Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Report: F/A-18E crash during maneuvers 'preventable'

01/17/2015

Investigators have determined a Jan. 15, 2014, crash during a dogfighting exercise, which destroyed an $85 million F/A-18E Super Hornet and seriously injured the pilot, was "preventable," according to a new report. The investigation, dated Nov. 24, 2014, was blunt in its assessment: "Bottom line up front, this was a preventable mishap," the investigator wrote.

ANOTHER UNSINKABLE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

01/17/2015

As part of a broader project of land reclamation, beginning in November China started efforts to develop Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands. As of late November the reef had been built up to 3,000 meters long and between two and three hundred wide. This makes it large enough, in the assessment of analysts with IHS Jane’s and the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, to argue that China’s first airstrip in the Spratly Islands might be under development.

First Light Combat Aircraft likely to be handed over to IAF on January 17

01/17/2015

Thirty-two years after the project was sanctioned, the first of the indigenously-built Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is finally expected to be handed over to the IAF today. This will be the start of a process of induction of the fighters being built at home under a project which has already estimated to have cost the exchequer over Rs 17,000 crore.

Russian Western Military District Receives New Batch of Mi-17V5 Helicopters

01/17/2015

Russia's Western Military District has received a fresh batch of Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters and is set to receive more, the head of the district's press service Colonel Oleg Kochetkov told Russia's RIA Novosti on Friday. "About ten of the new Mi-8MTV-5 [the domestic designation for the Mi-17V-5] military transport helicopters have entered into the army aviation brigade in the Western Military District, stationed in the Pskov region," Kochetkov told RIA Novosti.

AF mission against Islamic State: Slow the advance

01/16/2015

The Air Force remains busy flying surveillance and strike missions against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and those flights are affecting the service's plans for its future, top officials said. Since Operation Inherent Resolve began in August, the Air Force has flown about 60 percent of the more than 16,000 air sorties. These include remotely piloted aircraft flights to monitor the situation, and the service's share of the 5,886 bombs that have been dropped as of Dec. 31.

Japan Record Defense Budget Aims At Curbing China Threat

01/16/2015

In the face of an expansionist China seeking to dominate the East and South China Seas, Tokyo has set its largest defense budget ever to help defend islands that it rightfully considers Japanese territory. As its military, economy and ambitions grow, so too does China's assertiveness about control of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the larger South China Sea. Chinese military doctrine refers to establishing dominance over what it calls the "first island chain,".

U.S. Air Force Weapons School accepts its first F-35A Lightning II

01/16/2015

History was made Thursday morning at Nellis Air Force Base as the first F-35 fighter jet that will be used at the weapons school touched down. "This is happening," said Brigadier General Chris Short, 57th Wing Commander. "And to put iron on the ramp, it's exciting."

The Lockheed F-35 Jet On Track To Be Combat Ready

01/16/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is on track to meet the Marine Corps's July target to declare the jet ready for combat use, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said Thursday. The F-35 B-model, which can take off from shorter runways and land like a helicopter, was making good progress, Mabus told reporters after a speech to the Surface Navy Association.

Three Russian Military Aircraft Make Flightglobal's 2015 Top 10 Ranking

01/16/2015

Three Russian military aircraft and helicopters have made it into Flightglobal's 2015 Top 10 most popular military aircraft in a ranking by the respectable British aviation news and information site published late last week. Craig Hoyle, who compiled the Top 10, notes that the ten planes and helicopters in the list account for nearly a third of the 52,000 combat, special mission, tanker and transport aircraft, helicopters and trainers in use by 160 countries around the world.

Tokyo escalates arms spend amid frictions with China

01/15/2015

Japan’s government has passed its largest-ever defence budget amid a tense two-year territorial standoff with China. The \4.98-trillion yen ($42 billion) package tops the previous record set in 2002 and mark’s Japan’s third straight year of increased military spending.

Navy report: 2014 Super Hornet crash was preventable

01/15/2015

Several thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean, a year ago Thursday: Two Navy fighter jets banked toward each other at more than 400 mph.The roaring F/A-18 Super Hornets converged, crossing within 1,000 feet of each other before zooming back into formation and preparing to do it again.

India Removes Head Of DRDO

01/15/2015

In a surprise move, India has removed the head of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Avinash Chander, "to pave way for younger generation to head the nodal agency." The Appointments Committee of the federal Cabinet approved the termination of Chander’s contract effective Jan. 31, 15 months ahead of schedule.

Canadians step up airstrikes in Iraq

01/14/2015

Canadian fighter jets flying over Iraq have stepped up the pace of their attacks on Islamic State extremists, dropping bombs for five straight days. Details are sometimes vague about what was hit but since combat operations started in late October, CF-18 fighters have dropped munitions 22 times and eight of those missions have happened since New Year’s Day.

Russia should start serial production of the T-50 PAK-FA air superiority fighter jet this year

01/14/2015

The Russian T-50 PAK-FA appears to be optimized for the air-superiority role like the F-22 more so than the multirole, strike-optimized F-35. Like the Raptor, the PAK-FA is being designed to fly high and fast to impart the maximum amount of launch energy to its arsenal of long-range air-to-air missiles—which would greatly increase the range of those missiles.

India may reconsider $20 billion French Rafale jet deal in favor of Russia

01/14/2015

India wants France to stick to the original terms of its deal to buy Rafale fighter jets, or it might call it off. If the manufacturers fail to comply, India may opt for the Russian designed Su-30 currently being produced domestically. France’s Dassault Aviation still has a chance to ink the huge $20 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) contract to deliver 126 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force if the company complies with the contractor’s original demands.

Charles de Gaulle to sail for Gulf, possible participation in Islamic State air strikes

01/14/2015

The French Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is deploying with its battlegroup to the Gulf, and is understood to be preparing to contribute to coalition air strikes against Islamic State. Sailing on 13 January, the carrier battlegroup - which includes a nuclear-powered attack submarine - will head from Toulon through the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf on Operation 'Arromanches'. The deployment is scheduled to last until May at the earliest.

Russia and India agree preliminary design for FGFA fighter

01/14/2015

Russian and Indian officials have agreed the preliminary design for the Sukhoi/Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Russian state media reported on 10 January. Design of the export variant of the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA combat aircraft has now been completed, the Sputnik news agency quoted Andrey Marshankin, the regional director of international cooperation at the united Russian-Indian aircraft manufacturing company, as saying.

Rafale - Then And Now

01/14/2015

Flight testing isn't what it used to be. Usually, a comment like that would be a throwback to the days of The Right Stuff and fighters that went supersonic on their maiden flights, but even in the 1980s - as our report on the start of flight tests with the Dassault Rafale A shows - things moved faster, literally.

Russia to Merge Air, Space Forces in 2015: Defense Ministry

01/14/2015

Russia will create an Air-Space Force from the merger of its Air Force and Space Forces in 2015, the country's Armed Forces General Staff chief, Valery Gerasimov, said Tuesday. “A new type of armed forces will be created in 2015, the Air-Space Forces, by combining two already existing types of military armed forces: the Air Force and Space Forces,” Gerasimov said.

The Foreign Policy Essay: Why China Will Become a Global Military Power

01/12/2015

For over a decade, academics, policymakers, and government officials have been engaged in a relentless debate about Chinese military capabilities and intentions. To some, China is likely an expansionist country akin to Germany before WWI. Others argue that China’s assertive behavior in its regional offshore island disputes is simply a manifestation of the Chinese Communist Party’s focus on domestic stability, which precludes any broader global ambitions.

UK Bolsters Falkland Defenses to Counter Argentine Air Ambitions

01/12/2015

British military capability planners are eyeing a major improvement to ground-based air defenses in the Falkland Islands amid continuing signs that Argentina is looking to update its Air Force with modern strike aircraft. Argentina and the UK fought a short but bloody war over the British territory in 1982. The dispute received new life recently by Argentinean President Cristina Kirchener's launching a diplomatic war of words in an effort to eject the British.

Japan wrestles with wartime legacy as it starts selling weapons

01/12/2015

Seventy years after the end of World War II, talk about any kind of military expansion remains highly sensitive here in Japan. Just consider the position of Akifumi Arai, president of the Tamagawa Trading Company, a relatively small Nagano-based business that supplies sensors and gyroscopes used to guide torpedoes and missiles for Japan's self-defense forces.

Rafale deal hits rough weather

01/12/2015

India plans to take a final call, one way or the other, on the gigantic $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 French Rafale fighters before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits France and Germany in April.

Swedish Forces Admit Second Submarine Hunt Near Stockholm: Reports

01/12/2015

A second, this time secret submarine hunt was launched in the Stockholm archipelago when a "very credible" informant reported seeing a possible conning tower a week after Sweden called off the initial search operation, the Swedish Armed Forces said Sunday. “We consider the informant to be very credible. We had ships and ground units nearby, so we were able to quickly respond to that observation.

North Korea Offers to Suspend Nuclear Tests if U.S. Suspends Military Drills

01/11/2015

North Korea said on Saturday it was willing to suspend nuclear tests if the United States agreed to call off annual military drills held jointly with South Korea, but Washington rejected the proposal as a veiled threat.