Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

Flying on the Edge: British Media Abuzz Over Russian Bombers

02/20/2015

The British media is awash with news about another two jets being scrambled to intercept Russian bombers flying near British airspace, despite it hardly being newsworthy. RAF Typhoon jets were sent up to escort two Russian aircraft spotted off the south-west coast of Britain on February 19. The incident is the latest in what have been almost monthly intercepts near what the UK likes to call the "UK area of interest" over several years.

India Said to Approve Priciest Naval Expansion in Five Years

02/19/2015

India is tripling its fleet of nuclear submarines in the country’s priciest naval expansion in five years, a move that comes as China increases naval activity in the Indian Ocean. A cabinet committee on Tuesday approved plans to build six nuclear-powered submarines and seven stealth warships at a cost of about 1 trillion rupees ($16 billion), according to government officials familiar with the matter. They asked not to be named as they aren’t authorized to speak to the media.

Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy Plus Review (3DS)

02/19/2015

Ace Combat Horizon Legacy Plus is an enhanced version of a game originally released in 2011, which itself was a remake of 1997’s Ace Combat 2. This Plus edition comes with a few alterations designed to take advantage of Nintendo’s recently arrived New 3DS. The question is, have those changes brought anything meaningful to both the original game, or the franchise?

HAL to focus on patents and intellectual properties

02/19/2015

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is one of the best examples that align with ‘Make-in-India’ endeavour of the government of India. The company under the leadership of its chairman, T Suvarna Raju, is fast moving from a manufacturing to that of a technology driven company. T Suvarna Raju, shares his views with BusinessLine on HAL’s future and its participation at Aero India.

Engineer team gives rapid response to U.S. partner

02/19/2015

War fighter needs are complex, urgent and constantly developing. The Czech Republic, an allied partner through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, recently needed a rapid response solution to modernize their Mi-171Sh fleet.

Concerned about Saudi military ties, U.S. focuses on inexperienced prince with huge defense budget

02/19/2015

The United States is trying to determine whether military cooperation with Saudi Arabia will change under King Salman, a report said. The Brookings Doha Center asserted that the rise of King Salman has raised the prospect of a new U.S. defense and military relationship with Riyad. In a report, the center cited the appointment of Salman’s son, Mohammed, as the kingdom’s new defense minister, according to Middle East Newsline.

Airmen join multinational exercise

02/19/2015

Cope North, an annual multinational training exercise hosted by Andersen Air Force Base, began early this week and will continue through Feb. 27. The exercise started in 1978 between the U.S. Air Force and the Japanese Self-Defense Force. It has been held in Guam since 1999.

F-22's belated debut against Islamic State praised by commander

02/19/2015

Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-22 fighter jet, making its debut in warfare more than nine years after it was deemed combat-ready, has flown at least 112 missions against Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. Air Force’s commander of combat forces said. The stealth fighter known as the Raptor has guided airstrikes into Syria, disseminated large volumes of data to fellow fliers and attacked Islamic State’s oil facilities, Gen. Herb “Hawk” Carlisle said in a telephone interview.

Shadow-boxing on Multi-Role Combat Aircraft deal

02/19/2015

“Many places in the state are likely to witness heavy snowfall and rainfall from February 19 to 24 due to western disturbance over J&K, which may trigger avalanches and landslides,” said a Met official. “On February 19, sky is likely to remain partly cloudy with occurrence of rains and thunderstorm. From February 21 to 23, there is possibility of heavy snowfall and rains,” he said and added there will be significant decrease in day temperatures and slight rise in night temperature.

F-35 Fighter: Five Reasons Why Slowing The Pentagon's Biggest Weapon Program Would Backfire

02/19/2015

The F-35 fighter may be the most challenging project in the history of military innovation. Conceived two decades ago as a single airframe that could replace the Cold War tactical aircraft of three U.S. military services and numerous overseas allies, F-35 is the Pentagon’s biggest investment effort ever in cutting-edge technology.

Ospreys temporarily head to England for SpecOps group

02/18/2015

The Air Force's special operators are about to stand up their newest wing, but the wing's home, at RAF Mildenhall, England, will be temporary. The 352nd Special Operations Group at Mildenhall is accepting CV-22 Ospreys, and its base personnel has climbed to more than 1,000, the line between a group and a wing. Soon, the group will become a wing, said Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.

ANALYSIS: How Australia will ramp up ISR capabilities

02/18/2015

The Royal Australian Air Force’s air combat and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities will be substantially increased over the next decade as new fifth generation capabilities are introduced. The current RAAF air combat fleet comprises 71 Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornets in three fighter squadrons and one operational conversion unit based at Williamtown near Newcastle and Tindal in the Northern Territory, and 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets in a single squadron based at Amberley.

How ISIS Can Be Defeated

02/18/2015

President Barack Obama's strategy in Syria and Iraq is not working. The president is hoping that limited air strikes, combined with U.S. support for local proxies—the peshmerga, the Iraqi security forces, the Sunni tribes and the Free Syrian Army—will "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Stabenow to Selfridge base council: Overseas threats make A10 necessary

02/18/2015

Sen. Debbie Stabenow Tuesday pledged her support for the A-10 aircraft fleet to members of the Base Community Council at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. The U.S. Air Force has announced plans to retire the A-10 aircraft fleet from Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township in fiscal year 2017, a decision that could have huge financial impact in Macomb County and the region.

Source Denies France, Qatar Rafale Report

02/18/2015

A French Defense Ministry official denied a media report that France is in the final stage of talks for a sale of up to 36 Rafale fighter jets to Qatar. "Certainly not," the defense official said when asked about a Reuters report that the negotiations with Qatar were in the "final stage." The Reuters report quoted a senior French source.

U.S. to Allow Sale of Armed Drones to Some Allies

02/18/2015

The State Department announced Tuesday it would allow sales of armed drones to allies and partners on a case-by-case basis, a move that stands to dramatically expand exports of American-made unmanned aircraft around the world. The Obama administration said that, under a new policy, it would expand the sale of unmanned military aircraft but would approve the sales individually.

KAI-Lockheed Sole Bidder for Korean Fighter

02/18/2015

The mega-competition to build South Korea's indigenous fighter jet, dubbed KF-X, kicked off on Feb. 9. But the first round of bidding in the country's largest-ever arms procurement deal failed due to an insufficient number of participants. Only the team of Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin submitted a proposal for the KF-X program by the deadline, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

Aero India: Big US Field, No Russian Flights

02/18/2015

The 10th edition of the biannual Aero India show will not showcase a flight display by any Russian aircraft, despite ongoing programs between the two countries, while the US is expected to have the largest corporate presence with 64 companies, according to the Indian Ministry of Defence.

British Prime Minister Cameron Praises Boeing-led Chinook Support Program

02/18/2015

British Prime Minister David Cameron praised Boeing [NYSE: BA] for providing excellent value, and a close partnership with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD), which led to a five-year extension of the contract under which Boeing supports the Royal Air Force’s Chinook helicopters.

AN UPDATE ON F-35S AND THE PARTNERS: FEBRUARY 2015

02/17/2015

Australia, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands and Norway are all hitting new milestones as the F-35 comes closer to entering their combat forces. Australia, the Netherlands and the Italians will all train at Luke AFB with the Aussies being the first to arrive, the Dutch next month and the Italians at the end of the year. The British are training with the Marines at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station and their first plane has arrived their already with operational testing going on in Edwards.