Military Aviation News Archive
05/27/2014
Russia’s new fifth-generation Sukhoi PAK FA -50 fighter jet performed its first demonstration flight at MAKS-2011 international air and space show in the town of Zhukovsky, near Moscow. According to all reports the Sukhou PAK preformed admirably. Spectators marveled as two T-50 jets appeared in the sky above Zhukovsky at 16:00 o’clock yesterday.
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05/27/2014
When I asked Yossi Druker, EVP and Head of the Air Superiority Systems Division at Rafael, if the age of air-to-air missiles has ended, he provided me with a direct answer of the type that leaves no room for doubts: “No one has launched an ICBM in decades. Does that mean that they are no longer necessary?” Well, it appears that despite the fact that air-to-air combat encounters are a rare occurrence in the world’s skies, military organizations still acquire advanced air-to-air missiles.
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05/27/2014
The federal government must spend less money. The federal budget needs to be trimmed. That’s what Republicans, and even some Democrats, have demanded year after year, insisting it is time to spend fewer tax dollars. So what happens when the Department of Defense—which has been raking in half of trillion dollars a year—offers up multiple ways to cut its budget? Congress votes to put the money back.
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05/27/2014
There are big air shows in the UK this summer. The British public may be a little disappointed, however. The F-35B Joint Strike Fighter—the stealth jet that’s supposed to be able to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter—will be on display for the first time outside the U.S. But it won’t emulate the vertical landings that the Harrier family has made routine since the Beatles were playing dodgy nightclubs in Hamburg.
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05/27/2014
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), are pilotless and non-crewed aircraft that are capable of flight either by remote control or through the use of on-board computers. Other names for these types of aircraft are remotely piloted vehicle (RPV), remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), and remotely operated aircraft (ROA).
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05/27/2014
Intense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when government air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized an airport terminal. The clashes between Ukraine's Army and separatists in Donetsk have caused some casualties, according to a statement posted on the official website of the city's mayor, which also advised residents to stay in their homes.
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05/26/2014
Military aircraft successfully took-off and landed on a highway strip in central China on the morning of May 25, 2014, according to a post from the official Weibo account of Jiefangjun Bao (People's Liberation Army Daily). Fighter planes, helicopters and transport aircraft participated in the military drill.
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05/26/2014
Japan and China have traded accusations after China scrambled fighter jets when Japanese military aircraft entered an air defence zone declared by Beijing over the East China Sea. China's defence ministry said on Sunday that two Japanese planes entered the defence zone the previous day during a joint military drill with the Chinese and Russian navies.
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05/26/2014
The Ground Self-Defense Force is hurrying to reorganize its deployment of personnel, to enhance its defense of remote islands against China’s increasing military strength. Though the GSDF is conducting its first large-scale landing drill in the Amami islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, there are many problems facing the reorganization plan that has just begun.
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05/26/2014
The heir apparent to the throne, Prince William is set to become an air ambulance pilot rather than take on full-time royal commitments. After stepping down as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot over a year ago, the prince is said to have a "day job" with the East Anglian air ambulance service near his country home at Anmer Hall in Sandringham.
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05/25/2014
Chinese fighter jets flew within a few dozen meters of Japanese military planes over the East China Sea, Japanese officials said on Sunday, prompting the defense minister to accuse Beijing of going "over the top" in its approach to disputed territory. Chinese SU-27 fighters came as close as 50 meters (170 feet) to a Japanese OP-3C surveillance plane near disputed islets on Saturday and within 30 meters of YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft, the ministry said.
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05/25/2014
Futuristic Advanced Drones Continue to Change the Face of War Drones have been around since the early 1980’s . They proved a useful tool in the Israeli-Lebanon war of 1982. Since that time the development of new drones coupled with the advancement of technology has led militaries such as the United States and Israel to construct both surveillance and surgical strike strategies using only drone aircraft.
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05/25/2014
Sen. Joe Manchin is celebrating the signing of a bill to honor the nation's elite fighter pilots. Manchin was in attendance this week as President Barack Obama signed the American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act. Manchin and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe were the lead sponsors of the bill.
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05/25/2014
The defence ministry has sought an almost 25% hike in its budget, pointing to "operational gaps" in manpower, machines and infrastructure, in the action plan prepared for the Narendra Modi government. The defence establishment has also urged the new political dispensation to take a call on a wide range of issues, ranging from recommendations of the Naresh Chandra task force on higher defence reforms to the creation of three new tri-Service commands for space, cyber and special forces.
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05/25/2014
“A contingent of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), comprises combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crew besides a Pakistan Air force (PAF) contingent are participating in the exercises,” said Air commodore Tariq Mehmood. He said the PLAAF contingent is comprised of J-10 and J-7 combat aircraft where as JF-17 Thunder, Mirage and F7 PG combat aircraft of PAF are participating in the exercise.
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05/25/2014
After years in which aerial gunships were synonymous with the US-built AC-130, not one but two new offerings were on display last week in Jordan, reflecting a growing demand from other nations for aerial strikes by slow moving aircraft. Visitors to the Special Operations Forces Exhibition & Conference (SOFEX) in Jordan got a first look at a pair of CASA C-235 aircraft purchased secondhand from Spain and converted to gunship configuration for the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
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05/24/2014
Boeing has delivered the fourth P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India on schedule, fulfilling the first half of a contract for eight aircraft. The aircraft departed from Boeing Field in Seattle and arrived May 21 at Naval Air Station Rajali, where it joined three P-8Is currently undergoing operational evaluation.
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05/24/2014
Swiss citizens have rejected their government’s plan to buy 22 Saab Gripen E combat aircraft in a referendum. The verdict was not unexpected, since recent opinion polls had shown a majority against the plan, despite its previous approval by the Swiss parliament. However, the “no” vote majority was only 53.4 percent. Under Switzerland’s unique version of democracy, many significant or controversial matters of public policy are decided in this way.
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05/24/2014
The U.S. House and Senate are both headed toward protecting the A-10 aircraft of the Cold War era, radar-jamming jets made by Boeing Co. and the Navy’s carrier fleet, spurning the Pentagon’s cost-cutting strategies. The Republican-led House passed yesterday a $601 billion defense authorization measure for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, and the Democratic-led Senate Armed Services Committee approved its version hours later.
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05/24/2014
Within days of taking over, India’s new defence minister will get a first hand opportunity to see live action from French fighter jets Rafale, selected by the UPA-II government as the preferred platform for Indian Air Force’s 126 fighter jet deal. More than two years ago, the government selected Rafale and started the price negotiation process. Initially valued at $10.4 billion (Rs 42,000 crore), the fighter deal may rise to as high as $20 billion at the time of the commercial contract.
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05/24/2014
More than 175 reservists from four Air Force Reserve C-130 and ALCE units will soon join coalition forces for Maple Flag Exercise at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. Due to real world commitments, the normal NATO fighter aircraft will not participate this year reducing the total number of aircraft. However, the exercise continues for transport aircraft training in real world scenarios.
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05/24/2014
Russia is strengthening its military bases abroad as well as helping to boost the armed forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday.
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05/23/2014
wo B-1B Lancer aircrews flew a 30-hour, non-stop, long-range precision strike training mission from Ellsworth to strike targets on a range near Guam before landing back on base as part of a Global Power training mission, May 13 and 14. Working in concert with U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Pacific Command and Air Combat Command, the sortie tested the capabilities of Ellsworth's Airmen to successfully load munitions, launch aircraft, effectively employ training munitions and return home.
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05/23/2014
Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH has announced a capability enhancement package for its Typhoon combat plane, flown or ordered by seven countries. The package was announced Wednesday at the 2014 ILA Berlin Air Show by Paul Smith, a Eurofighter capability manager and former British Royal Air Force pilot.
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05/23/2014
Five new Reaper drones announced by David Cameron in December 2010 to support British troops in Afghanistan are still not yet in operation, the Bureau can reveal. The new drones were bought as an urgent purchase and were part of a £135m package intended to effectively double the size of the UK’s fleet of armed drones in Afghanistan, and its surveillance capacity.
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