game. He says Australia had not released this imagery in 2003 when RAAF Hornets assisted in Iraq and that practice had not changed.

Turkey Allows US to Use Bases to Fight Islamic State: Reports

10/13/2014

Turkey agreed to allow the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) to use its military bases to fight against the extremist group, Agence France-Presse reported Monday. US crews have long operated out of Incirlik Air Base in the south of Turkey, with some 1,500 airmen stationed there.

Sanctions Boosted Efficiency of Russia’s Drone Production Industry: UAV Manufacturer

10/13/2014

Director of UAV development programs at Russia’s Vega Radio Engineering Corporation Arkady Syroyezhko told RIA Novosti that economic sanctions against Russia had made the manufacturers of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operate more effectively. “The import substitution program could help [Russian defense] industry to apprehend its drawbacks and to use its existing internal reserves.

US forces based in Kuwait could be set to mobilise to Iraq, as ISIS closes in on Baghdad

10/12/2014

US forces based in Kuwait could be set to mobilise to Iraq as 10,000 Islamic State militants to the west of that country prepare for an assault on the capital Baghdad. The militants have battled Iraqi government forces in the Anbar province on the western edge of Baghdad since January but are now amassing for a major push after a series of debilitating attacks including multiple car bomb missions on Sunday.