Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Force Turns to Supersonic Mercenaries

01/21/2015

The ‘smallest Air Force in history’ is dealing with more missions than ever. So the flyboys are calling in the military contractors to operate their jets. The U.S. Air Force fleet of planes and pilots is stretched so thin, the service is considering hiring private military corporations flying supersonic jets to train its fighter jocks in mock air combat.

A COLD WAR LEGACY: THE DECLINE OF STEALTH

01/21/2015

“Physics probably favors detection and the ultimate demise of stealthy systems.” So predicted the Hart-Rudman Commission in 1999. Sixteen years later, it’s time for the Department of Defense to ask tough questions about whether to continue investing scarce resources into stealth technology. Foremost among those questions is this: Are we sacrificing too much capacity in a quest for an exquisite capability, a capability that may not offer the edge it once did and whose efficacy is in decline?

Airbus team coming, Rafale deal by March end, say sources

01/21/2015

Even as India is to discuss again France the $22 billion deal to supply 126 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force, a big team from Airbus is set to land in India on January 21, ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit. The timing of the visit is significant, say informed sources. Airbus which had held 46.32 per cent of Dassault Aviation, had sold 8 per cent of the company back to Dassault for $979 million late last year.

More questions about F-35 performance

01/20/2015

Flawed software will hobble the first of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighters to be called combat-ready, limiting the plane’s ability to drop bombs, share data with other aircraft and track enemy radar, Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg news service writes. He noted that finding is from the Defense Department’s chief weapons tester found.

ANALYSIS: We check out Eurofighter's P1E upgrade in simulator

01/20/2015

In mid-November 2014, Flight International was given the opportunity to visit BAE Systems’ facility at Warton in Lancashire, to be briefed by its Eurofighter Typhoon chief test pilot Mark Bowman and project manager Luke Dickson about the successful introduction and first deliveries to the Royal Air Force under the Phase 1 Enhancement (P1E) programme.

African armies cannot defeat Boko Haram terror, experts warn

01/20/2015

Boko Haram’s campaign of abduction and terror has spread beyond Nigeria to become a regional threat which African armies lack the strength to defeat, experts warned on Monday. The Islamist gunmen struck across Nigeria’s eastern border into Cameroon on Sunday, raiding two villages and taking about 80 people captive. Boko Haram routinely sells its prisoners into slavery. The latest incident was the biggest case of mass abduction ever recorded in Cameroon.

Canadian soldiers clash with ISIL in Iraq

01/20/2015

Canadian special forces have clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group by exchanging gunfire in Iraq in recent days, in the first confirmed ground battle between Western troops and ISIL, a senior officer has said. The Canadians came under mortar and machine gun fire while training Iraqi troops near front lines and shot back in what Canadian special forces commander Brigadier General Michael Rouleau described as self-defence, killing the ISIL fighters.

Air Force to ask for base closures, aircraft retirements despite repeated rebuffs

01/20/2015

Two of the Air Force's most contentious budget proposals, getting rid of excess bases and retiring aging aircraft, will be back on the table in next year's budget, despite congressional votes just a month ago that rebuked both requests. President Barack Obama's budget for the Defense Department, which is scheduled to come early next month, will violate the $523 billion sequestration cap for 2016.

Marine Prowlers fight Islamic State over Iraq, Syria

01/19/2015

They're old, gray and approaching retirement — but the Marine Corps' EA-6B Prowlers are still fighting terrorists. The service's aging fleet of jets used for electronic warfare have flown hundreds of hours over Iraq and Syria in support of the fight against the Islamic State group. They may be some of the final combat missions for Prowler squadrons before the Corps starts to retire the aircraft and adds electronic warfare capabilities to a variety of platforms.

35 killed in Syrian military plane crash, al-Qaida claims credit

01/19/2015

At least 35 Syrian soldiers were killed in a cargo plane crash in northwestern Syria, sources on the ground and state media said Sunday. The plane, which carried Syrian government personnel and military equipment, went down at the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province. Sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it "crashed as a result of collision with electricity transmission wires."

Shrouded in Mystery, New Bomber Makes Waves

01/19/2015

In late spring or early summer, the US Air Force will decide who will build its next-generation bomber. Yet, despite all the hype and public interest, the program remains shrouded in mystery. The Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program is stealthy, literally and figuratively. Few details are actually known about the bomber's capabilities or design. But the program's impact is already being widely felt throughout the Pentagon and its industry partners.

Can’t build it? just import it

01/19/2015

Delay in its projects leading to a steep escalation in cost has proved to be the bane of the DRDO. The delays have led to the country being left with no option but to equip the armed forces with expensive foreign equipment. A report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on defence tabled in Parliament just last month let the cat out of the bag.

China stole plans for a new fighter plane, spy documents have revealed

01/19/2015

Chinese spies stole key design information about Australia's new Joint Strike Fighter, according to top secret documents disclosed by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

IAF gets light combat aircraft Tejas, but not fully battle-ready yet

01/19/2015

India on Saturday inducted the light combat aircraft (LCA) with defence minister Manohar Parrikar handing over the first home-built plane to the air force in Bangalore, 33 years after the project was conceived to replace ageing Russian MiG-21 fighters. India on Saturday inducted the light combat aircraft (LCA) with defence minister Manohar Parrikar handing over the first home-built plane to the air force in Bangalore, 33 years after the project was conceived to replace ageing MiG-21 fighters.

Israel Refuses to Comment on Airstrikes on Hezbollah Militants in Syria

01/19/2015

Israeli army has refused to give any comments on the reports of Tel-Aviv’s participation in the airstrikes on Lebanese Hezbollah militant group in Syria. Earlier in the day, western media, citing sources in Hezbollah, reported that an Israeli helicopter fired two missiles on Amal Farms in Quneitra, killing six members of the organization.

US asks for a no-fly zone over Rajpath on R-Day, India says no

01/18/2015

India has politely turned down a suggestion by Barack Obama's security teams that a 5-km "no-fly zone" be imposed around the majestic Rajpath during the Republic Day parade, which will have the US President as the chief guest for the first time. A no-fly zone would have led to the customary flypast on January 26 being cancelled.

PLA's J-11 jet fighter rumored to have received avionics upgrade

01/18/2015

China's mainstay J-11A jet fighter has been refitted with an upgraded avionics packages to warn of incoming missiles, according to a report published Friday by Shanghai-based news website New Outlook. The web portal suggested that several protruding additions observed on either side of the fuselage and in front of the cockpit canopy, in photos released by China Military Online, a website sponsored by the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Aggressors take off for joint, coalition training in Pacific

01/18/2015

Fourteen F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 18th Aggressor Squadron took off Jan. 17 in transit to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The group of fighters, along with more than 150 maintainers from the 354th Maintenance Group, is deploying to support the CENTURY ALOHA and COPE NORTH exercises.

Australia’s Air Task Group hits 100 days of combat operations

01/18/2015

Australia’s Air Task Group has clocked up 100 days and 3500 hours of combat operations as part of international efforts to disrupt and degrade Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Since October, the Air Task Group has conducted regular combat and support missions over Iraq as well as assisting Coalition operations.

Navy needs Opsreys to replace C-2As

01/18/2015

Officials have said the U.S. Navy wants 12 V-22 Ospreys and are willing to push the Marines’ existing order to the back of the line so they can put the tiltrotor aircraft into action in a new capacity. Boeing representatives referred comment to Public Affairs at the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., where several messages placed were not returned Wednesday.

Israeli air force training

01/18/2015

Little Rock Air Force Base is the home of C-130 Hercules aircraft and aircrew training, but it can also be a home away from home for many international students. The 314th Airlift Wing's "Center of Excellence" hosts students from all over the world to learn the C-130 and its mission inside and out.

Air Force raises monthly incentive pay for drone pilots

01/18/2015

The Air Force is increasing financial incentives for some remotely piloted aircraft pilots to encourage them to stay in service, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced on Thursday. The maximum amount of monthly incentive pay will be increased for RPA pilots in the 18X career field who opt to keep flying drones beyond their initial six-year commitments.

IAF gets first indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, 32 years after it was conceived

01/18/2015

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar handed over the first of the indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru on Saturday. The ceremony took place in the presence of Air Chief Marshal Anup Raha at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru.

The Syrian Arab Air Force, beware of its wings

01/17/2015

To everyone’s surprise, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF), often incorrectly abbreviated to SAF or SAAF, has been able to maintain a high pace of operations in the now almost four-year long war. Orginally destined to engage in a fierce but short war with Israel, it never anticipated to fight what is essentially a war of attrition between the Assad-led party and its adversaries, and has found its role in the conflict through trial and error.

Report: V-22 Osprey to take over carrier deliveries

01/17/2015

The days of catapult shots and arrested landings will soon be coming to an end for mail, parts and passengers headed to and from aircraft carriers, as the Navy plans to phase out its aging C-2A Greyhounds in favor of the V-22 Osprey for carrier on board delivery missions.