Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Massive Iraqi assault begins to retake Tikrit from Islamic State

03/03/2015

More than 25,000 Iraqi troops and militia fighters began a long-awaited operation Monday to retake the central Iraqi city of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, from the Islamic State in what many see as a test of the central government’s ability to retake and hold much of the territory lost to the militant group last summer.

Air Force to move A-10 jets into backup status despite congressional opposition

03/03/2015

The Air Force has begun moving A-10 attack jets into backup status, even as it continues to use the plane in airstrikes against the Islamic State. Air Force officials announced the move on Friday. Eighteen planes will be placed into “Backup-Aircraft Inventory” (BAI) status, with the possibility of 18 more being mothballed later this year. The designation means the Thunderbolt II planes are considered to be undergoing maintenance or otherwise unable to fly.

US, Japan, Australia team up during air combat training

03/03/2015

Pilots from the U.S. Air Force, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian air force conducted large force employment (LFE) training here Feb. 19-27, as part of exercise Cope North 2015. This year marks the 86th iteration of the multilateral training exercise, which is a long-standing, multinational event designed to increase interoperability and improve combat readiness and develop a synergistic disaster response capability between the countries involved.

Clearing The Way: Lockheed Martin And Burns Engineering Focus On Improving Pilot Vision

03/03/2015

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and H. N. Burns Engineering Corp. have agreed to collaborate on technology that enhances military helicopter pilots’ ability to fly in low visibility conditions caused by weather, dust or other obstructions. Known as degraded visual environments (DVE), the blinding conditions are a primary cause of major helicopter accidents.

Russia's Defense Ministry Removes An-70 From National Armament Program

03/03/2015

Russia's Ministry of Defense has removed the Antonov An-70 military transport aircraft, jointly developed by Russia and Ukraine, from its national armament program, the Izvestia newspaper said. The ministry could also request the return of 2.95 billion rubles (nearly $100 million at the 2010 exchange rate) transferred to Ukraine's Antonov design bureau in 2010, when both countries started research and development work on the project, initially launched in the early 1980s.

Pakistan Re-equips Squadron With AEW&C Planes

03/02/2015

Pakistan's Air Force (PAF) Thursday stood up its unit of Chinese Karakorum Eagle AEW&C aircraft in a ceremony attended by the head of the PAF, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Though the exact location of the ceremony was not given, it is believed to have been held at PAF Base Masroor in Karachi as the prime minister was known to have been in the city that day.

The Mysterious Air Force Of Ukraine's Pro-Russian Separatists

03/02/2015

At number 63 Karl Marx Street, the tinted glass facade of the Ministry of Defense of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) stands insolently among the scenery of shattered windows and crushed roads. On the snow-covered square in front of the church, a dozen of half-asleep men smoke cigarette after cigarette while they wait for the recruitment office to open. The fatigue, anxiety and cold make their legs shiver, but don’t dissuade them from joining the Luhansk people’s militia.

Leadership: Japan Responds To The Chinese Threat

03/02/2015

For the third year in a row Japan has increased its defense budget, this time to $41 billion. Japan is also striving to generate enough popular support for changing the laws that govern the aggressive use of its military. The most recent motivator for this was the recent execution of two Japanese citizens by Islamic terrorists (ISIL in Syria). Longer term the Japanese are becoming more alarmed at increasing Chinese military activity in waters and air space around Japan.

Spy plane trip to West PH Sea sign of US 'commitment' to Asian pivot

03/02/2015

One of the United States' most advanced aircraft was in Clark Air Base in February for a temporary rotational detachment that allowed Filipino pilots to join patrol missions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The spy plane – a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft – that is under the operational control of the US Navy Patrol Squadron 45 based in Yokosuka, Japan shows the country's commitment to a strategic pivot to Asia.

AF leaders: Surveillance demand drives budget decisions, fleet cuts

03/02/2015

The constant, insatiable demand for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance has driven the Air Force to reduce funds for some missions in order to keep more spy aircraft flying and to increase combat air patrols, Air Force leaders told lawmakers Friday. The fiscal 2016 budget request looks to keep flying the U-2, previously planned for early retirement, at least until 2019 to address the demand for surveillance. The budget also would fund 60 combat air patrols per day, up from 55.

Saudi Eastern Fleet Request Advances

03/02/2015

A second letter of request (LoR) from the Saudi government detailing requirements for the Eastern Fleet replacement program was delivered to the US Navy in February, barely a month after an initial request was sent, according to sources here at the International Defence Exposition show.

The dangerous risks Britain is taking with defence

03/02/2015

When circumstances change, defence policy should too. Yet British governments have a patchy record. For many years, Conservative governments preferred a series of budget cuts to a properly conducted review of defence and security. The last serious effort to calibrate military spending with foreign policy was under Labour in 1998. The coalition government’s review of 2010 was another budget-driven exercise, which lacked intellectual rigour and did deep damage to Britain’s military power.

Russian Inspectors to Fly Over Spain, Portugal Under Open Skies Treaty

03/02/2015

Russian inspectors will conduct observation flights over the territories of Spain and Portugal at the beginning of March, under the Treaty on Open Skies, head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov has announced. "Observation flights will be conducted during the period of March 1-8 from the Open Skies airfields in Lisbon (Portugal) and Getafe (Spain) at a maximum range of 1200 and 1800 kilometers [745 and 1118 miles] respectively," Ryzhkov said.

US, Germany to Carry Observation Flight Over Russia

03/02/2015

The United States and Germany will carry joint observation flight over the Russian territory within the framework of the Treaty on Open Skies, Sergei Ryzhkov, the head of Russia’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, told journalists.

Pentagon Launches Electronic Warfare Study: Growler Line At Stake

02/28/2015

The Pentagon has launched a wide-ranging study of electronic warfare, looking across the services at major platforms such as the EA-18G Growler and the F-35’s three versions. “We are doing right now in the Department of Defense a study that looks at all electronic attack[:] what is the situation in electromagnetic warfare across the spectrum in our maneuver,” Adm. Jonathan Greenert told the House Appropriations defense subcommittee yesterday.

Lockheed, Sikorsky venture awarded $2.0 billion helicopter support deal

02/28/2015

The U.S. Navy has awarded a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Sikorsky Helicopter a contract worth $2 billion to service the Navy's H-60 helicopters through Jan. 31, 2020, the Pentagon announced on Friday. The fixed-price contract covers "performance-based logistics" on 1,710 assemblies and components, and covers the repair, modification, overhaul and replacement of hardware for the Navy's fleet of H-60 helicopters.

James: In-Demand Air Force Experiences Strain

02/28/2015

The Air Force is requesting $10 billion above what sequestration-level funding provides in order to support its global responsibilities, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James told members of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee here today. James said the potential return of sequestration jeopardizes the Air Force’s ability to sustain its various global missions and hampers its ability to focus on its main priorities: people, modernization and stewardship.

Battle of Mosul: Iraqis face ferocious enemy

02/28/2015

Are the Iraqis up to the fight? That's the question that will preoccupy senior U.S. military leaders for the next few months as a small team of Americans tries to prepare a massive force of Iraqis for the decisive Battle of Mosul. U.S. officials hope to launch the invasion of Iraq's second largest city in April or May with a force of 20,000 to 25,000 Iraqi soldiers.

High-tech US hardware can minimize the risk of pilot capture in ISIS air war

02/28/2015

The horrific killing of captured Jordanian Air Force Lieutenant Muath al-Kaseasbeh by Islamic State militants has highlighted the risks coalition pilots face as they fly combat missions against ISIS positions in Iraq and Syria. Lt. Muath al-Kasaesbeh was flying a Jordanian F-16 against an ISIS target in northern Syria when the fighter jet became the first aircraft lost since the U.S.-led coalition began air strikes against ISIS in Syria.

India placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore for military purchases from 2011 to 2014

02/28/2015

India have spent big from the 2011 fiscal year to the last fiscal year on the Army, Air Force and Navy for procuring arms, weapons and other defence-related systems. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the three services have placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore. During this period, India's own defence sector earned Rs 69 crore by export of military hardware.

Taiwan’s military strength ranked 15th in global poll

02/28/2015

Taiwan’s military strength ranks 15th in the world and ninth in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of conventional war-making capability across land, sea and air, according to a survey conducted by military Web site Global Firepower. The nation’s ranking has fluctuated between 14th and 18th since 2009, peaking at 14th in 2011 and 2012 and last year standing at 17th, according to the Web site.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM ONE OF THE FIRST FEMALE FIGHTER PILOTS

02/28/2015

On the surface, it might not seem like Carey Lohrenz's old office has much in common with the rhythms and interactions found in the typical modern workplace. That’s because, back in the '90s, her job as a naval aviator meant she spent most of her time in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat, a beast of a fighter jet armed to the teeth with a machine gun and missiles with a range of more than 100 miles.

US, Coalition Forces Conduct 31 Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

02/28/2015

United States and anti-Islamic State coalition military forces launched 31 airstrikes against the militant group in Syria and Iraq, destroying significant number of fighters, equipment and infrastructure, a US Defense Department said in a statement on Friday. “Attack, fighter, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 20 airstrikes in Syria,” the statement said, adding that 11 airstrikes were conducted in Iraq.

Workers at Boeing say goodbye to C-17 with last major join Thursday

02/27/2015

“Nothing lasts forever.” That’s the message a Boeing plant worker scrawled on the fuselage of the 279th and final C-17 Globemaster aircraft being assembled Thursday at the Long Beach manufacturing plant where the mammoth aircraft has been built for roughly a quarter century. Thursday was the day when workers gathered to participate in — or at least watch — the last “major join” of a C-17 Globemaster that is ever expected to take place.

Delay on Rafale deal to give FGFA shot in the arm

02/27/2015

With uncertainty looming large over the signing of multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal, finalization of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) deal is likely to gather pace. The government had signed a joint development programme for FGFA with Russia.