Military Aviation News Archive

Rising Gripen Sales Show Global Need For Light Fighter Aircraft

12/05/2014

The Saab Gripen is quietly usurping fighter aircraft sales while competitors like the Lockheed F-35 face cuts in global sales orders. In October, Saab won a $5.4 billion contract for the development and production of 36 Gripen NG fighter for Brazil.

Kenyan military plane crashes in Somalia, rebels say shot down

12/05/2014

A Kenyan warplane crashed in southern Somalia on Thursday, with the Kenyan military saying the crash was due to technical problems while Somali rebels said they had shot it down with a missile. The aircraft, which had been on a combat mission, came down in the area of the southern port city of Kismayu, where Kenyan troops are deployed as part of an African Union peacekeeping force battling the Islamist rebel group al Shabaab.

Defense spending plan could modernize Air Guard C-130s

12/04/2014

A compromise defense spending plan for the current fiscal year "opens the door" for modernizing the Air Force's aging C-130s and is a "critical step forward" for the Delaware Air National Guard, members of the state's congressional delegation said Wednesday. The state Air Guard needs upgrades for its eight mid-1980s C-130s to meet a 2020 worldwide deadline to operate in the coming all-digital worldwide navigation environment.

INS Vikramaditya not fully operational yet

12/04/2014

The 45,400-tonne INS Vikramaditya, the largest Indian aircraft carrier procured from Russia at a cost of $2.3 million, is still to get a close-in weapon system (CIWS) and hence will not be fully operational. For the aircraft carrier that stands nearly 23-deck tall, CIWS is critical if the vessel has to be deployed in forward areas, said Navy sources.

Germany Investigates Airbus Defense Deals in Saudi Arabia, Romania

12/04/2014

German prosecutors have launched an investigation into Airbus Group NV for alleged corruption in multibillion-dollar border security projects in Saudi Arabia and Romania and raided the German premises of the aircraft maker as part of the probe. Munich state prosecutors searched the German premises of Airbus this fall as part of their investigations into alleged corruption and tax evasion by individuals, the Munich prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

Budget deal saves A-10 planes at Selfridge

12/04/2014

A deal struck by Congress late Tuesday will save more than 20 A-10 planes at Selfridge Air National Guard base — despite a Pentagon plan to retire the planes. Under the deal announced Wednesday, the Pentagon couldn’t get rid of the planes but could reduce flying time for active duties — but not for the 21 planes at Selfridge in Harrison Township.

Iran's Air Force Is Bombing ISIS With This 40-Year-Old US Fighter Jet

12/04/2014

n late November Iran carried out a series of airstrikes close to its border with Iraq against ISIS. Although the airstrikes are already notable for signaling possible military coordination between Iran and the US, they become even more notable in light of Iran’s choice of aircraft. Iran provided air support to the Iraqi military and the Kurdish Peshmerga with its ageing fleet of F-4 Phantoms. The Phantom, which first flew in 1958, was originally used by the US Navy as an interceptor.

US Military Aircraft Crash in Middle East Under Investigation: CENTCOM

12/04/2014

he United States is investigating the F-16 fighter jet crash in the Middle East that killed a US citizen, a statement issued on Monday by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said. "First responders remain on the scene. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the release read. "It is the US military's policy to defer identification until 24 hours after next-of-kin notification."

Kerry: It Will Take Years to Defeat Islamic State

12/04/2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says it will take years to defeat the Islamic State militants, but that coalition airstrikes against the insurgents have made it "much harder" for them to launch new attacks. Kerry spoke Wednesday in Brussels, opening a meeting with foreign ministers from 60 coalition partners to discuss efforts to combat the militant group that took over large areas of northern and western Iraq and eastern Syria earlier this year.

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.