Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Navy Tests New Software to Make it Easier to Land Jets on Carriers

04/29/2015

A pilot landed an F-18 equipped with the aptly named “Magic Carpet” software program on the deck of the Navy's Nimitz-class supercarrier USS George H W Bush, naval-technology.com reported. "This underway marked the first use of the Magic Carpet technology on an aircraft carrier. This software greatly reduces misses and wave-offs, which translates into more time on-mission and makes us an overall more effective force.”

US State Department Approves 1.5Bln Sale of F-18 Fighters to Australia

04/29/2015

The US State Department has approved a foreign military sale with Australia for the Boeing Company’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft in the amount of $1.5 billion, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a release on Tuesday.

SAUDI-LED AIRSTRIKES AGAINST HOUTHIS IN YEMEN APPEAR TO BE BROADENING

04/28/2015

The New York Times noted that “the coalition carried out airstrikes in several other provinces, suggesting a broadening, rather than a scaling back, of the monthlong Saudi air offensive against Houthi rebels.” Saudi-led warplanes targeted the Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, forces loyal to Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the northern city of Saada, the western city of Taiz, and the southern city of Aden, reported The Associated Press.

House panel moves to block A-10 retirement

04/28/2015

The House announced moves this week to protect the A-10 Thunderbolt from a proposed retirement. The aircraft program is fully funded in a version of the annual defense budget unveiled Monday by the House Armed Services Committee. An Arizona congresswoman said she also plans to float an amendment that would bar the Air Force from eliminating the aircraft, also known as the Warthog, when the committee votes on the massive defense bill Wednesday.

The M-346 of the Italian Air Force

04/28/2015

Chosen by Italy, Israel, Poland and Singapore to prepare their pilots to the 4th and 5th Gen. fighter jets, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 “Master” is considered one the world’s most advanced jet trainers.

Saab dismisses prospect of Gripen jet fighters sale to Argentina

04/28/2015

Sweden's Saab AB on Monday ruled out facilitating the sale of Gripen fighter aircraft to Argentina as the result of a deal to build and export combat jets from Brazil. Argentina has expressed interest in buying 24 Gripen fighter jets from its Latin American neighbour once Brazil is able to export them, early next decade. Such a deal would face an almost certain veto from Britain, which provides some 30 percent of the Gripen's content, including the radar on its next-generation Gripen E/F.

Belarusian Air Force receives four new Yak-130 aircraft

04/28/2015

A solemn ceremony to hand over four new training and combat aircraft Yak-130 to personnel of the 116th guards assault airbase took place at the Lida airfield on 27 April, BelTA has learned. The four new aircraft will make up an independent wing as part of the airbase. The aircraft were delivered to Belarus on board of an IL-76 cargo aircraft. They were then assembled by specialists of the Russian R&D corporation Irkut using the premises of the 116th airbase.

Winners And Losers In The Changing Arab Gulf Fighter Market

04/28/2015

For decades, the Arab Gulf countries have been a very strong market for Western combat aircraft manufacturers. The Mideast is the largest single export fighter market, accounting for 29%, or $38 billion, of Teal Group’s $130.5 billion 2015-2024 export fighter forecast. This excludes tens of billions of dollars in weapons, support, and upgrade work. But over the past year, there have been profound political changes and diplomatic shifts in the region.

$80 Million Training Contracts Awarded to Lockheed Martin

04/28/2015

Lockheed Martin continues to advance C-130 aircrew and maintenance training under recent contract awards from the U.S. Air Force valued at more than $80 million. Contracts include the delivery of the following training solutions.

New US-Japan Defense Guidelines Strengthen Deterrence of North Korea

04/28/2015

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also said that Washington’s defense cooperation with Tokyo would no longer be relegated to Japan’s surrounding waters as outlined in the 1997 defense guidelines. The new framework, according to Carter, would be extended to anywhere in the world where the two nations have common security interests.

F-35 Engines Deemed Unreliable by Government Accountability Office

04/28/2015

Two separate US government watchdogs are outlining problems with the engines used in their F-35 jet fighters - one finding the systems unreliable and another citing dozens of violations in its quality assurance inspection.

Israel says it launches airstrike on its border with Syria after seeing militants with a bomb

04/27/2015

Israel's military said Sunday it launched an airstrike on its border with Syria after spotting militants carrying a bomb in the Israeli-held Golan Heights. The military said it carried out the strike after troops saw "a group of armed terrorists" approach the border with an explosive intended to target Israeli troops. It said that Israeli aircraft "targeted the squad, preventing the attack."

Operational J-15s loaded onto Liaoning aircraft carrier

04/27/2015

The People's Liberation Army has begun loading operational J-15 carrier-based fighter jets onto the Liaoning, China's first and only aircraft carrier, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. Recently leaked photos reveal that four J-15s, developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the 601 Institute, have been moved onto the Liaoning, which sources indicate will eventually be able to carry up to 24 fighter jets of similar size.

Syrian military bomb disputed town

04/27/2015

Syrian military aircraft have bombed the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour today, a day after insurgents seized control of it as part of a broader offensive that has left government forces in the area reeling. The opposition campaign, spearheaded by the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front and Islamic rebel factions, has captured the two largest urban centres in Idlib province in the space of a month.

Saudi Arabia: Military Training Aircraft Crashes, Killing 2

04/27/2015

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry says a military training aircraft has crashed, killing the instructor and a student pilot. The official Saudi Press Agency quoted the ministry as saying the accident happened Sunday morning and involved a plane affiliated with the King Faisal Air Academy, a military flight school in the capital, Riyadh. It gave no further details.

Royal Navy to send drones to the Mediterranean to save migrants

04/27/2015

Royal Navy ship-launched surveillance drones could be sent to scour the Mediterranean as part of Britain’s effort to combat the migrant crisis, under plans being considered by defence chiefs. The Navy’s new ScanEagle remote-controlled aircraft would search for dangerously overloaded boats packed with people making the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe.

Fighting escalates across Yemen, air strikes on capital Sanaa

04/27/2015

Air raids, naval shelling and ground fighting shook Yemen on Sunday in some of the most widespread combat since a Saudi-led alliance intervened last month against Iranian-allied Houthi militia who have seized large tracts of the country. There were at least five air strikes on military positions and an area near the presidential palace compound in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa at dawn on Sunday, while warships pounded an area near the port of the southern city of Aden, residents said.

Another scam in the making

04/27/2015

Indian Premier Narendra Modi’s arbitrary decision to scrap the $20 billion Rafale combat-aircraft contract — touted as the “mother of all defense deals” signed by New Delhi till date — serve as a warning to this still evolving democracy of the consequences of blindly electing leaders by believing their rhetoric.

Small but Mighty: Belgian F-16 Planes Bomb 107 ISIL Ground Targets in Iraq

04/27/2015

Belgium has been successful in conducting military operations in Iraq: six Belgian F-16 bombers involved in the airstrikes against the Islamic State destroyed 107 ground targets over the last six months, Belgian Le Vif reported. The tiny European nation takes only 5 percent of aerial missions conducted by the anti-ISIL coalition led by the United States in Iraq and Syria. Six Belgian F-16 fighter jets are used by 110 people and operate from an air base in Jordan.

Norway, US Inspectors to Fly Over Russia

04/27/2015

American and Norwegian specialists will fly over the territory of Russia under the Treaty on Open Skies on April 27-30, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov has announced. Russian specialists on board the aircraft will monitor the use of equipment and American and Norwegian inspectors' adherence to the Treaty on Open Skies, according to Ryzhkov.

US, Allies Conduct 15 Airstrikes in Syria, Iraq

04/26/2015

Coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State in Syria and Iraq on Saturday. In Iraq, coalition forces conducted 11 airstrikes approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, using fighter, attack, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft against IS terrorists, the U.S.-led coalition's command said in a statement.

Military plane crashes after hitting another at Mexico Aerospace Fair

04/26/2015

Two Mexican air force planes collided Saturday during an air show at Mexico's Aerospace Fair 2015 in the central state of Mexico, causing one of the planes to crash but without anyone being hurt. The accident took place at 11:05 a.m. and caused no injuries because those on the plane were able to eject before the crash, the National Defense Secretariat, or Sedena, said in a communique.

Defending against China

04/26/2015

China has now gone beyond simply bullying in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). It is now creating islands by destroying reefs. It is also building an airfield on one of the islands it has created. China claims that its rise to superpower status is intended to be peace. But these actions tell a different story. It is clear that it wants complete control of the 1.7 million square miles that make up the East China and South China Seas where six other countries maintain various territorial

Marines at Robins get more Super Cobra attack choppers

04/26/2015

The Marine helicopter unit at Robins will be seen in the skies a lot more often. The unit is getting three additional AH-1W Super Cobra attack choppers from other active-duty squadrons that are getting the new AH-1Z. That takes the unit’s Super Cobra fleet from four to seven. Two of the choppers have arrived in the past two weeks, and the third is expected soon.

USAF Says Will Continue Using Manned Planes As New Bomber Program Moves Forward

04/26/2015

The U.S. Air Force does not share the U.S. Navy's view of air warfare's future. The Air Force will continue deploying manned aircraft and will implement this on future designs, unlike the Navy, which will start focusing on unmanned aircraft. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, speaking at an event hosted by Defense One, explained the Air Force will continue working with unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in the future, expanding its current fleet.