Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Bengaluru air show turns into a carnival as thousands flock venue

02/22/2015

The biennial Aero India 2015 show turned into a carnival Saturday, as over 60,000 people flocked to the Yelahanka base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) here to witness spectacular aerobatics and thrilling aerial feats by fighters, helicopters, stunt aircraft, transport planes and even unmanned aerial vehicles.

US Lawmakers Urge Obama To Boost Aid to Jordan

02/22/2015

US and Jordanian officials are expected to talk on the sidelines of IDEX, discussions that may carry extra weight in light of US lawmakers' recent pressure to expedite foreign military sales to Jordan. The lawmakers appear to hope that Jordan — which at press time had launched airstrikes but committed no ground troops in the fight against the Islamic State group (also called ISIS or ISIL) — could assume a strengthened role in the US-led coalition, given the incentive of US weaponry and backing.

USAF, Navy and Lockheed Martin hold different positions on stealth

02/21/2015

The armed forces have differing needs. That fact is playing out right now as the Air Force and Navy are arguing about the importance of stealth technology in the next generation of fighter aircraft. That's according to The Air Force Times, which cites Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who earlier this month said stealth could be "overrated," arguing that there's only so much that can be done to prevent detection.

US Firms Plan 'Tailored' Presence at IDEX

02/21/2015

Border surveillance and security technologies are expected to take center stage at this week's International Defense Exhibition, driven by internal and regional stability issues and the fight against Islamic State extremists, according to a former senior US defense official. "The whole idea of border surveillance and security will be an overriding theme in this one," said William Landay, retired director of the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

Extending combat airpower to all corners of the globe

02/21/2015

Airmen with the Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Extender Aircraft Maintenance Unit here waste no time when answering the call to defend the nation -- even with little to no notice. Although the KC-l0 Extender’s primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments.

How to spot a Russian bomber

02/21/2015

The Ministry of Defence insists that the Russian aircraft did not enter British airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from the nation's coast. But it says they were inside the UK's "area of interest", and the RAF scrambled Typhoon jets to intercept them. If the MoD's account is accurate, they may have been flying too far away for ordinary plane spotters to detect them - although a woman in Cornwall claims she saw them flying inland.

Aero India 2015: Russia Hopes to Sign Fifth-Gen Fighter Aircraft Deal with India in 2015

02/21/2015

Russia expressed confidence that the long delayed concluding agreement with India on the joint production of the fifth generation fighter aircraft can be signed this year. The two countries signed an initial contract in 2010 to build the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme, however, they have not been able to agree to the final terms of the contract.

Canadian jets destroyed Islamic State bomb factory: military

02/20/2015

The military says Canadian CF-18 fighter jets conducted a single attack in Iraq last week, leading a coalition strike that destroyed a factory making improved explosive devices. Navy Capt. Paul Forget says the attack on Friday was a success. He says coalition air attacks and Iraqi ground efforts continue to degrade the operational ability of the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The World's Most Secretive 737 Is America's Key To Better Stealth Tech

02/20/2015

Nobody knows exactly where "Rat 55" lives or precisely what technology it uses to accomplish its mission, but it sure is an exotic beast. The USAF's secretive NT-43A testbed is a highly modified 737-200 that goes far beyond ground-based radar and infrared signature testing on stealthy aircraft by plying its trade high up in the sky in their target aircraft's natural operating environment.

Skunk Works head: New spy plane needed

02/20/2015

The Air Force's current plans for high-altitude surveillance, keeping the decades-old U-2 flying while upgrading the new RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, will not meet the demands of the military for reconnaissance, and the service needs to start again with a new aircraft to replace both spy plans, the head of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works said.

Air-to-air combat training enters the virtual world

02/20/2015

As enemy fighters get more lethal, the Air Force's air-to-air combat training is looking to take a giant leap into the virtual world. Technology moves so rapidly that it is impossible to create a "real world threat environment" that can accurately simulate combat with the most advanced aircraft, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh says. So the Air Force plans to emphasize the virtual component of air-to-air combat training.

BAE Systems scans skies for Eurofighter Typhoon orders

02/20/2015

It became known as the Rafale curse. Several times in the past 15 years France’s Dassault Aviation came close to securing the first export order for its Rafale fighter jet, only to fail at the final hurdle. On Monday the curse appeared to be lifted when Egypt signed for 24 aircraft at an estimated value of €5.2bn. Now investors are beginning to question whether the curse has been transferred to Eurofighter Typhoon, the European combat aircraft programme 33 per cent owned by BAE Systems.

Air Force: Stealth 'incredibly important' for future aircraft

02/20/2015

As the Defense Department seeks funding to develop a sixth-generation fighter, the Air Force and Navy appear to have differing opinions on the importance of stealth, while a top contractor on Wednesday called low observability for the future fighter "foundational." Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told a Washington audience Feb. 4 that stealth might be "overrated" for future fighters.

LRASM Completes 3rd Successful Flight Test

02/20/2015

The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] achieved a third successful air-launched flight test, with the missile performing as expected during low altitude flight. The test, conducted on Feb. 4, was in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy joint-service LRASM program.

Russia Ready to Send More MiG-29K Fighters to India

02/20/2015

Russia is ready to send additional Mikoyan MiG-29K/KUB aircraft to India if New Dehli decides to increase its MiG-29K/KUB fleet. "The Indian Navy plans to establish three naval aircraft squadrons that will fly MiG-29K/KUB. Two of the squadrons will be deployed to two aircraft carriers, while the third one will be used for training," Sergei Korotkov, who heads Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, told RIA Novosti.

Flying on the Edge: British Media Abuzz Over Russian Bombers

02/20/2015

The British media is awash with news about another two jets being scrambled to intercept Russian bombers flying near British airspace, despite it hardly being newsworthy. RAF Typhoon jets were sent up to escort two Russian aircraft spotted off the south-west coast of Britain on February 19. The incident is the latest in what have been almost monthly intercepts near what the UK likes to call the "UK area of interest" over several years.

India Said to Approve Priciest Naval Expansion in Five Years

02/19/2015

India is tripling its fleet of nuclear submarines in the country’s priciest naval expansion in five years, a move that comes as China increases naval activity in the Indian Ocean. A cabinet committee on Tuesday approved plans to build six nuclear-powered submarines and seven stealth warships at a cost of about 1 trillion rupees ($16 billion), according to government officials familiar with the matter. They asked not to be named as they aren’t authorized to speak to the media.

Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy Plus Review (3DS)

02/19/2015

Ace Combat Horizon Legacy Plus is an enhanced version of a game originally released in 2011, which itself was a remake of 1997’s Ace Combat 2. This Plus edition comes with a few alterations designed to take advantage of Nintendo’s recently arrived New 3DS. The question is, have those changes brought anything meaningful to both the original game, or the franchise?

HAL to focus on patents and intellectual properties

02/19/2015

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is one of the best examples that align with ‘Make-in-India’ endeavour of the government of India. The company under the leadership of its chairman, T Suvarna Raju, is fast moving from a manufacturing to that of a technology driven company. T Suvarna Raju, shares his views with BusinessLine on HAL’s future and its participation at Aero India.

Engineer team gives rapid response to U.S. partner

02/19/2015

War fighter needs are complex, urgent and constantly developing. The Czech Republic, an allied partner through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, recently needed a rapid response solution to modernize their Mi-171Sh fleet.

Concerned about Saudi military ties, U.S. focuses on inexperienced prince with huge defense budget

02/19/2015

The United States is trying to determine whether military cooperation with Saudi Arabia will change under King Salman, a report said. The Brookings Doha Center asserted that the rise of King Salman has raised the prospect of a new U.S. defense and military relationship with Riyad. In a report, the center cited the appointment of Salman’s son, Mohammed, as the kingdom’s new defense minister, according to Middle East Newsline.

Airmen join multinational exercise

02/19/2015

Cope North, an annual multinational training exercise hosted by Andersen Air Force Base, began early this week and will continue through Feb. 27. The exercise started in 1978 between the U.S. Air Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Force. It has been held in Guam since 1999.

F-22's belated debut against Islamic State praised by commander

02/19/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 fighter jet, making its debut in warfare more than nine years after it was deemed combat-ready, has flown at least 112 missions against Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. Air Force’s commander of combat forces said. The stealth fighter known as the Raptor has guided airstrikes into Syria, disseminated large volumes of data to fellow fliers and attacked Islamic State’s oil facilities, Gen. Herb “Hawk” Carlisle said in a telephone interview.

Shadow-boxing on Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal

02/19/2015

“Many places in the state are likely to witness heavy snowfall and rainfall from February 19 to 24 due to western disturbance over J&K, which may trigger avalanches and landslides,” said a Met official. “On February 19, sky is likely to remain partly cloudy with occurrence of rains and thunderstorm. From February 21 to 23, there is possibility of heavy snowfall and rains,” he said and added there will be significant decrease in day temperatures and slight rise in night temperature.

F-35 Fighter: Five Reasons Why Slowing The Pentagon's Biggest Weapon Program Would Backfire

02/19/2015

The F-35 fighter may be the most challenging project in the history of military innovation. Conceived two decades ago as a single airframe that could replace the Cold War tactical aircraft of three U.S. military services and numerous overseas allies, F-35 is the Pentagon’s biggest investment effort ever in cutting-edge technology.