Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

Planemaker Dassault to double Rafale output in two-to-three years if India buys

05/19/2015

Dassault Aviation will double production of its Rafale combat jet within two to three years of the completion of a planned sale to India, its chief executive said on Monday. The maker of combat and business jets is also in talks on potential fighter sales with several other countries including Malaysia, after recently winning its first export contracts for the Rafale with Egypt and Qatar, CEO Eric Trappier added.

Air Force Trims Drone Ops to Get Workforce ‘Healthy’

05/19/2015

After spending much of the past decade racing to build up a cadre of drone pilots and aircraft, the Air Force is temporarily reducing the number of unmanned aircraft missions it flies. It’s not because demand is slacking off — UAVs remain in high demand in Iraq, where they search for Islamic State hideouts — but because the intense pace has pushed airmen to the breaking point.

U.S. Hosts Arms Bazaar at White House Arab Summit

05/19/2015

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry meet with GCC delegation at Camp David. When the United States sells billions of dollars in sophisticated arms to Arab nations, they are conditioned on two key factors: no weapons with a qualitative military edge over Israel will ever be sold to the Arabs, nor will they receive any weapons that are not an integral part of the U.S. arsenal.

Rafale fighter planes to get duty free entry into India

05/19/2015

There will be no tax on jet fighter aircraft Rafale when it flies into India. “Since, it is government-to-government (G2G) deal, it will not attract any duty (basic custom duty, special additional duty SAD or counter veiling duty CVD)” a senior Finance Ministry official told BusinessLine. India and France are expected to sign an Inter Government Agreement soon for this deal, which is estimated to be worth over $6 billion.

Russian Troops Practice Airstrikes in Tajikistan

05/19/2015

Russian troops are taking part in military training on Monday in Tajikistan alongside other members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian Defense Ministry said. The CSTO is a military alliance comprising Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. As part of a snap inspection of the alliance’s Collective Rapid Reaction Force, troops are simulating combat with armed groups in mountainous terrain.

Russia to Supply More MIL-171SH Helos to Peru

05/19/2015

Another seven 24 Russian MIL-171SH military transport helicopters will be delivered to Peru later this month, the deputy head of Russia’s main arms exporter said on Monday. Rosoboronexport deputy director Sergei Ladygin made the announcement at the close of an international arms exhibition held in the Latin American country. The $400 million-plus contract for the delivery of 24 MIL-171SH helicopters was inked in December 2013.

US to Produce Bomb Retargeting in Mid-Flight

05/19/2015

Raytheon said in a statement that the US Air Force and defense contractor Raytheon have passed a final review of the Small Diameter Bomb II, an advanced bomb that can change direction and target in midflight.

US Air Force to Equip Fighter Jets with Laser Weapons by 2022

05/19/2015

If you were beginning to lose hope that futuristic laser weapons would ever become a reality – it’s 2015, people! – then you may be in luck. The US Air Force is working on it, and could be attaching laser artillery to fighter jets as early as 2022. Last September, the US Navy spent $40 million installing a 30-kilowatt Laser Weapons System (LaWS) onboard the USS Ponce. The first of its kind, the laser has yet to be used in a true combat situation, but it has been test-fired on practice drones.

Indonesian war planes violate PNG airspace

05/18/2015

A Papua New Guinea report says two Indonesian military jets were scrambled to confront an Australian Defence Force aircraft near the border over West Sepik on Friday. The Post Courier reports the information was in a PNG intelligence report which said in the process, the Indonesian aircraft violated PNG air space although the presence of the Australian aircraft was also a surprise. Neither the Australians nor the Indonesians have confirmed the incident.

China Builds an "Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier" in the South China Sea

05/18/2015

In World War II, U.S. admirals often referred to the string of islands and atolls they were capturing as "unsinkable aircraft carriers" to be used in the war against Japan. In World War III, will islands be used this way again?

Deployment of U.S. Osprey aircraft at Yokota expected to boost deterrence

05/18/2015

The rapid response capabilities of U.S. forces in Japan are now set to be strengthened, which will almost assuredly enhance the deterrence of the Japan-U.S. alliance. The U.S. Defense Department has announced that CV-22 Osprey transport aircraft will be stationed at Yokota Air Base, western Tokyo, starting in 2017. Their number is scheduled to be increased to 10 by 2021, according to the statement.

Asia's Biggest Maritime Expo To Kick Off

05/18/2015

Singapore's quest for a new maritime patrol aircraft, a mid-life upgrade for F-16s and possible purchase of the F-35 are among the expected areas of interest at this year's Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX), experts say. The 10th biennial IMDEX will be held at Singapore's Changi Exhibition Centre from May 19-20.

The MQ-47C Is Accepted, Rejected And Contested

05/18/2015

The U.S. Navy’s X-47B UCAS (unmanned combat air system) continues to break or make records. Thus in 2015 this included the world's first fully autonomous aerial refueling in April, performed with a KC-707 tanker. During the last few years this unmanned combat aircraft has successfully carried out numerous operations aboard aircraft carriers. These tests were often firsts for UCAS. Thus an X-47B made its first catapult launch from an aircraft carrier on May 14th 2013.

First squadron of India-made combat jet expected by 2017-18

05/18/2015

Days after the government auditor questioned the delay in producing the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), a defence ministry official said the first squadron of 18 aircraft will be delivered by 2017-18 — a good 17 years after it first took to the skies. “The initial operational clearance was obtained in December 2013 and the production of Tejas has commenced.

U.S. Forces Seize Digital Trove in Syria Raid

05/18/2015

The U.S. special-operations force that carried out a first-of-its-kind mission in Syria to capture the Islamic State finance chief and his wife over the weekend came away with a treasure trove of materials that could help in the attempt to pressure the extremist group.

Poland to Inspect Russian, Belarusian Airspace Under Open Skies Treaty

05/18/2015

The 34-nation Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 in Finland and currently applies most NATO member states, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and Sweden. The treaty establishes a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territory of its participants with the aim of boosting transparency of military activities.

US Military Aircraft Goes Down in Hawaii, Emergency Crews Respond

05/18/2015

A downed aircraft at Bellows Air Force Station in Windward Oahu suffered a “hard landing” to which firefighters and emergency crews were called to respond. An MV-22 Osprey from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit experienced a "hard landing" while conducting training at the Marine Corps Training Area at Bellows, the military announced.

Military airstrikes continue against ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq

05/17/2015

Coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq between 8 a.m., May 15, and 8 a.m., May 16, local time. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted six airstrikes using bomber and fighter aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 15 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense using attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL terrorists.

China Making Some Missiles More Powerful

05/17/2015

After decades of maintaining a minimal nuclear force, China has re-engineered many of its long-range ballistic missiles to carry multiple warheads, a step that federal officials and policy analysts say appears designed to give pause to the United States as it prepares to deploy more robust missile defenses in the Pacific.

France, Standing Up to Russia

05/17/2015

Some interesting international intrigue has been playing out in Europe. Russia’s the bad guy; the hero, improbably, is France. Early last year, as you may remember, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, and ginned up a separatist movement in Ukraine’s east. Ever since, it has supported those separatists financially, with arms, and, sometimes, in battle.

PACOM: Eight Sets of Remains Found at Marine Huey Crash Site in Nepal

05/17/2015

U.S. and Nepalese teams found eight sets of remains as they resumed recovery efforts Saturday of the UH-1Y Huey helicopter that crashed in Nepal on Tuesday, presumably killing the six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers aboard. Eight separate sets of remains have been discovered since the recovery effort began, according to a Joint Task Force 505 statement May 16. They have yet to be positively identified. Additionally, the cause of the mishap has not been determined.

Female aviator breaking ground in Afghanistan

05/17/2015

When Capt. Lisa Becker deployed to Afghanistan, she didn't expect to fly Mi-17 helicopters alongside Afghan pilots. "It's an opportunity that I didn't know I'd have," said Becker. "It's very fulfilling to be able to have that mentorship role." Becker is believed to be the first American female soldier to be rated to fly the Russian-made helicopter. She also is the first female Aviation Foreign Internal Defense/Special Operations Forces aviator to serve with the Special Mission Wing in Afghanista

Talks on Rafale to begin soon

05/17/2015

A committee headed by Air Marshal S.B.P. Sinha is all set to begin government-to-government negotiations with France for procurement of Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, and the multi-billion dollar deal will be finalised as early as possible, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.

Top Islamic State official killed in Syria commando raid

05/17/2015

U.S. special operations forces carried out a raid into eastern Syria early Saturday, killing a senior leader of the Islamic State and about a dozen militant fighters, capturing the leader’s wife and freeing an 18-year-old woman apparently being held as a slave, Pentagon officials said. Two dozen Delta Force commandos entered Syria aboard Black Hawk helicopters and V-22 Ospreys and killed the militant leader, known as Abu Sayyaf.