Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works Is Cooking Up A Revolution In Drone Technology

05/22/2015

In the years since the 9-11 attacks, unmanned aircraft — “drones” — have become the signature combat system of America’s global war against terrorists. According to the Air Force, its fleet of Predator and Reaper unmanned aircraft flew an average of 1000 hours per day last year over places like Iraq and Afghanistan, generating full-motion video and other reconnaissance that has become crucial to coalition military operations.

Chinese warnings to U.S. plane hint of rising stakes over disputed islands

05/22/2015

The Chinese navy repeatedly warned a U.S. surveillance plane to leave airspace around disputed islands in the South China Sea, a sign that Beijing may seek to create a military exclusion zone in a move that could heighten regional tensions. The warnings, delivered eight times to a P-8A Poseidon over the Spratly Islands on Wednesday, were reported by a CNN team aboard the plane.

US Sells Eight Black Hawk Helicopters to Tunisia

05/22/2015

The White House also said it is seeking to provide an additional $30 million in Foreign Military Financing to Tunis in 2015, a 50 percent increase compared to 2014. Tunisia’s newly elected president in Beji Caid Essebsi is currently in Washington, DC. On Thursday, he met with US President Barack Obama in the Oval office, becoming the first democratically elected Tunisian president to visit the White House.

Russian military aircraft spotted in British skies near Nato monitoring base

05/21/2015

A Russian military aeroplane has been spotted in British airspace near a Nato monitoring base earlier today. The Antonov An-30 military surveillance aircraft was spotted flying roughly 30 miles from Menwith Hill, a high-tech Nato monitoring station based in north Yorkshire, by 41-year-old semi-professional photographer Steve Bradley.

Islamic State chalks up another victory, this one in Syria

05/21/2015

Islamic State extremists Wednesday captured the Syrian desert town of Palmyra, famed for its ancient ruins and a notorious political prison, in their second major victory in just four days after ousting the Iraqi army from the city of Ramadi. Syrian state news media reported that the government had withdrawn local militias protecting the town after evacuating their families, and local activists said other regime forces had retreated 30 miles to the east to a local phosphate mine.

Boeing proposes international A-10 Warthog sales

05/21/2015

Boeing has floated the idea of selling refurbished A-10 Warthogs to other nations as the US Air Force seeks to retire the venerable attack airplane. The company is currently extending the service life of the air force’s A-10 fleet through a re-winging programme, and it recently delivered its 100th modification with more than 70 modifications left on contract.

U.S. sells Israel precision munitions, bombs in $1.8 billion deal

05/21/2015

The U.S. Defense Department approved a deal selling Israel $1.8 billion worth of precision guided munitions and bombs, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday. The deal includes 14,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), an arms system attached to bombs that enables precision targeting with GPS, intended for Air Force fighter jets.

Russian Military Expansion Continues With 250 New Aircraft By End Of 2015, Including Helicopters And Drones, Report Says

05/21/2015

The Russian army plans to integrate more than 250 aircraft into its armed forces by the end of the year, a top defense official said Wednesday. The influx will be the latest in a series of apparent upgrades to Russia’s military capability as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vow to modernize the nation’s armed forces by the end of the decade.

Lockheed Martin Corporation Close To Declare F-35 Ready For Combat

05/21/2015

Lt. General Jon Davis, Head of Marine Corps aviation, told Reuters that they might declare a squadron of 10 Lockheed Martin Corporation F-35 military aircraft ready for combat by July 15 this year. Earlier this week, Lockheed Martin also delivered six F-35B aircraft to the USS Wasp amphibious warship for operational testing.

China warns U.S. surveillance plane

05/21/2015

The Chinese navy issued warnings eight times as a U.S. surveillance plane on Wednesday swooped over islands that Beijing is using to extend its zone of influence. The series of man-made islands and the massive Chinese military build-up on them have alarmed the Pentagon, which is carrying out the surveillance flights in order to make clear the U.S. does not recognize China's territorial claims. The militarized islands have also alarmed America's regional allies.

Boeing Returns Air Force E-4B Aircraft to Service Ahead of Schedule

05/21/2015

Boeing recently completed maintenance on a U.S. Air Force E-4B advanced airborne command post earlier than planned, enabling the Air Force to quickly return the vital aircraft to operational service. It was the first E-4B serviced at Boeing’s San Antonio site. Boeing also performs maintenance on Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, KC-135 aerial refueling tankers and on commercial aircraft at that site.

Boeing-upgraded French AWACS Take Flight

05/21/2015

Initial operating capability (IOC) of the modernized French Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet has been achieved with Boeing’s delivery of the second of four upgraded aircraft and completion of the operational tests and evaluations. The upgrade is part of a Foreign Military Sale between the French Defense Procurement and Technology Agency (Direction générale de l'armement – DGA) and the U.S. government.

US Approves Almost $2Bln Advanced Helicopter Sale to Saudi Arabia

05/21/2015

The US State Department has approved a $1.9 billion proposed sale of 10 advanced multi-mission helicopters, equipment and weaponry to Saudi Arabia, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement. Produced by US defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky, the MH-60R is the US Navy’s premier anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter.

Air Force OKs higher cap on visiting aircraft's use of base

05/20/2015

The Air Force says it's going to implement a plan increasing a cap on the number of flights by aircraft visiting Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The plan increases the annual total of flights by visiting aircraft to 2,326 — up from the current cap of 1,408 based on flights in 2009. However, the Air Force also says that the actual number of flights could be smaller than allowed under the newly raised cap.

Latvia again spots Russian military plane near its borders

05/20/2015

"Today, patrol aircraft over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea near the outer sea border of Latvia identified an Il-72 plane of the Russian Air Force," the report reads. According to the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, in 2014, Russian military aircraft and ships approached the borders of the Republic more than 250 times.

Airbus A400M: Warning issued after technical bug detected in military aircraft engine

05/20/2015

The company said in a statement that it had sent out an alert to its clients urging them to carry out "specific checks of the Electronic Control Units (ECU) on each of the aircraft's engines". The ECU controls how the aircraft's engine operates. The potential flaw was uncovered during internal checks separate from an official investigation into the crash of an A400M cargo plane near Seville in which four people were killed 10 days ago.

Israel Participates in Joint Air Exercise in Greece Against Iran’s S-300 Missiles

05/20/2015

The impending nuclear deal coupled with Russia’s supplying Iran with the S-300 anti-air missile system has made a military solution to a potential crisis in Iran more difficult for Israel to implement. In order to prepare for such an eventuality, the IAF recently ran a joint training exercise with the Greek military.

Textron Is Best Option for Sikorsky Sale Over Spinoff

05/20/2015

For United Technologies Corp., merging its Sikorsky helicopter unit with Textron Inc. could be a good alternative to a traditional spinoff. The $106 billion maker of aircraft engines and elevators announced in March that it would divest Sikorsky, either by selling it or spinning it off. A final decision by United Technologies will come in about a month.

IAF's SU-30 combat jet crashes in Assam, pilots safe

05/20/2015

A frontline Sukhoi SU-30 MKI combat jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Assam's Nagaon district on Tuesday, but both pilots ejected safely, officials said. Sources from the IAF said a technical snag was responsible for the crash that took place at 12.30 p.m. "Preliminary investigation shows a technical snag caused the crash," an official said. Officials said no decision has been taken yet for grounding the Sukhoi-30 fleet.

Air Force's New Unmanned Strategy Has F-35 Pilots Flying Drones

05/20/2015

An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilot will one day control a small fleet of nearby drones from the cockpit while in flight - according to a new Air Force report on autonomous systems, Air Force Chief Scientist Mica Endsley said. The Air Force is poised to unveil a new strategy for unmanned aircraft systems next month. The report will discuss more teaming with manned aircraft such as the F-35, greater levels of automation and a wider scope of missions for UAS - such as transporting cargo.

Washington, Jerusalem discussing massive compensation for Iranian nuclear deal

05/20/2015

The United States and Israel have begun preliminary, unofficial contacts regarding special American military aid for Israel due to developments in the Middle East. Although neither side has said so explicitly, the Obama administration plans to provide Israel substantial defense compensation if an agreement is signed between Tehran and the world powers to limit Iran’s nuclear program.

Russia's Armed Forces Set to Create Unified Flight Safety System

05/20/2015

A demo version of the system is expected to be unveiled at a joint training meeting involving high ranking officials from the flight safety services. The meeting will take place on May 19-21. "After testing and debugging, the unified flight safety system will be introduced on all air force units of Russia's Armed Forces. Other entities of the state aviation will be incorporated into the system," said Major-General Alexander Berzan, the chief of Aviation Safety in the Russian Armed Forces.

Despite Crash Osprey Deployment Plan for Japan Stays – Pentagon

05/20/2015

One US Marine was killed and 21 were injured when an MV-22 Osprey crash-landed at Bellows Air Force Station on Oahu on Sunday during a training session. The incident came just days after the Pentagon announced it would deploy a squadron of CV-22 Ospreys to Yokota base starting in 2017.

J-16 multirole aircraft turns defense into offense for PLA

05/19/2015

China's domestic J-16 multirole fighter/bomber is the key in the People's Liberation Army Air Force's transformation from a from a defense-oriented unit into an offensive power, says the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. Typically speaking, fighters are fighters and bombers and bombers, but improving technology, automation of avionics, more precise weapons and lighter weights have led to the development of multi-role aircraft.

Questions raised surrounding Osprey aircraft following deadly crash and troubling history

05/19/2015

Always Investigating has been digging deeper to find out more about the MV-22 Osprey. The Osprey that crashed at Bellows was based in San Diego, but the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base also received Ospreys back in 2012. The base was scheduled to get 24 of them. This Osprey is billed as having the speed of a turbo-prop airplane and the ability to move and tilt like a helicopter. It’s currently being used in overseas military missions as well.