Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Here’s what it’s like to experience a 280 deg/s instantaneous roll rate in a modern jet trainer

05/02/2015

The roll rate, expressed in degrees per second, is the rate at which an aircraft can change its roll attitude. Modern jet fighters can achieve quite high maximum roll rates: the faster they can rotate around longitudinal axis the faster they can transit from one maneuver to another one. However, the roll rate is just one of the parameters (not all equally important) that influence the aircraft’s maneuvering performance.

The mysterious Rafale riddle

05/02/2015

When analysing a subject like India's air force, it is important to rely only on facts. Thus an air force, which is one of the top five forces in the world, today has an ageing asset, with "some 500 fixed-wing operational aircraft, significantly down from the total of 850 in 2006". Printed open source information like that of the (latest) Jane's All the World's Aircraft shows that India has nine types of combat aircraft, the breakup of which gives a rather dismal scenario as on date.

Kazakhstan Takes Delivery of Four Su-30S? Fighter Planes, Aircraft to Participate in Victory Day Show

05/02/2015

The Kazakh Air Force has taken delivery of four Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker C 4++ fighter aircraft from Irkut Corporation, part of the Sukhoi Group from Irkutsk, Russia. The fighters were transferred at Taldykorgan air base in southern Kazakhstan and will participate in the aviation show during the city’s Armed Forces Day and 70th anniversary Victory Day parade on May 7, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defence press office.

Future “Top Guns” Will Be Battle Managers Flying Bigger, Slower Aircraft

05/02/2015

At the dawn of aerial combat 100 years ago, World War I flying aces frequently closed to within 15 meters before firing at enemy aircraft with their machine guns. Such intimate encounters helped create a perception of pilots as skilled “knights of the air” who climbed into the cockpits of nimble aircraft to duel their opponents.

Russian Southern Military District Plans Over 25 Aviation Drills in 2015

05/02/2015

Crews will participate in tactical war games and maneuvers alongside combined armed forces from the same military district. "A total of more than 25 exercises of various scale, involving assault aircraft crews from the Southern Military District's airbase in the country's south, will be held in 2015," the statement said.

NATO modernizes air bases in Romania for stationing of heavy combat equipment

05/01/2015

NATO has decided to modernize two more air bases in Romania and related construction has already started at the 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni, northern Bucharest, local media reported on Thursday. The Alliance will also consolidate the runway at Air Base in Campia Turzii, northwestern Romania, to ensure military maneuvers without any problems, according to local Digi24 television.

Australia Gains US Approval For Support Contracts For Warships, Fighter Jets

05/01/2015

The U.S. State Department has approved Australia’s request for U.S. sustainment packages for Australian fighter aircraft and warships through the Foreign Military Sales program. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, in charge of the FMS program, has informed Congress of the approval.

Russian expert responds to Thinking Taiwan editor on S-400

05/01/2015

Vasily Kashin, a military commentator from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies based in Moscow has said that the S-400 air defense system will give the People's Liberation Army the ability to control the entire airspace of Taiwan, in an article he wrote for Sputnik News in response to an article by J. Michael Cole, the Canadian chief editor of Thinking Taiwan, a media platform sponsored by Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

House panel passes $612B defense bill

05/01/2015

The legislation rejects Pentagon proposals to close excess military bases and infrastructure and plans to trim support for military grocery stores and housing allowances for troops. The legislation backs pay raises for troops at 2.3 percent, versus a Pentagon call for 1.3 percent. The bill also adds additional funding for fighter aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps, including six more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters than requested and 12 extra F/A-18 Super Hornets.

House panel votes to keep A-10s

05/01/2015

A House panel early Thursday approved a defense bill that would again bar the Pentagon from scrapping the Air Force’s A-10 fleet. There are 18 A-10 airplanes stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township that support about 650 full- and part-time jobs.

The U.S. Miilitary's Fighter Aircraft Crisis: What Comes After the F-35?

05/01/2015

Earlier this year, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said that he believed that the F/A-XX, the Navy’s planned eventual follow-on to the F-35C, would be "optionally manned". On April 15 at the Sea-Air-Space conference, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus leaned further forward, noting how he believed that "the F-35 should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.”

Lockheed Martin Delivers 1,000th Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

05/01/2015

ockheed Martin marked the 1,000th Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) delivery during a ceremony held yesterday at its Missiles and Fire Control facility in Orlando, Florida. The 1,000th pod, which was delivered to the U.S. Air Force, is a sensor-enhanced Sniper ATP that provides fighter and bomber aircraft with advanced modes for non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR); enhanced target identification; maritime tracking; and two-way datalink communication.

Boeing Upgrades to Keep B-1 Bomber Soaring for Decades to Come

05/01/2015

The Boeing B-1B Lancer celebrates its soon to be 30th anniversary with the U.S. Air Force at Dyess Air Force Base this week – marking one of many milestones in a legacy that will continue long into the future as Boeing’s B-1 team ushers the supersonic bomber into the digital age with new upgrades.

Come Fly With Me: Spanish and Russian Warplanes Meet Over Baltic Sea

05/01/2015

Just as the 37th rotation of NATO's air policing mission is coming to an end and Spanish and Polish jets are returning to their home bases, Spanish media has released some images of what it claims to be “Spanish Air Force Typhoons escorting some Russian Air Force planes”.

China’s J-11D Fighter Copied From Russian Su-27 Jet Makes Maiden Flight

05/01/2015

China's high-end J-11D fighter aircraft, a copy of the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 jet, has made a maiden flight, local media reported Thursday. Photos uploaded to the Internet on Wednesday show the latest modification of China's domestically-constructed J-11B aircraft, initially designed as a copy of the Soviet-made Su-27, the Sina.com news portal said.

A Tablet app was used to direct an Air Strike with a MV22 Osprey in a live fire training exercise

04/30/2015

On March 27, DARPA successfully tested the full Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) prototype system for the first time as part of TALON REACH, a U.S. Marine Corps infantry/aviation training exercise conducted in the southwest region of the United States in partnership with the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One and the Marine Infantry Officer Course (IOC).

Congressman to offer A-10 compromise

04/30/2015

A Massachusetts Democrat and Iraq War veteran is pushing a compromise to let the Air Force keep flying half of its A-10 fleet and retire the rest. Rep. Seth Moulton on Wednesday sent a letter to colleagues in the House of Representatives containing a compromise that would keep 119 A-10s out of the current 283.

Bulgaria May Withdraw MiG-29s From Service

04/30/2015

Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev has announced the Air Force likely will pull its 12 MiG-29 fighter jets out of service rather than proceed with what he called an "overpriced" maintenance and repair deal with Russia. Nenchev told local daily Sega that signing an extended deal, until 2019, priced by the Russian side at some 80 million leva (US $46 million), would be unfavorable to Bulgaria, and so he refused to sign the contract.

A Fighter Pilot's Six Steps to Surviving the Most Dangerous Threat - Change

04/30/2015

We all know we are in a period of profound change, as well as an extremely disruptive time in technology. I’m excited about the possibilities, but I also have to manage in this time of change. I’ve spent a lot of time focused on how to do that well, both at the helm of an incumbent business and at an upstart. How can I focus my team? How do we really make a difference?

Will the F-35 change Middle East warfare?

04/30/2015

US Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech in Washington April 23 on the occasion of Israeli Independence Day celebrations. He announced that in 2016, the United States will deliver two F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Israel. Yet, the debate still rages on the cost-effectiveness of the Joint Strike Fighter project, with rumors circulating that the project may be terminated due to its phenomenal $1 trillion budget.

Know what Cameron is helping Modi with

04/30/2015

Guess who has applauded PM Modi's 'Make in India' initiative now? It is British Prime Minister David Cameron. According to a recent Economic Times report, the man has not only praised India's initiative to become a global manufacturing hub, but has also offered technological assistance to achieve its targets, including in developing its "own world class fighter aircraft" that is "better than Rafale."

Will The F-35 Be The Last Manned Fighter Jet? Physics, Physiology, and Fiscal Facts Suggest Yes.

04/30/2015

Earlier this month Navy Secretary Ray Mabus remarked that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter “should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” This sparked a lot of discussion both inside and outside the military about the advantages, vulnerabilities, and ethical concerns of armed remotely piloted aircraft.

Making Unmanned Search And Rescue A Reality: Unmanned K-MAX® Helicopter Conducts First Collaborative Casualty Evacuation

04/30/2015

Dangerous frontline operations call for a safe and efficient method to locate and evacuate wounded personnel. To address this critical need and help save lives, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Kaman Aerospace (NYSE: KAMN), and Neya Systems demonstrated the first ever collaborative unmanned air and ground casualty evacuation using the unmanned aerial system (UAS) Control Segment (UCS) Architecture and K-MAX® cargo helicopter on March 26.

US, Japan Prepare Joint Air Patrols in South China Sea

04/30/2015

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Washington to discuss his plans for Japan to take on a wider security role beyond the direct defense of its home islands. The talks resulted in the two countries unveiling new guidelines for defense.

Russia to Renew Production of Tu-160 'Blackjack' Strategic Bomber

04/30/2015

Russia will renew the production of its Tu-160 (Blackjack) supersonic strategic bomber and missile carrier, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday. "Today it is already necessary to solve the task of not only maintaining and modernizing long-range aviation, we must also produce the Tu-160 missile carrier," Shoigu said during a visit at the Kazan Aviation Plant.