Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Saab's Gripen Enters a New High-fly Zone

05/04/2015

Saab's Gripen jet, for years often seen as an also-ran in international fighter competitions, is turning that reputation around. The trajectory began to change in October by the finalization of a deal to sell 36 Gripen NG aircraft to Brazil and a 2015 Swedish government commitment to buy 60 JAS 39 Gripen Es and Fs.

Rafale deal: Dassault likely to enter joint venture with HAL

05/04/2015

The multi-billion deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets could see French defence major Dassault Aviation entering into a joint venture with state-run HAL or any private player to set up a base here for augmenting its existing production line. Defence sources said such a step, if taken will not only allow the French firm to ramp up its production rate but will help it to meet offset obligations in India, likely to be 30-50 per cent of the sales value.

Taiwan to hold computer-aided war games next week

05/03/2015

The military will conduct five days of computer-assisted war games May 4-8, with the focus this year on emergency response, as part of the country's annual Han Kuang exercises. In a bid to test the military's combat readiness in the face of a military threat from China, the drill will focus on swiftly preparing troops for battle and the mobilization of supplies and reservists.

Pakistan military says strikes kill 44 suspected militants

05/03/2015

Pakistan's military says airstrikes have killed 44 suspected militants in the tribal region near the Afghan border. A statement Saturday said 28 suspected militants were killed when jets struck hideouts in the Tirah Valley of the Khyber tribal region. It said separate strikes in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan killed 16 suspected militants, most of them foreigners.

Russian nuclear bombers intruded U.S. defense airspace zone

05/03/2015

Two Russian military bombers, which are capable of delivering nuclear warheads, flew into a U.S. air defense zone near Alaska last week, a Washington news website reported Friday. A pair of Tu-95 Bear H bombers reportedly flew into the airspace on April 22 -- perhaps a sign, officials said, that Russia has begun its long-range aviation spring training cycle.

U.S. sending Ospreys, Hueys and other aircraft to Nepal

05/03/2015

The U.S. is sending more aircraft to Nepal to fly relief supplies from Kathmandu to refugees in need, defense officials said on Saturday. The Marine Corps is sending four MV-22 Ospreys and two KC-130 cargo aircraft to Nepal, said Maj. Christopher Logan, a spokesman for Marine Forces, Pacific. Three UH-1Y Huey helicopters are being flown to Nepal in Air Force C-17s, he said.

Indo - French Naval Exercise Varuna 2015 Concludes

05/03/2015

Fourteenth ( 14th ) edition of Indo-French naval exercise (VARUNA) concluded today off Goa. The ten day long exercise commenced on 23 April 2015 and included both a harbour and sea phase. Mr Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister of Goa, French ambassador Mr. Fran?ois Richier along with Vice Admiral SPS Cheema, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and other senior naval officers embarked the French Navy's Aircraft Carrier.

Why the Iranian Purchase of the S-300 Should Worry the Gulf States

05/02/2015

Saudi Arabia’s decision to intervene militarily in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels has raised regional tensions to a boiling point. In a cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that is growing increasingly hot, the move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift the ban on the sale of S-300 missiles to Iran has come at just the wrong moment.

Why Gulf states went to war with the Houthis

05/02/2015

With the conflict there now in its second month the UN estimates more than 1,200 people have been killed and thousands more displaced, amid a growing humanitarian crisis. But according to the official, who asked not to be named, Gulf Arab governments decided they had to intervene to stop the Houthi takeover of Yemen after new intelligence emerged in January this year.

France and Qatar seal $7 bln Rafale fighter jet deal

05/02/2015

Qatar has agreed to buy 24 Dassault Aviation-built Rafale fighter jets in a 6.3-billion-euro ($7 billion) deal, the French government said on Thursday, as the Gulf Arab state looks to boost its military firepower in an increasingly unstable region. Tensions in the Middle East with conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, as well as concerns over Shi'ite Muslim power Iran's growing influence in the area, have fuelled a desire across Sunni Gulf Arab states to modernise their military hardware.

Here’s what it’s like to experience a 280 deg/s instantaneous roll rate in a modern jet trainer

05/02/2015

The roll rate, expressed in degrees per second, is the rate at which an aircraft can change its roll attitude. Modern jet fighters can achieve quite high maximum roll rates: the faster they can rotate around longitudinal axis the faster they can transit from one maneuver to another one. However, the roll rate is just one of the parameters (not all equally important) that influence the aircraft’s maneuvering performance.

The mysterious Rafale riddle

05/02/2015

When analysing a subject like India's air force, it is important to rely only on facts. Thus an air force, which is one of the top five forces in the world, today has an ageing asset, with "some 500 fixed-wing operational aircraft, significantly down from the total of 850 in 2006". Printed open source information like that of the (latest) Jane's All the World's Aircraft shows that India has nine types of combat aircraft, the breakup of which gives a rather dismal scenario as on date.

Kazakhstan Takes Delivery of Four Su-30S? Fighter Planes, Aircraft to Participate in Victory Day Show

05/02/2015

The Kazakh Air Force has taken delivery of four Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker C 4++ fighter aircraft from Irkut Corporation, part of the Sukhoi Group from Irkutsk, Russia. The fighters were transferred at Taldykorgan air base in southern Kazakhstan and will participate in the aviation show during the city’s Armed Forces Day and 70th anniversary Victory Day parade on May 7, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defence press office.

Future “Top Guns” Will Be Battle Managers Flying Bigger, Slower Aircraft

05/02/2015

At the dawn of aerial combat 100 years ago, World War I flying aces frequently closed to within 15 meters before firing at enemy aircraft with their machine guns. Such intimate encounters helped create a perception of pilots as skilled “knights of the air” who climbed into the cockpits of nimble aircraft to duel their opponents.

Russian Southern Military District Plans Over 25 Aviation Drills in 2015

05/02/2015

Crews will participate in tactical war games and maneuvers alongside combined armed forces from the same military district. "A total of more than 25 exercises of various scale, involving assault aircraft crews from the Southern Military District's airbase in the country's south, will be held in 2015," the statement said.

NATO modernizes air bases in Romania for stationing of heavy combat equipment

05/01/2015

NATO has decided to modernize two more air bases in Romania and related construction has already started at the 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni, northern Bucharest, local media reported on Thursday. The Alliance will also consolidate the runway at Air Base in Campia Turzii, northwestern Romania, to ensure military maneuvers without any problems, according to local Digi24 television.

Australia Gains US Approval For Support Contracts For Warships, Fighter Jets

05/01/2015

The U.S. State Department has approved Australia’s request for U.S. sustainment packages for Australian fighter aircraft and warships through the Foreign Military Sales program. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, in charge of the FMS program, has informed Congress of the approval.

Russian expert responds to Thinking Taiwan editor on S-400

05/01/2015

Vasily Kashin, a military commentator from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies based in Moscow has said that the S-400 air defense system will give the People's Liberation Army the ability to control the entire airspace of Taiwan, in an article he wrote for Sputnik News in response to an article by J. Michael Cole, the Canadian chief editor of Thinking Taiwan, a media platform sponsored by Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

House panel passes $612B defense bill

05/01/2015

The legislation rejects Pentagon proposals to close excess military bases and infrastructure and plans to trim support for military grocery stores and housing allowances for troops. The legislation backs pay raises for troops at 2.3 percent, versus a Pentagon call for 1.3 percent. The bill also adds additional funding for fighter aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps, including six more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters than requested and 12 extra F/A-18 Super Hornets.

House panel votes to keep A-10s

05/01/2015

A House panel early Thursday approved a defense bill that would again bar the Pentagon from scrapping the Air Force’s A-10 fleet. There are 18 A-10 airplanes stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township that support about 650 full- and part-time jobs.

The U.S. Miilitary's Fighter Aircraft Crisis: What Comes After the F-35?

05/01/2015

Earlier this year, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said that he believed that the F/A-XX, the Navy’s planned eventual follow-on to the F-35C, would be "optionally manned". On April 15 at the Sea-Air-Space conference, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus leaned further forward, noting how he believed that "the F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.”

Lockheed Martin Delivers 1,000th Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

05/01/2015

ockheed Martin marked the 1,000th Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) delivery during a ceremony held yesterday at its Missiles and Fire Control facility in Orlando, Florida. The 1,000th pod, which was delivered to the U.S. Air Force, is a sensor-enhanced Sniper ATP that provides fighter and bomber aircraft with advanced modes for non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR); enhanced target identification; maritime tracking; and two-way datalink communication.

Boeing Upgrades to Keep B-1 Bomber Soaring for Decades to Come

05/01/2015

The Boeing B-1B Lancer celebrates its soon to be 30th anniversary with the U.S. Air Force at Dyess Air Force Base this week – marking one of many milestones in a legacy that will continue long into the future as Boeing’s B-1 team ushers the supersonic bomber into the digital age with new upgrades.

Come Fly With Me: Spanish and Russian Warplanes Meet Over Baltic Sea

05/01/2015

Just as the 37th rotation of NATO's air policing mission is coming to an end and Spanish and Polish jets are returning to their home bases, Spanish media has released some images of what it claims to be “Spanish Air Force Typhoons escorting some Russian Air Force planes”.

China’s J-11D Fighter Copied From Russian Su-27 Jet Makes Maiden Flight

05/01/2015

China's high-end J-11D fighter aircraft, a copy of the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 jet, has made a maiden flight, local media reported Thursday. Photos uploaded to the Internet on Wednesday show the latest modification of China's domestically-constructed J-11B aircraft, initially designed as a copy of the Soviet-made Su-27, the Sina.com news portal said.