Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russian Air Force to Get at Least 50 New Strategic Tu-160 Blackjack Bombers

05/29/2015

The Russian Defense Ministry will purchase no less than 50 new Tu-160 (Blackjack) heavy strategic bombers when production is renewed, Russian Air Force Commander Col.Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday. “No less than 50 aircraft over time will be purchased in order to cover the costs that will go into production,” Col.Gen. Bondarev said without specifying when production would begin.

Against Islamic State, airstrikes may not suffice

05/29/2015

It's the modern era's military strategy of choice: overwhelming air power delivering precision-guided punishment backed by intelligence on the ground, with minimal exposure for soldiers of the striking side. Seductive though it is to risk-averse governments with war-weary publics, the approach has its limits — and these are on display in Syria and Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition has carried out over 4,100 airstrikes against Islamic State radicals yet failed to stop the extremists.

Tankers, Helos Top S. Korean Projects

05/28/2015

The selection of a foreign contractor to supply the South Korean Air Force with four aerial refueling tankers is just around the corner. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said April 14 that it started price bidding for the 1.48 trillion won (US $1.36 billion) program. Competitors are Boeing, Airbus Defence and Space, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Internet pics suggest J-16 fighter close to entering service

05/28/2015

Photos posted on military websites in China show the nation's new domestic J-16 twin-seat fighter repainted in a light grey which suggests the aircraft is almost ready to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force, according to People's Daily Online.

Aviano F-16s take on Arctic Challenge 2015

05/28/2015

At the invitation of the government of Sweden, More than 150 Airmen and 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, arrived at Norbotten Wing here in support of Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015. This year, the multinational flying exercise will include approximately 115 combat aircraft from nine different countries including the U.S., Finland, Sweden and Norway. The Arctic Challenge exercise will focus on improving interoperability with fellow air forces.

Taiwan Pushes for New Weapons on All Fronts

05/28/2015

China's steady acquisition of advanced weaponry has driven ambitious Taiwanese requirements, including plans to procure stealth fighters, advanced jet trainers, long-range unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and main battle tanks.

Aussie fighter planes may be vital to Ramadi

05/28/2015

The RAAF’s Wedgetail battlespace control aircraft and Hornet fighter bombers may be called on to support Iraqi troops assigned to recapture the key city of Ramadi from Islamic State. The terror group’s fighters swept into Ramadi more than a week ago under the cover of a sandstorm that “blinded” the unmanned patrol aircraft, armed with missiles which had provided a key part of the defences.

ANALYSIS: Can China break the military aircraft engine bottleneck?

05/28/2015

China’s political and aerospace leadership is painfully aware that its airpower ambitions are severely impeded by the lack of what it calls a “Chinese heart” – modern, indigenous aircraft engines. The Pentagon’s latest assessment on Chinese military capabilities, released on 8 May, is even more blunt, saying: “the Chinese aircraft industry remains reliant on foreign sourcing for dependable, proven high-performance aircraft engines.”

Budget Cuts Damaged US Air Force Readiness Training - GAO's Report

05/28/2015

The 2013 spending cuts, or sequestration, imposed on the US government forced the US Air Force to scrap or reduce most of its planned training exercise that year, a new Government Accountability Office report, released on Wednesday, said.

NATO Increases Air Policing, Intercepts More Russian Aircraft - Stoltenberg

05/28/2015

The secretary general noted that NATO is “intercepting more Russian flights now than just a few years ago.” In early May 2015, Poland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and France began enhanced air policing duties over the Baltic states and Central Europe. According to a NATO press report, the allies involved in the rotational air policing contributed 22 aircraft for the exercises.

US Air Force Approves Software Upgrade of B-2 Strategic Bombers

05/28/2015

The CDR is a key review point in a three-year, $102 million contract awarded to Northrop Grumman in August 2014 for the engineering and manufacturing development portion of the program. “The company successfully completed the critical design review (CDR) of the service's Flexible Strike Phase 1 program on February 3,” Northrop Grumman said on Wednesday.

Russia agrees to supply S-300 missiles to Iran at 'the earliest opportunity'

05/27/2015

Russia will deliver S-300 missile defence systems to Iran at quote ‘the earliest opportunity'. That's according the Iranian Deputy Defence Minister, after talks with his counterpart from Moscow, German media reports, quoting news agency AFP. No exact date has been outlined – although previous statements suggest the long-range missile systems, which like this one are designed to combat aircraft and ballistic missiles, would be dispatched before the end of the year.

U.S. Confronts China Over Airspace in South China Sea

05/27/2015

I had not given much thought to the flight plan of the airline I recently booked to go back to the U.S. from Vietnam, but recent events in the airspace over the South China Sea prompted an online search. As I discovered, my commercial flight will be flying not far from where a U.S. surveillance plane was warned on Wednesday to leave by a Chinese radar operator.

How to Prevent the Fall of Baghdad

05/27/2015

Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has seized control of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province just 70 highway miles from Baghdad. Fallujah, located between, is already a terror stronghold. There is little doubt that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi plans to capture the city whose name he bears. A man who declared himself a caliph, Baghdadi knows his home was the seat of the Abbasid caliphate, founded in the eighth century to which ISIS would like to return.

NATO chief reacts to Russian surprise military exercises

05/27/2015

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told CBS News he does not see any immediate threat against any of the 28 nations that make up the largest peacetime alliance in the world, despite Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine and unannounced military exercises near member states' airspace.

Navy, Marine Corps Hold Joint Aviation Event at Fleet Week New York

05/27/2015

In the air and on the ground, Sailors and Marines dazzled a crowd of nearly 6,000 visitors with a variety of troop insertions and flyovers during an aviation demonstration at Eisenhower Park as part of Fleet Week New York (FWNY), May 23.

Is Russia's Lethal PAK-FA Fighter Stealthier than America's F-22?

05/27/2015

Russia’s fifth-generation Sukhoi PAK FA fighter jet, which is also known as the T-50, is like a flying robot with greater stealth capabilities than its American counterparts, according to Russian state media. On Tuesday, Sputnik outlined some of the specifications of the PAK FA, which is currently undergoing the testing phase and will enter into production next year.

Over 100 Russian combat aircraft start surprise exercise

05/27/2015

The Russian air force on Tuesday mobilised more than 100 aircraft from their bases to operational airfields as part of a surprise combat readiness inspection, according to the Russian defence ministry. "The flight personnel have received their flight tasks and started navigational calculations," a statement by the ministry stated, adding that the air units would manoeuvre in the Central Military District reinforced with units from other regions of the country.

Chinese military expansion sparks fears of war with U.S.

05/27/2015

China’s armed forces are to extend their operations and the air force will become an offensive as well as defensive force for the first time, in a major shift in policy that will strengthen fears of accidental conflict. The People’s Liberation Army, including its navy and air force, will be allowed to “project power” further beyond its borders at sea and more assertively in the air in order to safeguard its maritime possessions, according to a new policy document.

Russia, China Air Military Influence to Exceed US in Future

05/27/2015

During a recent three-day visit to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, General Mark Welsh said that China and Russia are primary examples of countries who will have highly capable fighter aircraft in the next three to five years. Welsh also said dozens of countries around the world would use Russian and Chinese top-end fighters in the future.

Australia deeply embedded in US military build-up in Asia

05/26/2015

Just over a week ago, the remarks of US Assistant Defence Secretary David Shear to a Senate committee in Washington triggered strenuous denials in Canberra that the government had any intention of allowing the Pentagon to base nuclear-capable B1 strategic bombers in Australia.

US military trials British navigation tech to combat GPS jamming

05/26/2015

The US military is exploring whether eLoran, a navigation technology that was pioneered in Britain, could protect against GPS jamming attacks The US military is testing a new type of navigation technology that was developed in Britain, in the hope that it that could prevent criminals from hijacking its vessels with GPS jamming attacks.

Sweden, Norway, Finland Host Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015

05/26/2015

Sweden, Norway and Finland are to host one of Europe's largest fighter jet drills, dubbed the Arctic Challenge Exercise 2015 (ACE 2015), due to start on Monday. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) National Air Operations Center (NAOC) chief Brigadier General Jan Ove Rygg is in charge of this year's drills, which will run through June 2. This is the second such multinational training exercise held by the Scandinavian neighbors since 2013, with plans to continue them every second year.

Global Times explores PLA's growing might

05/26/2015

The People's Liberation Army has rapidly developed into one of the world's most powerful militaries and could have up to 10,000 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, reports Huanqiu, the Chinese-language website of the nationalistic tabloid Global Times. Citing a detailed report into the PLA's military might by Russian media, the Global Times notes the speed of which China's military technology has been developing since the turn of the century.

Deterrence and power projection - Why India remains a major arms importer

05/26/2015

During her two-day India visit (May 26-27), German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is expected to hold talks with top Indian officials, including her counterpart Manohar Parrikar, and push for a stronger bilateral defense cooperation and being part of the "Make in India" initiative designed to boost foreign investment.