Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

The US Fifth Generation Fighter F-22 At Japan Joint Exercise Was A Warning To China And Russia

12/01/2014

The U.S. fifth-generation fighters F-22 and F-35 made a splash at the recent, biennial US-Japan Exercise known as "Keen Sword" in Japan. The mid-November exercise saw the participation of 11,000 U.S. personnel from the U.S. Forces, U.S. Naval Forces Japan, the U.S. Army Japan and Marine Expeditionary Forces.

IRAN THREATENS 'DIRECT ACTION' AGAINST ISIS

12/01/2014

Iran has signaled that it may take “direct action” if Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, fighters attack either Baghdad or Shiite holy shrines in Iraq. “Baghdad, the holy shrines and the shrines of Shiite imams are surely all among the Islamic Republic’s red lines,” said Brig. Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, who heads joint affairs of the Iranian Armed Forces. “The Islamic Republic will take direct action [if they are attacked].”

A-10 Warthog retirement debated after replacement’s role in ‘friendly fire’ deaths

12/01/2014

A large association of battlefield target spotters has written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to oppose the planned retirement of A-10 Warthog strike jets — a debate that now encompasses the “friendly fire” deaths of five American soldiers in Afghanistan.

SAF to send 50-60 personnel to combat ISIS threat

12/01/2014

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be sending about 50 to 60 personnel to take part in the multinational coalition efforts to combat the terrorist threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said as he officially opened the new training facility for the republic's airborne troopers at Pasir Ris camp on Monday (Dec 1).

Afghan forces ill-equipped to fight

12/01/2014

Afghan district police chief Ahmadullah Anwari only has enough grenades to hand out three to each checkpoint in an area of Helmand province swarming with Taliban insurgents who launch almost daily attacks on security forces. “Sometimes up to 200 Taliban attack our checkpoints and if there are no army reinforcements, we lose the fight,” said Anwari, in charge of one of Afghanistan’s most volatile districts, Sangin.

PM Nawaz to inaugurate IDEAS 2014 on Monday

12/01/2014

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will inaugurate the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2014 at Expo Center Karachi on Monday. The exhibition will showcase equipment including tanks, aircraft, APCs, ammunition, ship building and communications related equipment of 232 defence companies of the world, including 77 Pakistani firms.

French Defence Minister to hold Rafale talks on Monday

12/01/2014

With final negotiations over the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal for purchase of 126 Rafale fighter aircraft remaining inconclusive, the issue will figure prominently when French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian holds talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar on Monday.

Pakistan eyes Chinese jets to counter IAF dominance

12/01/2014

The Pakistani military authorities are determined to acquire 30 to 40 fourth generation stealth fighter (FC-31) aircraft from China with a view to pre-empting the rapidly increasing aerial dominance of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the region.

RAF Marham future safeguarded

12/01/2014

Helping to secure the long-term suture of the base, the Defence Minister Philip Dunne said the deal will “cement the central role of Norfolk in military aviation.” South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss welcomed the announcement, which comes after four years of campaigning alongside fellow MPs, local councillors, residents, businesses and the media to protect the base.

At a glance: Tejas - indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) of India

12/01/2014

Tejas is India’s first indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). It is a lightweight multi-role jet fighter developed by India. It is a tailless, compound delta wing design powered by a single engine. It came from the LCA programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's aging MiG-21 fighters.

Armed and ready to go: RAF's next-gen fighter passes key weapons test ahead of 2018 lift-off

11/30/2014

These new pictures show the RAF's next-generation F-35B fighter, bristling with fearsome state-of-the-art weaponry. However, the deadly-looking weapons are actually trial or 'dummy' ordnance, which are identical in fit and form to their lethal counterparts but incapable of causing damage. A UK test team including personnel from BAE Systems, has successfully completed initial aircraft handling trials for ASRAAM and Paveway IV weapons on the F-35B Lightning II aircraft at Patuxent River Naval Ai

It’s True?—?U.S. Marine Corps Jets Could Fly From British Carriers

11/29/2014

The British Royal Navy’s new full-size aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth could deploy for the first time around 2020. Her sister Prince of Wales should follow in 2022. But the vessels’ American-designed F-35B jump jets won’t be fully operational with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy until 2023. That’s a problem—one that the U.S. Marine Corps could help solve with its own F-35Bs, which could be ready for combat as early as July 2015.

U.S. transfers jet fighters, drones from Afghanistan to expand war on ISIL

11/29/2014

The United States has shifted its air combat fleet assets to expand the war effort against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. Officials said the U.S. military has been ordered to transfer aircraft and other resources from Afghanistan to the Middle East to bolster air strikes on ISIL in Iraq and Syria. They said the U.S. Air Force has been moving such assets as the A-10 ground-attack aircraft and Reaper combat unmanned aerial vehicle to bases in Kuwait.

British F-35B Begins Weapons Testing in the US

11/28/2014

In recent test series, US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II the combined test force configured to carry weapons load operated by the Royal Air Force completed initial aircraft handling trials carrying ASRAAM and Paveway IV weapons. The tests were carried out at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, MD in the USA by a test team including personnel from the UK BAE Systems.

Russia Tensions Move Closer to Home

11/28/2014

Russia’s increasingly assertive – and some say militaristic – foreign policy hit a little closer to home recently. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the Russian military would soon be conducting bomber patrols worldwide, including in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico – the United States’ proverbial backyard. “In the current situation we have to maintain military presence in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico,” said Shoi

Canadian planes seeing less air time in fight against ISIL

11/28/2014

Canadian military aircraft tasked with fighting the Islamic State in Iraq are spending most of their time on the ground. Canada is contributing six CF-18 fighter jets, two Aurora military surveillance aircraft and a Polaris refuelling plane to the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIL.

Russia Ahead of Schedule in Modernizing Military Hardware: Defense Ministry

11/28/2014

Russia is ahead of schedule in accomplishing the task to modernize 30 percent of its military hardware by 2016, a senior defense official said Thursday. "We have already surpassed this goal in general, although we still have the entire 2015 at our disposal," Anatoly Gulyaev, head of the Armaments Department at the Russian Defense Ministry, said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television.

India Denies Reports That it Will Cancel French Rafale Jet Deal

11/28/2014

India is not planning to cancel the deal on purchasing French Rafale jets despite earlier media reports that it would do so if France refuses to deliver Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, a high-ranking source in Indian Defense Ministry told Sputnik Thursday. "So far the Rafale deal with France is on, there is no problem in it," the source said.

U.S. advisers stay out of harm's way in Iraq

11/27/2014

In a concerted effort to avoid combat, U.S. advisers in Iraq are pioneering new techniques for calling in airstrikes against Islamic State militants. The procedures allow U.S. pilots to bomb targets without the need for U.S. advisers on the ground to work alongside Iraqi forces. U.S. military officials say the techniques include low-tech workarounds, such as Iraqi commanders using cellphones to request airstrikes.

Questions loom as India deepens its defense ties with Israel

11/27/2014

As India draws closer and buys more military hardware from Israel, questions are raised about what that will mean to traditional key defense suppliers, the US and Russia, as well as New Delhi’s relations with Palestine. Global powers including France, the UK, Japan, the US and Israel have been keenly courting India – the world’s largest arms importer – in their quest to bag some lucrative deals as New Delhi begins an ambitious defense upgrade plan with an estimated budget of $100 billion.

French defence minister to visit India amid deadlock in project for 126 Rafale fighters

11/27/2014

With the almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project for 126 Rafale fighters stuck in the final stages, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will be holding talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar next week in a bid to resolve the imbroglio. As was first reported by TOI, 90% of the draft contract for the complex MMRCA project has been finalized, under which the first 18 jets are to be delivered to IAF within 36-48 months of the deal being inked.

NATO AWACS Depart Afghanistan

11/27/2014

NATO E-3 AWACS aircraft flew their last mission over Afghanistan in September 2014. Since 2001 American AWACS have been available in Afghanistan and still are. NATO AWACS arrived in northern Afghanistan in 2011 to mainly handle the growing number of NATO transports and warplanes operating up there. In three years these AWACs flew 1,273 operational (as opposed to training or administrative) sorties, average about ten hour each.

A-10s deployed to take on the Islamic State

11/27/2014

An attack aircraft that the Pentagon is trying to get rid of has been deployed to the Middle East to take on the Islamic State. A squadron-sized element of A-10 Thunderbolts arrived in the region during the week of Nov. 17-21, according to the Air Force. The aircraft were previously being used in Afghanistan.

New, expanded rules for U.S. combat in Afghanistan in 2015

11/27/2014

New rules for the 9,800 U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan next year will let commanders order airstrikes or night raids on Taliban forces who pose a significant threat to the Afghan government, defense officials said. The rules came in an order recently signed by President Obama that clarified the authorities U.S. military commanders will have after the official end of the combat mission in December.

US State Dep't Approves $800 Million Deal to Support Iraq Transport Planes

11/27/2014

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported that the US State Department had approved the sale to Iraq of a transport aircraft package of total $800 million, which will allow the Iraqi air force to continue conducting humanitarian relief operations beyond 2015.