Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Bahraini air force details modernisation plans

01/24/2015

The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) is to embark on a comprehensive modernisation plan to enhance the capabilities of both its fixed- and rotary-winged combat fleets, a senior officer disclosed on 22 January. Speaking at the IQPC International Military Helicopter conference in London, Colonel Salah Al Mansoor, Head of Planning, HQ, RBAF, said that the service is about to undertake a two-phased recapitalisation programme that will see some of its current inventory first upgraded, with new platfor

Colombian Air Force grounds IAI-built Kfir aircraft fleet

01/24/2015

The Colombian Air Force (FAC) has reportedly grounded its entire fleet of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)-built Kfir C-10 all-weather, multirole combat aircraft. The move is a precautionary measure against the risks of their operation after one aircraft crashed while performing approach manoeuvres near the Air Combat Command Base No. 1 in Colombia last month, as reported by Defensa.com.

A-10s Fly Combat Missions Over Syria

01/24/2015

A-10 Warthogs are attacking Islamic State targets in Syria. But even with this newest round of combat, the U.S. Air Force still asserts that the venerable attack plane isn’t worth keeping around. In November 2014, the flying branch sent the blunt-nosed, straight-winged attack planes back to the Middle East for the first time since the American withdrawal from Iraq.

NATO Scrambles Fighters After Russian Il-20 Spotted Over Baltic Sea

01/24/2015

NATO scrambled Typhoon fighters after a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was spotted over the Baltic Sea, Bloomberg reports. "NATO Baltic Air Policing QRA ESP Typhoon jest on 23 JAN scrambled to intercept RU Armed Forces Il-20 over the Baltic Sea," Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS) said via a post on Twitter.

2 star's 'treason' comments spark call for an investigation

01/23/2015

A prominent lawmaker is calling for an investigation of a major general's reported comments blasting officers as treasonous if they work with Congress against Air Force plans to retire the A-10. Maj. Gen. James Post, vice commander of Air Combat Command, reportedly told officers at a recent meeting of the Tactics Review Board at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, that they were not to speak with Congress about the service's attempt to retire the attack jet.

Russia’s Plans for Arctic Supremacy

01/23/2015

Russia’s traditional view of the outside world is colored by a deep sense of insecurity and paranoia. This is best exemplified by the events in Ukraine, where the Kremlin acted to preserve its traditional geographic bulwark against the West. This pattern of protectionism is also apparent in Moscow’s current understanding and approach to the situation in the Arctic.

NAS JAX to mark final deployment of P-3C Orion

01/23/2015

The local naval aviation community is gearing up for a historic day. On Thursday morning, the last remaining P-3C Orion squadron on the East Coast will deploy for the final time. The United States Navy is phasing out the aircraft. Naval Air Station Jacksonville has been home to the P-3C Orion since the Cold War era of the 1960s. People on the First Coast might recognize it by its four propellers. It's often seen flying over the city.

IG: AF risks spending $8.8B on excess drones

01/23/2015

A 2013 Air Force plan to expand its drone fleet is flawed and risks overspending $8.8 billion on unneeded aircraft, the Defense Department Inspector General says in a September report obtained by Air Force Times this week. Forty-six of the 401 MQ-9 Reapers in the planned procurement are potentially excess, according to the report, which comes as the Air Force says it is in dire need of personnel and aircraft to address the increased need for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sorties.

Taiwan Arrests Alleged Chinese Spy

01/23/2015

Taiwan has arrested an alleged Chinese spy, the first such apprehension in Taiwan in decades, according to the National Security Bureau. The question many here in Taipei are asking is whether China will attempt some sort of swap to get him back. China is holding two Military Intelligence Bureau agents who were captured in Vietnam more than a decade ago.

Big Air Effort for Small Reward Over Iraq, Syria

01/23/2015

Only one in five of allied combat aircraft sorties over Iraq and Syria have dropped a weapon, according to statistics from the U.S. Central Command for the first five months of Operation Inherent Resolve. By the end of December, a total of 6,981 close air support/escort/interdiction sorties had been flown, plus 2,164 ISR sorties and 1,992 airlift/airdrop sorties.

This Tilt-Rotor Aircraft Could Be The Future Of The US Army's Helicopter Fleet

01/23/2015

The US military wants to upgrade its stable of combat choppers. One possible model for future combat aircraft can take off and land vertically, and then fly like a traditional airplane. Bell's V-280, which combines a combat helicopter's fuselage with tilt-rotors, would basically be a Black Hawk that can adjust its thrust to fly like a fixed-wing aircraft once it's airborne.

US Navy Approves F/A-18 Super Hornet IRST System for Production

01/23/2015

The F/A-18 Super Hornet infrared search and track (IRST) system, developed and integrated by Boeing and Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], received approval from the U.S. Navy to enter low-rate initial production. The IRST system consists of Lockheed Martin’s IRST21™ sensor, the GE Aviation FPU-13 Fuel Tank Assembly and the Meggitt Defense Industry Environmental Control unit.

Russian, Indian Defense Chiefs Agree to Speed Up Joint Military Projects

01/23/2015

Russia and India have agreed to speed up work on the fifth-generation fighter jet they are developing together, among other joint projects tackled during a Wednesday meeting between the countries' defense ministers. Speaking on the heels of the meeting in New Delhi, Indian defense chief Manohar Parrikar told reporters he had discussed "all the issues including the fifth-generation fighter aircraft" with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.

What Couldn’t the F-4 Phantom Do?

01/21/2015

First, they tried an F-104. “Not enough wing or thrust,” recalls Jack Petry, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. When NASA engineers were launching rockets at Florida’s Cape Canaveral in the 1960s, they needed pilots to fly close enough to film the missiles as they accelerated through Mach 1 at 35,000 feet. Petry was one of the chosen.

UAE to donate Super Tucanos to Iraq

01/21/2015

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to supply Iraq with a number of Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano light strike aircraft to help combat the Islamic State, a government official has reportedly disclosed. With IHS Jane's having first reported that the UAE had recently ordered up to 24 Super Tucanos, the official told Defense News on 17 January that the emirates will transfer an undisclosed number to the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) "before the end of the month".

Air Force Turns to Supersonic Mercenaries

01/21/2015

The ‘smallest Air Force in history’ is dealing with more missions than ever. So the flyboys are calling in the military contractors to operate their jets. The U.S. Air Force fleet of planes and pilots is stretched so thin, the service is considering hiring private military corporations flying supersonic jets to train its fighter jocks in mock air combat.

A COLD WAR LEGACY: THE DECLINE OF STEALTH

01/21/2015

“Physics probably favors detection and the ultimate demise of stealthy systems.” So predicted the Hart-Rudman Commission in 1999. Sixteen years later, it’s time for the Department of Defense to ask tough questions about whether to continue investing scarce resources into stealth technology. Foremost among those questions is this: Are we sacrificing too much capacity in a quest for an exquisite capability, a capability that may not offer the edge it once did and whose efficacy is in decline?

Airbus team coming, Rafale deal by March end, say sources

01/21/2015

Even as India is to discuss again France the $22 billion deal to supply 126 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force, a big team from Airbus is set to land in India on January 21, ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit. The timing of the visit is significant, say informed sources. Airbus which had held 46.32 per cent of Dassault Aviation, had sold 8 per cent of the company back to Dassault for $979 million late last year.

More questions about F-35 performance

01/20/2015

Flawed software will hobble the first of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighters to be called combat-ready, limiting the plane’s ability to drop bombs, share data with other aircraft and track enemy radar, Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg news service writes. He noted that finding is from the Defense Department’s chief weapons tester found.

ANALYSIS: We check out Eurofighter's P1E upgrade in simulator

01/20/2015

In mid-November 2014, Flight International was given the opportunity to visit BAE Systems’ facility at Warton in Lancashire, to be briefed by its Eurofighter Typhoon chief test pilot Mark Bowman and project manager Luke Dickson about the successful introduction and first deliveries to the Royal Air Force under the Phase 1 Enhancement (P1E) programme.

African armies cannot defeat Boko Haram terror, experts warn

01/20/2015

Boko Haram’s campaign of abduction and terror has spread beyond Nigeria to become a regional threat which African armies lack the strength to defeat, experts warned on Monday. The Islamist gunmen struck across Nigeria’s eastern border into Cameroon on Sunday, raiding two villages and taking about 80 people captive. Boko Haram routinely sells its prisoners into slavery. The latest incident was the biggest case of mass abduction ever recorded in Cameroon.

Canadian soldiers clash with ISIL in Iraq

01/20/2015

Canadian special forces have clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group by exchanging gunfire in Iraq in recent days, in the first confirmed ground battle between Western troops and ISIL, a senior officer has said. The Canadians came under mortar and machine gun fire while training Iraqi troops near front lines and shot back in what Canadian special forces commander Brigadier General Michael Rouleau described as self-defence, killing the ISIL fighters.

Air Force to ask for base closures, aircraft retirements despite repeated rebuffs

01/20/2015

Two of the Air Force's most contentious budget proposals, getting rid of excess bases and retiring aging aircraft, will be back on the table in next year's budget, despite congressional votes just a month ago that rebuked both requests. President Barack Obama's budget for the Defense Department, which is scheduled to come early next month, will violate the $523 billion sequestration cap for 2016.

Marine Prowlers fight Islamic State over Iraq, Syria

01/19/2015

They're old, gray and approaching retirement — but the Marine Corps' EA-6B Prowlers are still fighting terrorists. The service's aging fleet of jets used for electronic warfare have flown hundreds of hours over Iraq and Syria in support of the fight against the Islamic State group. They may be some of the final combat missions for Prowler squadrons before the Corps starts to retire the aircraft and adds electronic warfare capabilities to a variety of platforms.

35 killed in Syrian military plane crash, al-Qaida claims credit

01/19/2015

At least 35 Syrian soldiers were killed in a cargo plane crash in northwestern Syria, sources on the ground and state media said Sunday. The plane, which carried Syrian government personnel and military equipment, went down at the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province. Sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it "crashed as a result of collision with electricity transmission wires."