Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Sukhoi-30 plane crash inquiry to be completed in a fortnight: IAF Chief Arup Raha

12/12/2014

IAF Chief Arup Raha today said the Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the October crash of a Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft, that led to the grounding of the entire fleet for a month, will be completed in a fortnight, days after the Russian envoy indicated human error behind the incident. Refusing to comment on Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin's recent statement indicating human error behind the crash, the Air Force chief said he does not want to pre-empt anything.

Threat to Guam Base as Chinese Military Aircraft Fly Dangerously Close to Japan Islands

12/12/2014

Just when we thought Japan and China were finally warming up to each other, five Chinese military aircraft were reportedly observed flying menacingly close to the islands of Japan. Believed to be capable of posing a threat to Guam according to a military expert, the five military aircraft were spotted flying over the area between the islands of Okinawa and Miyako. Japan reported the incident that occurred in 6 December, according to Want China Times.

F-35 MRO&U Assignments Made by DoD

12/12/2014

The Department of Defense has assigned F-35 Regional Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) capability for airframes and engines for the European Region. The assignments were based on data compiled and analyzed by the F-35 Joint Program Office that was collected from European Partners and their industries.

Second C-130J Super Hercules Delivered To Republic Of Tunisia

12/12/2014

The Republic of Tunisia received its second C-130J Super Hercules during a ceremony today at the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] facility here. Tunisia received its first C-130J in April 2013, marking the first delivery of a J-model to an African nation. Lockheed Martin signed a contract in 2010 with Tunisia to deliver two C-130Js, as well as to provide training and an initial three years of logistics support.

Levin staffers: Selfridge A-10s are safe for 2015

12/11/2014

The staff of retiring Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin offered assurances this week that the A-10 planes at Selfridge Air National Guard Base are safe from elimination for another year, despite worries by some lawmakers. Though the defense bill approved in the House last week allows for 36 of the A-10 Thunderbolts - about 10 percent of the U.S. fleet - to be placed on “backup status,” that does not mean the planes will be mothballed.

Bill includes $468M for key Lockheed helicopter programs

12/11/2014

Two multibillion-dollar contracts for the team of Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin were not forgotten in the omnibus spending bill unveiled this week. The $1 trillion bill, which totals 1,603 pages, includes $368 million for the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program and $100 million for the Combat Rescue Helicopter Program.

What's in Congress' $1 trillion spending budget?

12/11/2014

Congress is on track to approve a $1.014 trillion,1,603-page annual spending package that includes $512 billion in defense spending and $492 billion in non-defense spending. The sweeping legislation covers the entire discretionary budget of the federal government. It sets funding priorities and new policies for the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

New fighter jet options mean Ottawa could avoid buying F-35s

12/11/2014

A new report prepared for Ottawa on options for new fighter jets gives the government an excuse to avoid buying the F-35 if it chooses. Analysis undertaken by the Department of National Defence found that it’s “highly unlikely” Canada would find itself participating in first-strike conflict with other countries that have sophisticated air-defence systems – a scenario where the Lockheed Martin F-35’s vaunted stealth capabilities and other features might be most useful.

Budget Deal Includes 1% Troop Pay Raise, More Funding for Weapons

12/11/2014

U.S. lawmakers late Tuesday unveiled a $1 trillion federal budget deal that includes a smaller pay raise and housing allowance for troops, but more funding for commissaries and weapons. The massive spending bill, called the Omnibus Appropriations Act, would avert a government shutdown this week and fund most federal agencies for the rest of the year.

Here's What We Know About Lockheed's Super-Secret Weapons Unit

12/11/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp's Skunk Works was the driving force behind development of many well-known U.S. military aircraft, including the famed "Blackbird" or SR-71 spy plane that could fly from New York to Los Angeles in just over an hour. Following are some facts about the Lockheed division, whose Skunk Works name is a registered trademark, and some of the weapons it has or is developing.

US Navy Deploys Laser Weapon System in Persian Gulf

12/11/2014

The US Navy successfully deployed and operated, for the first time, a cutting-edge ship-based laser weapon system aboard a naval vessel in the Persian Gulf that will enhance both surface, air and ground capabilities, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced.

Russian military had received 38 intercontinental ballistic missiles, over 250 aircraft, some 280 armored vehicles and over 5,000 wheeled vehicles in 2014, chief of the General Staff said.

12/11/2014

The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to purchase up to 100 combat planes, over 120 helicopters, up to 30 naval vessels and some 600 armored vehicles annually in the next five years, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Wednesday. "By the end of the state rearmament program in 2021 the share of modern weaponry in the Armed Forces will be within the range of 70-100 percent," Gerasimov said at a meeting with foreign military attaches in Moscow.

US Trains, Equips Syrian Opposition to Start Fighting IS in March: Official

12/11/2014

The United States program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State (IS) in Syria will not begin until at least March of next year, the US special ambassador to fight IS told the House Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. “The program is to train 5000 [people] per year and the training, we hope, will start in March,” Brett McGurk said in response to a question, confirming that the soonest the forces could be sent to Syria would be March of 2016.

Cost Will Drive UCLASS Designs

12/10/2014

Cost will likely be the biggest design driver for the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft when the service issues its draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the program—which could be as early as Friday —according to industry sources. ndustry sources told USNI News that there are positive indications that the Navy has finally settled on specifications for the UCLASS.

U.S. spending bill adds $1.46 billion for military to buy 15 Boeing jets

12/10/2014

A spending bill agreed by lawmakers from the U.S. House and Senate provides $554.2 billion in funding for the U.S. military in fiscal 2015, including $1.46 billion for 15 EA-18G electronic attack jets built by Boeing Co. A summary of the $1.1 trillion "omnibus" bill released late Tuesday said the base appropriation for the Pentagon would be $490.2 billion, with $64 billion in additional war funding.

Over Rs 2,263 crore spent on Sukhoi-30 plane maintenance in 3 years

12/10/2014

India has spent over Rs 2,263 crore for the repair and maintenance of country's frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30 since 2011, the government told Rajya Sabha. In a written reply, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Rs 834.76 crore was spent in 2013-14 while Rs 877.84 crore was spent for the purpose in 2012-13. The government had spent Rs 551.35 crore in 2011-12.

Opinion: U.S. Carrier Force is a Cost Effective National Security Asset

12/10/2014

“What kind of navy do Americans want?” columnist George F. Will asked in an August Washington Post commentary. “The answer will determine whether U.S. power can, in [Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan] Greenert’s formulation, ‘be where it matters, when it matters.’”

PLA aircraft could threaten Guam, says analyst

12/10/2014

Just as China-Japan relations had begun warming up, Japan reported on Dec. 6 that five Chinese military aircraft were observed flying over an area between Okinawa's main island of Okinawa and Miyako island. The five aircraft are believed to have been capable of posing a threat to Guam, according to a military expert.

ANALYSIS: World air forces fighting on many fronts

12/10/2014

After a more than decade-long involvement in Afghanistan, the air wings of multiple nations had expected some respite from years of combat activity by late 2014, as the NATO-led mission completes its transition of control to the authorities in Kabul. World events do not tend to follow such established military plans, however, and the end of the conflict with the Taliban has instead overlapped with a resurgence of violence and renewed coalition involvement in the Middle East.

NATO Formally Ends Afghanistan Mission: US Defense Department

12/10/2014

NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command mission in Afghanistan has officially ended, the US Department of Defense has announced. "As the Afghan National Security Forces have become increasingly capable, we shift our focus from combat operations to building [Afghan] systems and processes to ensure long-term sustainability," ISAF commander, Army Gen. John F. Campbell, said Monday as quoted by the US Department of Defense.

Double Deuce: Two MC-130Js Delivered to U.S. Air Force

12/10/2014

U.S. Air Force crews ferried two MC-130J Commando II aircraft assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command from the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Aeronautics facility located here, on Dec. 5. These aircraft will be operated by the 352nd Special Operations Group and will be based at Royal Air Force Mildenhall England.

China Is Diminishing The US's Air Power Superiority

12/09/2014

The US Air Force’s air power superiority over China is rapidly diminishing in light of rapid Chinese modernization of fighter jets, cargo planes and stealth aircraft, according to a recently released Congressional review. The 2014 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommends that Congress appoint an outside panel of experts to assess the US-Chinese military balance and make recommendations regarding U.S. military plans and budgets, among other things.

Video: The V-22 Osprey aircraft can now be armed with rockets

12/09/2014

The V-22 Osprey aircraft has been used by U.S. troops in combat situations for years, including the failed effort Saturday to rescue two hostages from militants in Yemen. But the Osprey has always been considered lightly armed compared to most other military helicopters, with a machine gun mounted to its rear door typically its only heavy weapon.

Top Guns: The Most Lethal Air Forces on the Planet

12/09/2014

Qualifying the five most powerful air forces in the world is certainly a difficult and challenging proposition. There are large, well-trained and well-equipped air forces that are obvious candidates for such a list. Then there are less-obvious candidates—like Russia. The Russian Air Force, while plane-for-plane older than many air forces, has numbers, the ubiquity of the largest country by size on Earth, a modernization plan and nuclear weapons.

Combat Veterans Explain How ISIS Became A Lethal Force

12/08/2014

In this excerpt from The ISIS Solution: How Unconventional Thinking And Special Operations Can Eliminate Radical Islam, Army Ranger Jack Murphy, Navy SEAL Brandon Webb, and Recon Marine Peter Nealen, reveal the effective tactics ISIS exploits in ground warfare. ISIS has kept its field forces light. While it has captured plenty of Syrian and Iraqi armored vehicles in recent months (many of the Iraqi vehicles US-supplied), there have been few if any reports of them actually being used in frontline