Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Here's how the Air Force is trying to limit the fallout from its controversial decision to retire the A-10

03/10/2015

As it faces yet more political backlash over the mothballing of the A-10 warplane, the Air Force is launching a new effort to prove that it truly cares about the mission of supporting ground troops with massive firepower. In an unprecedented move, top Air Force leaders last week convened a “Close Air Support Summit” at the Pentagon with senior officials from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard Bureau and Special Operations Command.

Turkey's 'flying coffins'

03/10/2015

On Feb. 24, two Turkish RF-4E Phantom planes on reconnaissance crashed into a mountain near Malatya, in southeast Turkey, killing four pilots. Eight days later, two more pilots died when an F-4E-2020 Phantom, upgraded by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), crashed during a Turkish-Azerbaijani joint air exercise.

The Air Force's B-3 Bomber Isn't As Secret As It Seems

03/10/2015

Last week Air Force officials appeared on Capitol Hill to discuss the weapons programs they want to fund in 2016. As usual, details about one of the biggest programs, the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), were few and far between. The Air Force wants to keep potential adversaries guessing about the bomber’s capabilities, so all it has said is that it plans to buy 80-100 strike aircraft at a cost of $550 million each with initial fielding in 2025.

HAL To Fulfill Future Indian AF Training Needs

03/10/2015

Much against the wishes of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defence Ministry has decided that only state-owned monopoly Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) will meet the service's future basic trainer requirements through its HTT-40 trainer, which is still under development. However, to meet the Air Force's immediate needs, until the homemade HTT-40 is inducted, MoD has ordered another 38 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mark-IIs to top the 75 ordered by the outgoing government in 2012.

India Pushing Russia For Faster Development For Stealth Aircraft As Rafale Deal Stuck

03/10/2015

Faced with delays over its biggest airforce deal, a worried Indian government has asked Russia to expedite production of the planned fifth-generation fighter aircraft and given up its earlier condition that it should be a 50-50 joint venture, a report says. The deal for buying 126 Rafale fighter aircraft from France's Dassault has been delayed over negotiations over the $11 billion price tag and guarantees over quality.

Russian Military Aircraft Continue To Encroach On European Airspace

03/10/2015

Russia continues to flex its military muscles throughout Europe. Russian President Putin has sent tens of thousands of Russians troops and heavy equipment into Georgia and now eastern Ukraine, and has only received a light slap on the wrist for his illegal military aggression. Is it any wonder Russian military aircraft are now constantly buzzing European aircraft and encroaching on European airspace? Putin is doing what any bully will do when unchallenged…that is, continue to act belligerently.

UAE, Sikorsky Work to Weaponize Black Hawks

03/09/2015

Sikorsky is close to beginning upgrades to the UAE's helicopters that would them the "most advanced armed Black Hawks ever produced," a company vice president told Defense News. Robert Kokorda, vice president of sales, said the UAE-funded development program of the kits to weaponize UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters is in its final development stages.

Rafale deadlock gives thrust to Russian 5th-gen jet project

03/09/2015

Faced with continuing deadlock in the mega deal to acquire 126 French Rafale fighters, India is now pressing the throttle to seal the even bigger project with Russia for the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). India has told Russia it wants deliveries of the FGFA to begin in 36 months after the main contract is inked, instead of the 94 months envisaged earlier, top defence sources said.

China's maritime rise offers risks, rewards for U.S. sailors

03/09/2015

As part of the U.S. military's shift to the Asia-Pacific region, the Navy is dispatching more ships and sailors for exercises with partner nations. There are also opportunities to work alongside the Chinese military in training and humanitarian operations. But make no mistake — China is at the heart of the new strategy, and the Middle Kingdom is pushing back.

Modern bomb vs medieval belief

03/09/2015

On board the USS Carl Vinson: The morning after the night Gepetto bombed a suspected Islamic State facility in Iraq, he was saying in the aircrew room of this carrier that "typically, when I launch I do not have a target". The 29-year-old lieutenant, who can be identified only by his call sign, is a pilot with the Fighting Redcocks squadron of F/A 18F Super Hornet and F/A 18C Hornet fighter jets.

US, Czech Inspectors to Conduct Observation Flight Over Russia

03/09/2015

American and Czech specialists will fly over Russia on March 9-14 under the Treaty on Open Skies, Sergei Ryzhkov, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center has announced. "In the period of March 9-14, within the framework of the international Treaty on Open Skies, a joint mission of the United States and the Czech Republic will conduct an observation flight over the territory of the Russian Federation aboard the American observation aircraft OC-135B," Ryzhkov said.

Spanish Fighter Jets to Fly Training Mission Over Estonia

03/09/2015

On January 2 the German Luftwaffe, which had provided a contingent of four Eurofighters on base for NATO Baltic Policing patrols since September, handed over to a Spanish air force detachment of the same aircraft type, which took over patrolling duties at Estonia’s Amari Air Base near Tallinn. The Spanish war jets will fly a training mission over Estonian territory on Sunday, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

That One Time Lockheed Hated on the Taiwanese Air Force

03/08/2015

Five years ago, Lockheed Martin told U.S. Air Force officials that Taiwan’s air force was on the verge of collapse and no other defense contractor in the world could help. Eager to sell F-16s, the company went on a PR blitz. The pitch—Washington and the Pentagon needed to sell fighter jets to Taiwan … or else.

U.S. sees bigger test for Iraq after Tikrit battle

03/08/2015

The top U.S. military officer will press the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi during a visit to Iraq this week about its plans for avoiding sectarian fallout once the Iranian-backed operation to dislodge the Islamic State from the city of Tikrit concludes. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was confident that Iraq would ultimately defeat the Sunni militants in Tikrit, a largely Sunni city northwest of Baghdad.

Red Alert: The South China Sea's New Danger Zone

03/07/2015

Indonesia’s Natuna Archipelago, with only 27 of its 154 islands inhabited, is the republic’s northernmost region in the South China Sea and potentially its most vulnerable. Due to their proximity to the disputed areas and features in the South China Sea, the Natuna Islands could become yet another flashpoint in the area.

Under Putin, Russia poses a growing threat to peace

03/07/2015

The assassination of Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition leader, in broad daylight on a bridge near the Kremlin at the end of February was a terrorist act. We shall probably never know for certain who was behind this murder, which happened to be very convenient for President Vladimir Putin as Nemtsov had planned to lead a protest march against Russia’s dictatorial regime and to expose Putin’s aim of destabilizing Ukraine.

McCain vows to 'reverse' A-10 retirement process

03/07/2015

Arizona Sen. John McCain says he will work to reverse the process of retiring the A-10 Thunderbolt II close air-support jet, after the recent announcement that the Air Force will put nine A-10s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base into backup status. “We will be working hard and most likely reverse that decision in the defense authorization bill,” McCain, Republican chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, said Friday.

Air Force lays plans for life after the A-10

03/07/2015

The Air Force plans to set up new squadrons of F-15Es and F-16s with a specific focus on close air support for ground troops — a role now primarily done by the A-10 that the Air Force wants to retire. Gen. Hawk Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, briefed reporters on the plan Friday, following a week-long Pentagon summit of top Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy leaders on the future of the close air support.

Air Guard Exercises Will Soar Over Oahu

03/07/2015

Those who enjoyed the sight of Air Force fighters arcing over southern Oahu in January during the "Sentry Aloha" air combat exercise are about to get a second helping. The Hawaii Air National Guard said it will host its second large-scale Sentry Aloha exercise running for the next two weeks.

Over 40 Russian Fighter Jet Crews Hold Airstrike Drills in Barents Sea

03/07/2015

More than 40 Russian fighter jet crews practiced destroying enemy missiles and aircraft during military exercises over the Barents Sea, the Russian Defense Minister said Friday. "Over 40 crews flying MiG-31 (Foxhound) fighter-interceptors and Su-24 (Fencer) attack bombers from the Central Military District participated in tactical flight exercises over the Barents Sea.

Afghan Military to Receive A-29 Close Air Support Planes in December

03/06/2015

The Afghan military will be without its own fixed-wing close air support for another fighting season this summer against the Taliban, with the first of 20 A-29 Super Tucano turboprops expected to begin arriving in December. "This is a huge asset they're looking forward to getting inside Afghanistan," Army Gen. John Campbell told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, but "they won't have much for the next fighting season."

Alaska watches as Russia plans to build its Arctic military presence

03/06/2015

During an Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said the world is watching — allies and enemies — to see if our country continues to invest in its own defense, especially in the Arctic. Some of the people responsible for that defense are in Alaska. At Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, dozens of plaques with red stars on them line a wall of an operations floor.

Bulgaria to be offered JF-17 fighter by Pakistan

03/06/2015

Bulgaria is to be offered the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, according to national media reports. The single-seat, single-engined fighter is to be offered by Pakistan as an alternative to the several Western aircraft types that are all vying to be selected by Bulgaria as it looks to replace its ageing MiG-29 'Fulcrum' and Sukhoi Su-25 'Frogfoot' platforms, the novinite.com Sofia News Agency reported on 4 March.

This single Pentagon program is going to upend the combat jet industry

03/06/2015

For all the talk of shrinking global defense budgets and sequestration, the U.S. military’s three prime combat aircraft contractors—Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman—have enjoyed a good run of late, with each company’s stock currently bumping up against its 52-week high. But don’t expect the smooth sailing to last, says one prominent industry analyst.

Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion Wing Line Restarted

03/06/2015

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] restarted the wing production line for the P-3 Orion Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) program for Canada and Chile on March 4. The P-3 wing line was last in production in August 2014. The gap in production extended the opportunities for global operators to assess their fleet needs.