Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Marine Division Tactics Course takes off

01/31/2015

Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 115, 122 and 312 as well as Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons 533 and 224 are participating in the Marine Division Tactics Course aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Jan. 12 to Feb. 6. The MDTC provides groundside and airborne instruction in doctrine, tactics and weapons considerations to F/A-18 Hornet aircrew and Marine air intercept controllers.

US spokesman: Gunman in fatal Afghan attack was in uniform

01/31/2015

The killing of three American aircraft mechanics at the Kabul airport was done by a man in an Afghan uniform who was killed at the scene of the shooting, the Pentagon said Friday. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the mechanics were Defense Department contractors, but the circumstances of the attack are under investigation.

Air Force names 2-star to lead F-35 Integration Office

01/31/2015

With the initial operating capability date of the F-35 Lightning II quickly approaching, the Air Force appointed Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian as the director of a larger Air Force F-35 Integration Office, Feb. 1. In addition to gaining new leadership, the F-35 Integration Office will also grow from a staff of four to 12 and be collocated with Air Force acquisition fighter program element monitors and liaison officers from the major commands.

Lawmaker, an A-10 vet, aims to protect Warthog

01/31/2015

One of the newest lawmakers on Capitol Hill is a former A-10 driver, and she is wasting no time protecting her former aircraft. Rep. Martha McSally, a freshman Republican from Arizona, on Jan. 29 sent a letter to President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging them not to seek to retire the A-10 in their fiscal 2016 budget request, expected to be unveiled Feb. 2.

Put the Pentagon On a Real Budget

01/31/2015

It's budget season again, which means it's time for another round of budget gimmicks on the part of the Pentagon. The Obama administration's new Pentagon budget proposal exceeds the budget caps established in current law by $34 billion. That's a hefty sum even by Pentagon standards.

New RAAF jets to be able to shoot back

01/30/2015

Aircraft maker Lockheed Martin says there is no technical problem with aircraft's 25mm gun, although its computer software isn't yet complete and it hasn't been fully tested on the aircraft.By the time these advanced aircraft enter operational service with the RAAF in 2020, the gun will be fully functional.

Congressional commission releases new plan to overhaul military pay and retirement

01/30/2015

A congressionally mandated commission on Thursday called for an overhaul of the military’s compensation and retirement system, recommending changes so that future service members will contribute to their own retirements and could choose private-sector healthcare plans. A long-awaited report from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission made 15 recommendations that members said would increase the financial options troops have without reducing their overall compensation.

Navy issues aircraft maintenance, logistics task order to DynCorp International

01/30/2015

Nearly four dozen aircraft of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Nevada are to receive logistics and maintenance support from DynCorp International. The task order received for the services has a performance period of one year and carries a maximum value of $44.5 million.

Airbus Shakes Up Its Military Aircraft Unit

01/30/2015

Faced with mounting criticism from European governments over production problems with its newest military transport plane, the Airbus Group on Thursday announced a management shake-up at its military aircraft unit and promised a restructuring of the business to address what it said were “unacceptable” delivery delays.

Light Combat Aircraft Tejas achieves rare technological breakthrough

01/29/2015

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has achieved a rare technological breakthrough with three consecutive start ups of its engine in extreme sub-zero temperatures of Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir.

Engine failure caused Predator crash in Afghanistan

01/28/2015

Engine failure caused an MQ-1B Predator drone to crash July 14 in Afghanistan, the Air Force announced this week. The Predator was flying a reconnaissance mission near Kandahar Air Base when it crashed after experiencing engine failure. The Air Force, however, did not recover the wreckage of the drone, and investigators were not able to determine the specific root cause of the problem, Air Combat Command said in a news release.

Boeing’s Sub-Hunting Poseidon Gets a Pentagon Budget Boost

01/28/2015

Boeing Co.’s maritime surveillance aircraft will get an increase in the Pentagon’s fiscal 2016 budget, with the Navy to request 16, one more than planned for that year, according to budget documents. The Navy will request $3.4 billion for the plane, the P-8A Poseidon, according to documents from the Defense Department comptroller circulating in the military services.

Are the Polish F-16s combat-worthy?

01/28/2015

Back in September 2013, as rumors that the backbone of the Polish fighter force was to be deployed to Syria, we explained that one of the main flaws of the “Jastrzab” (Polish name for the F-16) was that the aircraft lacked AIDEWS (Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite ) capabilities.

Major deployment set for Tucson's Davis-Monthan

01/28/2015

About 1,100 airmen, including part of a squadron of A-10 close air-support jets, will be deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base by mid-March. It’s one of the biggest near-simultaneous deployments from the Tucson base in memory.

US, Greece reinforce proven partnership through airpower

01/28/2015

Over the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the U.S. and Greek air forces continue bilateral flying training missions here. The training, which began Jan. 16 and will run through Feb. 13, aims to bolster the nations' warfighting capabilities through combined air operations as well as maintain joint readiness between the two NATO partners.

Zambia To Boost AF Trainer, Lift Capabilities

01/28/2015

The Zambian Air Force will take delivery of an undisclosed number of trainer, transport and fighter aircraft and aerial defense systems this year as part of a major re-equipment program to improve operational and airlift capabilities. Addressing senior Army, Air Force and Defense Ministry officials at the Air Force Headquarters Annual Ball for 2014 recently held in Lusaka, commander Brig. Gen. Jabes Zulu said the additional aerial defense assets will include a new radar system to secure national

Iran Expects Russia to Honor Contract on Delivery of S-300 Missile Systems

01/28/2015

Iran expects Russia to meet its contractual obligations to deliver the S-300 air defense systems, canceled by Moscow after international sanctions were imposed on the country, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei told RIA Novosti in an interview Tuesday. “Iran continues to view the S-300 contract as legitimate and not a subject of international sanctions as it was signed before the introduction of sanctions and the [S-300] is a defensive rather than an offensive system,” Sanaei said.

Canadian troops again battle IS group in Iraq

01/27/2015

Canadian special forces have twice exchanged gunfire with Islamic State fighters in Iraq since the first confirmed ground battle between Western troops and IS earlier this month, a senior officer said Monday. Recalling the first incident, Captain Paul Forget told a briefing: "Two similar events have occurred over the last week and, in both cases, Canadian special operations forces, again acting in self-defense, effectively returned fire, neutralizing the threat."

This airplane is hammering ISIS. So why is the Air Force trying to kill it?

01/27/2015

The A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly called the Warthog, is a powerhouse of a plane. Boasting a massive ordinance load and one of the most powerful guns ever mounted on an aircraft, it's playing a major role in the US Air Force's bombing campaign against ISIS. Despite its successes in combat, the Air Force wants to put the plane out of commission. The USAF is fighting with Congress to get approval for a plan to retire the aircraft from service — for good.

MiGs from Moscow flank American planes

01/27/2015

Barack Obama would've felt a tad disconcerted. A day after he slammed Russia for being a "bully" encroaching on Ukraine's sovereignty, he witnessed his country's frontline military aircraft being closely flanked by top-notch Russian fighters. First, a Poseidon-8I longrange maritime reconnaissance aircraft of US make was escorted by two Russian MiG-29K fighters, codenamed "Fulcrum-D" by NATO forces.

JF-17 Thunder inducted in PAF Combat Commanders School

01/27/2015

JF-17 Thunder, the multi-role and all weather fighter aircraft, was formally inducted in the prestigious Combat Commanders' School (CCS) of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) here on Monday. The induction of this indigenous war fighting machine will further facilitate advanced combat training of PAF fighter pilots. Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Operations), Air Marshal Sohail Aman, was the chief guest on the occasion.

Greek fighter jet crashes in Spain killing 10 people

01/27/2015

The F-16 jet "lost power", crashing at Los Llanos air base in Albacete, Spain's defence ministry said. At least five other planes were damaged. One of the two Greek pilots had performed a wrong manoeuvre, local media said. Both pilots were killed. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will travel to the scene of the crash on Tuesday.

No matter how you spin it, we are fighting ISIS in Iraq

01/26/2015

On Jan. 19, the National Defence Department hosted one of its routine technical briefings to update the media on recent developments in the allied military campaign against ISIS in Iraq. In the past, various commanders have detailed the number of sorties undertaken by our combat aircraft and the targets they had successfully engaged.

Marine Prowler officers will soon operate drones

01/26/2015

As the EA-6B Prowler flies into retirement and the Corps takes a new approach to electronic warfare, Marines who spent their careers in the radar-jamming aircraft will be transferred to other military occupation specialties. Most Marines in the 7588 electronic warfare officer MOS will become 7315 unmanned aircraft systems officers. Concurrently, the Corps is changing the duties of the 7315 MOS.

Chinese Spies Expand Operations in Taiwan

01/26/2015

As relations continue to expand between China and Taiwan since the election of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in 2008, so does espionage. With the 2009 Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, cross-strait ties have flourished. The number of Chinese visitors to the island is now around 3 million annually. The joke among many government officials in Beijing, according to media reports, is that it will be easier to buy Taiwan than invade it.