Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Force Secretary Acknowledges Wide Range of Problems with F-35

07/29/2015

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has admitted to a wide range of past and present problems with the F-35 while maintaining that the fifth-general will eventually guarantee the U.S. continued air supremacy over rivals. "The biggest lesson I have learned from the F-35 is never again should we be flying an aircraft while we're building it," James said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado last week.

BAE Systems at risk of missing target as it fights for orders

07/29/2015

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Lockheed F-35’s Reliability Found Wanting in Shipboard Testing

07/29/2015

The Marine Corps’ version of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter demonstrated poor reliability in a 12-day exercise at sea, according to the U.S. military’s top testing officer. Six F-35Bs, the most complex version of the Pentagon’s costliest weapons system, were available for flights only half of the time needed, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department’s director of operational testing, said in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News.

India’s Rafale Fighter Jets May Face Further Delays

07/29/2015

After last month’s announcement that India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program is encountering further delays, with final operational clearance postponed to March 2016 (See: “Surprise: India’s New Fighter Jet Faces More Delays”), the Indian Air Force (IAF) may experience an additional setback in increasing its number of operational combat squadrons.

Latvia Spots Russian Planes, Ships Near Territorial Waters

07/29/2015

Latvia's Armed Forces reported spotting three Russian aircraft and two ships near its territorial waters on Tuesday. In the air, Latvian patrol planes reported spotting two Russian long-range An-124 military transport aircraft, as well as well as an Il-76 multi-purpose strategic airlifter.

China’s PLA Launches Massive War Games in South China Sea

07/29/2015

Amid high tensions in the South China Sea, Beijing announced it conducted large-scale military drills at both air and sea on Tuesday, focusing on new information warfare systems. With over 100 ships and dozens of aircraft, state-run China Military Online reported that Beijing conducted large, live-ammunition drills in the South China Sea.

US Set to Deploy More Troops, Combat Aircraft to Turkey

07/29/2015

The United States is looking to broaden its military presence in Turkey with more personnel and combat aircraft, in its effort to intensify fight against ISIL alongside Turkish armed forces, a Pentagon official announced Monday.

Senior US Official Assures Turkish Troops to Stay Out of Syria

07/29/2015

A senior US official claims that the creation of a safe-zone along an ISIL-controlled border area with Turkey will rely on moderate Syrian rebels, and will not involve Turkish ground troops.

Argentina in negotiations for Israeli Kfir fighters

07/28/2015

After a long period of "preliminary evaluation", Argentina is negotiating the purchase of a batch of Israel Aerospace Industries Kfir Block 60 fighters. The Block 60 is the latest upgraded version of the Kfir, which was used by the Israeli air force between 1975 and 1994. Some aircraft are being offered with General Electric J79 engines with zero hours following a complete overhaul, while other examples would need to have this work performed after their powerplant reaches 1,600 flight hours.

Maybe India should consider the Eurofighter?

07/28/2015

What a difference a few years makes. In 2011 the Rafale had no foreign orders. India had been proclaiming the Rafale the “best aircraft for India” for some 5 years by then and declared it the L1 bidder in the tender for the 126 MMRCA with the Eurofighter Typhoon as the L2.

AMC crews face manning shortages, increased missions

07/28/2015

Air Mobility Command is losing aircraft tails, squadrons and people. But don’t think that means fewer missions and less work for those flying and maintaining the Air Force’s airlifters and tankers. “Our ops tempo is not going down one bit,” Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer said in a July 22 interview with Air Force Times. “Yet there’s clamor to have the resources go down. So you’ve got the lines on the chart going in opposite directions.”

UPDATE 1-U.S. Marines see decision soon on F-35 fighter combat-readiness

07/28/2015

The top U.S. Marine Corps aviator on Monday said an initial squadron of 10 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets met all the requirements for a declaration of combat-readiness during a recent review, and a decision from Marine Corps Commandant General Joseph Dunford was expected soon.

China’s New Islands Are Clearly Military, U.S. Pacific Chief Says

07/28/2015

The top U.S. military officer in the Pacific sternly warned China on Friday to immediately cease its “aggressive coercive island building” in the South China Sea, which he argued was intended clearly for China’s military use as forward operating bases in combat against their regional neighbors.

Why is Russia sending bombers close to U.S. airspace?

07/28/2015

Two Russian bombers intercepted by U.S. fighter jets off the California coast on July Fourth could be seen as having raised a metaphorical middle finger to the United States. "Good morning, American pilots. We are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day," they said, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

US to Send More Troops and Aircraft to Turkey to Combat ISIS

07/28/2015

The U.S. will be sending more Air Force personnel and aircraft to Turkey to combat ISIS but plans for a no-fly zone over the Syria-Turkey border remain on hold, Pentagon officials said Monday. "We're holding ongoing consultations with the Turks," said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, but currently "we have no plans for imposition of a no-fly zone."

US Rules Out Military Solution to Topple Assad - State Department Official

07/28/2015

A State Department official said that the United States was not planning to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad militarily because force alone will not solve the crisis in Syria.

Russia Has No Plans to Deploy Tu-22M3 Nuclear Bombers in Crimea – Air Force

07/28/2015

The Russian Air Force has no plans of deploying long-range Tu-22M3 bombers capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the Crimean Peninsula any time soon, Air Force Commander Col.-Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Monday.

US and Turkey to Provide Air Cover for 'Moderate' Syrian Rebels

07/28/2015

Reversing a long standing decision by the two countries, the United States and Turkey have announced plans to provide air cover for "moderate" Syrian rebels. While the Pentagon has admitted severe problems in identifying so-called moderates, the new strategy is meant to combat ISIL and to establish a safe zone along Turkey’s Syrian border.

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.