Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Typhoon Set For £165M Upgrade, New Missile

02/23/2015

The Typhoon combat jet will receive a £165 million makeover with a new package of enhancements that will include integration of the Brimstone 2 missile, representatives of the four-nation program announced on the opening day of the IDEX defense show on Sunday. The single largest part of the package is the £72 million deal with BAE Systems to complete integration of MBDA's air-to-ground Brimstone 2.

Harry gives up flying combat aircraft

02/23/2015

He once described his role as an Apache pilot fighting the Taliban as “the best experience ever”. But Prince Harry has now decided never to fly a combat helicopter again. The Prince, who spent five months in the cockpit of a gunship in Afghanistan, has opted to hang up his flying goggles, even though the Army is short of pilots. Prince Harry, 30, or Captain Wales as he is called in the Forces, was expected to return to the skies with the Army Air Corps after arranging the Invictus Games.

US-Led Anti-ISIL Coalition Carries Out Six Airstrikes in Syria, Iraq – DoD

02/23/2015

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group conducted six airstrikes on insurgents' positions in Iraq and Syria, the US Defense Department said in a statement Saturday. According to the statement, two fighting positions of the insurgents were destroyed in Syria.

Last Chance: France to Attempt Negotiate Rafale Deal With India This Week

02/23/2015

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Drian will meet his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in the week of February 23 looking to prevent the collapse of a deal to sell 126 Rafale fighter jets. Three years ago, French company Dassault Aviation won the right to start exclusive negotiations with India to supply 126 Rafale fighters in a deal which could be worth as much as $12 billion.

Nigerian military announces recapture of Baga from Boko Haram

02/22/2015

Nigeria’s military has announced it has recaptured Baga from Boko Haram, more than a month after the town was overrun in the worst massacre of the Islamist terror group’s six-year insurgency. Defence spokesman Chris Olukoladesaid many terrorists had drowned in Lake Chad as they tried to flee bombardment from Nigerian air force jets.

More than 600 Firms To Exhibit at Avalon

02/22/2015

Some 200,000 people are expected to attend the Australian International Air Show, where about 600 companies from more than two dozen countries will show their wares between Feb. 24 and March 1, said Ian Honnery, CEO of Aerospace Maritime and Defense foundation of Australia (AMDA), which organizes the show. The event is the 12th in the biennial series at Avalon, which is south of Melbourne and close to the regional city of Geelong.

IDEX 2015: UAE shows ‘readiness to use force’ in Syria

02/22/2015

According to the Emiratis’ state news agency, UAE F-16E/Fs targeted IS oil refineries on 16 February from an unnamed Jordanian airbase. The agency said ‘similar’ attacks had been carried out on 10 and 12 February. The airstrikes come just weeks after reports indicated the country had suspended its involvement.

Watchdog report: Air Force 'cooked books' on A-10 retirement

02/22/2015

A government watchdog report on the Air Force’s proposed retirement of the A-10 says the service “cooked the books” by releasing manipulated statistics that painted the plane as unreliable and a killer of civilians and American troops. When the Air Force released its budget for fiscal year 2016 earlier this month, it detailed a plan to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly referred to as the Warthog, by 2019.

Mideast Strife Fuels Land Warfare Market

02/22/2015

Concerns about the Islamic State group, Iran's growing influence and Yemen's upheaval are boosting the regional defense market's land sector ahead of the massive International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, analysts said. Playing into the rivalry between the Arabian Peninsula states and Iran, Yemen's Houthi takeover has stoked deep fears of a radical Shiite front, analysts said.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is willing to take full responsibility for the Rafales.

02/22/2015

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chairman T Suvarna Raju on Thursday said that HAL is willing to take full responsibility for the Rafales that it manufactures if the contract with French Defence major Dassault is signed. The comment assumes significance in the backdrop of a disagreement between India and Dassault over who would take guarantee for the Rafale fighter jets.

Bengaluru air show turns into a carnival as thousands flock venue

02/22/2015

The biennial Aero India 2015 show turned into a carnival Saturday, as over 60,000 people flocked to the Yelahanka base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) here to witness spectacular aerobatics and thrilling aerial feats by fighters, helicopters, stunt aircraft, transport planes and even unmanned aerial vehicles.

US Lawmakers Urge Obama To Boost Aid to Jordan

02/22/2015

US and Jordanian officials are expected to talk on the sidelines of IDEX, discussions that may carry extra weight in light of US lawmakers' recent pressure to expedite foreign military sales to Jordan. The lawmakers appear to hope that Jordan — which at press time had launched airstrikes but committed no ground troops in the fight against the Islamic State group (also called ISIS or ISIL) — could assume a strengthened role in the US-led coalition, given the incentive of US weaponry and backing.

USAF, Navy and Lockheed Martin hold different positions on stealth

02/21/2015

The armed forces have differing needs. That fact is playing out right now as the Air Force and Navy are arguing about the importance of stealth technology in the next generation of fighter aircraft. That's according to The Air Force Times, which cites Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who earlier this month said stealth could be "overrated," arguing that there's only so much that can be done to prevent detection.

US Firms Plan 'Tailored' Presence at IDEX

02/21/2015

Border surveillance and security technologies are expected to take center stage at this week's International Defense Exhibition, driven by internal and regional stability issues and the fight against Islamic State extremists, according to a former senior US defense official. "The whole idea of border surveillance and security will be an overriding theme in this one," said William Landay, retired director of the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

Extending combat airpower to all corners of the globe

02/21/2015

Airmen with the Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Extender Aircraft Maintenance Unit here waste no time when answering the call to defend the nation -- even with little to no notice. Although the KC-l0 Extender’s primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments.

How to spot a Russian bomber

02/21/2015

The Ministry of Defence insists that the Russian aircraft did not enter British airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from the nation's coast. But it says they were inside the UK's "area of interest", and the RAF scrambled Typhoon jets to intercept them. If the MoD's account is accurate, they may have been flying too far away for ordinary plane spotters to detect them - although a woman in Cornwall claims she saw them flying inland.

Aero India 2015: Russia Hopes to Sign Fifth-Gen Fighter Aircraft Deal with India in 2015

02/21/2015

Russia expressed confidence that the long delayed concluding agreement with India on the joint production of the fifth generation fighter aircraft can be signed this year. The two countries signed an initial contract in 2010 to build the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme, however, they have not been able to agree to the final terms of the contract.

Canadian jets destroyed Islamic State bomb factory: military

02/20/2015

The military says Canadian CF-18 fighter jets conducted a single attack in Iraq last week, leading a coalition strike that destroyed a factory making improved explosive devices. Navy Capt. Paul Forget says the attack on Friday was a success. He says coalition air attacks and Iraqi ground efforts continue to degrade the operational ability of the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The World's Most Secretive 737 Is America's Key To Better Stealth Tech

02/20/2015

Nobody knows exactly where "Rat 55" lives or precisely what technology it uses to accomplish its mission, but it sure is an exotic beast. The USAF's secretive NT-43A testbed is a highly modified 737-200 that goes far beyond ground-based radar and infrared signature testing on stealthy aircraft by plying its trade high up in the sky in their target aircraft's natural operating environment.

Skunk Works head: New spy plane needed

02/20/2015

The Air Force's current plans for high-altitude surveillance, keeping the decades-old U-2 flying while upgrading the new RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, will not meet the demands of the military for reconnaissance, and the service needs to start again with a new aircraft to replace both spy plans, the head of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works said.

Air-to-air combat training enters the virtual world

02/20/2015

As enemy fighters get more lethal, the Air Force's air-to-air combat training is looking to take a giant leap into the virtual world. Technology moves so rapidly that it is impossible to create a "real world threat environment" that can accurately simulate combat with the most advanced aircraft, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh says. So the Air Force plans to emphasize the virtual component of air-to-air combat training.

BAE Systems scans skies for Eurofighter Typhoon orders

02/20/2015

It became known as the Rafale curse. Several times in the past 15 years France’s Dassault Aviation came close to securing the first export order for its Rafale fighter jet, only to fail at the final hurdle. On Monday the curse appeared to be lifted when Egypt signed for 24 aircraft at an estimated value of €5.2bn. Now investors are beginning to question whether the curse has been transferred to Eurofighter Typhoon, the European combat aircraft programme 33 per cent owned by BAE Systems.

Air Force: Stealth 'incredibly important' for future aircraft

02/20/2015

As the Defense Department seeks funding to develop a sixth-generation fighter, the Air Force and Navy appear to have differing opinions on the importance of stealth, while a top contractor on Wednesday called low observability for the future fighter "foundational." Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told a Washington audience Feb. 4 that stealth might be "overrated" for future fighters.

LRASM Completes 3rd Successful Flight Test

02/20/2015

The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] achieved a third successful air-launched flight test, with the missile performing as expected during low altitude flight. The test, conducted on Feb. 4, was in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy joint-service LRASM program.

Russia Ready to Send More MiG-29K Fighters to India

02/20/2015

Russia is ready to send additional Mikoyan MiG-29K/KUB aircraft to India if New Dehli decides to increase its MiG-29K/KUB fleet. "The Indian Navy plans to establish three naval aircraft squadrons that will fly MiG-29K/KUB. Two of the squadrons will be deployed to two aircraft carriers, while the third one will be used for training," Sergei Korotkov, who heads Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, told RIA Novosti.