Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Is Israel Building an All-Drone Army?

06/16/2014

When you hear the word "drone," do you picture a small robotic airplane, flying through the sky bearing a stars-and-stripes decal on its chassis? If you do, then chances are you live in America. Because for most of the world, drones more often than not bear the flag of Israel as an insignia.

US expert says China close to producing fighter engines

06/16/2014

China is close to volume production of aero-engines that will be used in advanced combat aircraft, according to Bradley Perrett, Asia-Pacific bureau chief of the Washington-based Aviation Week & Space Technology. In his newest article published on June 16, Perrett said that China needs large supplies of rhenium — a rare metal that increases the temperature-resistance of turbine blades — to design and produce an engine that can handle higher internal temperatures, increasing performance and durab

Australia buys up, enters Asian arms race

06/16/2014

Australia is now the seventh-largest importer of major arms in the world and the biggest customer of the largest weapons producer, the US. Australia buys 10 per cent of all American weapons exports. Figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show Australian imports of major arms – large-scale military materiel such as warships, fighter planes and tanks – jumped by 83 per cent in the five years to 2013.

Su-27 jet fighters to hit targets during military exercises in Russia's Kaliningrad region

06/15/2014

The Su-27 crews of the Russian Baltic Fleet's naval aviation that are taking part in the military exercises in the Kaliningrad region on Saturday will shoot at air targets imitating the air assault weapons of an imaginary enemy, the press service of the Russian Defence Ministry told Itar-Tass.

Ecuador orders Airbus C295 military aircraft

06/15/2014

Airbus Defence and Space has been awarded a contract to deliver C-295 military tactical transport aircraft for the Ecuadorian Air Force. The contract, whose value remains undisclosed, covers the supply of a total of three Airbus C295 medium transport aircraft, and provision of a full in service support (FISS) package for the operation and maintenance of the fleet. Expected to be used for military and humanitarian missions, the C295s join the Ecuadorean Army's two Airbus C212s and two Airbus CN23

Ukrainian Su-24 military aircraft shot down in Donetsk region by local militia

06/15/2014

The self-defense forces of Gorlovka, Donetsk region, have reported that the Ukrainian Su-24 plane that bombed the building of a local police station at 4:30 a.m. Kiev time has been shot down. "We have managed to shoot down a Su-24 plane. The pilot ejected. He is now being questioned in the self-defense forces’ headquarters," the Gorlovka self-defense forces' representative told Interfax. He also added that the Ukrainian army had bombed the city of Druzhkovka last night.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates INS Vikramaditya to the nation, says his visit shows his government's priority to defence

06/15/2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the country's largest warship INS Vikramaditya off Goa coast in Arabian Sea, showcasing India's naval prowess. Arriving on board the warship in a Sea King chopper, the prime minister was given the ceremonial guard of honour by the Navy and was briefed about the warship, which will be dedicated to the nation on Saturday. He also sat in a MIG 29 aircraft and had a feel of the combat fighter on the ship sailing off the Goa coast.

Iraq's Military Claims Victories; U.S. Sends Aircraft Carrier to Persian Gulf

06/15/2014

Iraq's military claimed Saturday that it had regained key northern territories from extremist Sunni Muslim militants and asserted it remained strong and capable against the radicals who have suddenly destabilized the country, a military spokesman said. Most of Salaheddin province has returned to the control of Iraqi military, and security forces also took back territory on the edges of Nineveh province, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta said.

Iraqi PM orders troops to make stand in Samarra; U.S. sends aircraft carrier

06/15/2014

Iraq's leader directed his troops to make their stand against advancing Sunni militants in a flashpoint city home to a revered Shiite mosque, an order that highlights the sectarian fighting tearing the country apart. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's order came as he sought to put new fire in the belly of his troops in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - an al Qaeda splinter group known as ISIS - that has seized a large swath of land in the north of the country and threatened t

Some 250 Killed, 1,300 Wounded In Course of Punitive Operations In East Ukraine – Ministry

06/15/2014

At least 257 people were killed and over 1,300 injured during the punitive operations in Eastern Ukraine, the country’s Health Ministry reported Wednesday in a report based on data from urgent medical aid in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

U.S. Airstrikes Could Help in Reversing Insurgent Offensive, Experts Say

06/14/2014

American air power could play an important role in reversing the Sunni insurgent offensive in Iraq, current and former American military officials said on Friday, but it would be most effective with improved intelligence about insurgent targets and if the United States were willing to deploy small teams of advisers to call in airstrikes.

Ukraine crisis: Military plane shot down in Luhansk

06/14/2014

Pro-Russian rebels have shot down a military transport plane in eastern Ukraine, killing all 49 Ukrainian service personnel on board. Ukraine's defence ministry said the Il-76 transport plane crashed after coming under anti-aircraft fire over Luhansk. In a statement it said "terrorists" had "cynically and treacherously" fired on the aircraft.

Bush Carrier Put on Standby for Iraq Air Strikes

06/14/2014

The U.S. aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush and her more than 50 attack aircraft were available to conduct airstrikes against Islamic militants in Iraq if President Obama gives the order, Pentagon officials said Friday. The Bush and her accompanying battle group of ships "were in the region and ready for any tasking," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. Kirby would not confirm several reports that the Bush had already moved into the Persian Gulf.

Spain to send military aircraft to support NATO in Ukraine

06/14/2014

SPAIN will send four military planes to the Ukraine in the autumn to support the NATO mission launched in the region amid the tensions between Russia and its former Soviet State. Minister of foreign affairs José Manuel García-Margallo has met with the NATO Alliance secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen to offer Spain’s assistance by making four Eurofighters, a Boeing 77 and two additional frigates available to reinforce air policing over the Baltic region and in the Mediterranean area of the

Jets East China Sea: Close military encounter, Japan or China planes to blame?

06/14/2014

Jets in the East China Sea have created even more strain between Japan and China this week. Both nations are blaming the other for a recent too-close-for-comfort military encounter, further heightening tensions between them. News Max reports this Friday, June 13, 2014, that only 100 feet separated a Japanese fighter allegedly trailing a Chinese plane, while video of the precarious incident has been made public online.

U.S. upping drone missions in Iraq to combat insurgency

06/14/2014

The Pentagon is increasing the number of missions U.S. drones are flying over Iraq to at least once a day in response to this week’s surge in the nation by al Qaeda-inspired Sunni extremists, a senior Defense Department official said Friday. At the request of the Iraqi government, which is worried about gains made by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon has altered the flying pattern of the American drones, said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

In pictures: Europe's stealth drone Neuron

06/14/2014

Stunning pictures of Europe's stealth drone Neuron (or "nEUROn" if you want to emphasise the punnage) have been released by Dassault Aviation. The unmanned combat air vehicle can be seen taking off from an aviation base in Istres, France. The Neuron is ten metres in length and has a 12.5-metre wingspan. It's peered by a Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour engine and has been in testing over the last couple of years.

Pentagon Opens New Front to Combat Wasteful Spending

06/14/2014

As Pentagon procurement chief Frank Kendall works to rein in wasteful military spending, he is promoting what qualifies in the defense sector as a novel concept: contractors should make more profit when they meet deal terms than when they perform poorly. On Friday, the Pentagon published a central part of his efforts, a study that examines 150 defense deals and breaks down for the first time the performance of major contractors in delivering programs on time, and on budget.

Navy's facility hones skills of aircraft carrier pilots

06/14/2014

It's a one-of-its-kind facility in Asia and is being used for training of pilots for landing on India's largest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya. The Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa naval air station here, 30 km from Goa capital Panaji, currently meant for training pilots for the MiG-29K combat jet that is embarked on INS Vikramaditya, is also set to be used for training pilots of the Indian Navy's version of the indegenous light combat aircraft (LCA) .

Russian Air Force to receive newest combat aircraft in 2016

06/14/2014

State tests of the new Russian fighter T-50 (the PAK FA project) have kicked off in Akhtubinsk in the Astrakhan Region, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev told journalists. According to the plan, the fifth-generation fighter will be used to send serial deliveries to troops beginning in 2016. The Air Force could even possibly receive the T-50 ahead of schedule. So far, only one country in the world is armed with a fifth-generation fighter — the United States.

Iraq Has Brand New F-16s, But Can't Use Them Against ISIS Yet

06/13/2014

As ISIS militants advance in Iraq and threaten Baghdad itself after taking the country’s second-biggest city Mosul, the Iraqi air force is getting its first American-made F-16 fighters. But it will not be able to use the advanced jets against the militants until later this year: The first of 36 F-16s ordered by Iraq won’t actually arrive there for some months, and even then it will take months to build combat effectiveness.

Pentagon sees progress on F-35 jet; software still a concern

06/13/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is making steady progress but needs further work to accelerate software development, increase reliability and lower the cost of operating and maintaining the new warplanes, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer said on Thursday. Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters the Pentagon was looking at a series of measures, including incentives tied to future payments and investments in process improvements.

Russian Air Force receives additional Su-34 bombers

06/13/2014

The Russian Air Force has taken delivery of the first batch of serial Su-34 front-line bombers from the subsidiary of United Aircraft Corporation, Sukhoi, as part of the 2014 State Defense Order. The 4+ generation aircraft powered with a twin Lyulka AL-31FM1 turbofan engine is expected to replace the Russian Air Force and Navy's ageing Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft fleet. The new generation frontline bombers have an increased flight range of up to 4,000km, a maximum speed of up to 1,900km/h.

Trainers Scramble to Ready Afghan Air Force

06/13/2014

For Air Commodore David Cooper, time is running out. The British Royal Air Force officer has the unenviable task of making the tiny Afghan air force self-sustaining by the end of the year. “Because we’re unsure about what’s going to happen after 2014 and we can make no assumptions, we have to put as much as we can into this year,” said Cooper, director of air operations for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

USAF jets scrambled TWICE as nuclear-capable Russian bombers go on practise run off Alaska... then fly within 50 miles of Californian coast

06/13/2014

Fighter jets had to be scrambled twice after Russian bombers practised off the coast of Alaska and then came within 50 miles of California, it emerged today. The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed U.S. air defense systems were triggered twice by nuclear-capable Tu-95 Bear H aircraft last week. A spokesman said incursions began on Monday at around 4.30pm Pacific time when radar detected four bombers approaching the U.S. air defense zone near the far western Aleutian Islands.