Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

72 Crimean Military Units Request Joining Russia

03/22/2014

A total of 72 military units in Crimea have hoisted Russian flags instead of Ukrainian and applied to join the Russian armed forces, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday. "Yesterday, 72 military units almost in full strength decided to join the Russian armed forces. We are now dealing with service and citizenship issues of officers and soldiers from these units,” he said.

The Pentagon Isn’t Ready for a New Cold War

03/21/2014

There’s an old saying in the military that we’re always training for the last war, so fixated on the lessons of our most recent conflict that we’re blind to the emerging threat. For years, that last war was the Cold War, and the emerging threat was the insurgents of Iraq and Afghanistan. Slowly, painfully, eventually, the military reoriented itself. The result?

The Super Hornet will be coming to the Royal International Air Tattoo

03/21/2014

Boeing has announced it will be displaying its powerful Super Hornet at the Royal International Air Tattoo this year. The multi-role fighter, originally developed by the United States Navy and now in service with the Royal Australian Air Force at Fairford on July 12 and 13.

US, UK military to stage NATO exercises in Ukraine

03/21/2014

Ukraine will play host, but the US military will call the shots, in an upcoming military exercise called Rapid Trident that will bring together some 1,300 international forces in Ukraine for a long-planned exercise. Although the United States canceled Atlas Vision 2014, which was scheduled to take place in July in the northeastern Russian city of Chelyabinsk, the Pentagon says it will go ahead with plans for a multinational military exercise this summer in Ukraine.

Thunderbirds arrive for MacDill AirFest

03/21/2014

If your windows rattled Thursday, no need to worry. That was just the Air Force, not an earthquake. The Air Force's aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, arrived Thursday afternoon at MacDill Air Force Base as its F-16 pilots prepared for this weekend's Tampa Bay AirFest 2014.

Budget Doesn’t Delay F-16 Life Extension Upgrades

03/21/2014

The Air Force is surging ahead with work to extend the service life of its fleet of F-16 fighter jets despite recent budget cuts to programs aimed at upgrading the planes, service officials said. The service is in the early phases of a Service Life Extension Program, or SLEP, for about 300 of its fleet of 976 F-16s designed to add eight to ten years of additional combat life to the aircraft, said Maj. Sean Tucker, F-16 program element monitor.

Pentagon 2015 budget: Under fiscal strain, USAF justifies fleet retirements

03/21/2014

The US Air Force (USAF) is defending plans to retire entire fleets of aircraft over the next five years, citing budget pressure and the need for better technology. The USAF favoured procurement of new platforms in its fiscal year 2015 (FY 2015) budget proposal in order to keep pace with adversaries' increasing technological sophistication, officials said on 18 March. However, doing so forced service planners to make difficult cutbacks in its legacy fleets.

Israel unveils new advanced training jets

03/21/2014

The Israel Air Force showed off its new cutting-edge training aircraft, the M-346, on Thursday. The plane underwent a successful test flight, and was presented at a ceremony in Italy by provider Alenia Aermacchi. Officials from the Defense Ministry brokered theUSD $1 billion dollar deal to purchase 30 jets from the Italian manufacturer in July 2012, and on Thursday representatives from the ministry and the IAF attended the event.

Counting The Squishy Bits

03/21/2014

Large air forces are rare. As a result ten nations (U.S., China, Russia, India, North Korea, Egypt, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, and Taiwan) have about 60 percent of the combat aircraft in service. But while the U.S. has only 19 percent of the 15,000 combat aircraft in service, they have a far higher percentage of the air combat capability. This becomes clear when you take into account the quality of the aircraft, pilots and support services.

Breaking Defense Ties With Russia Would Hurt Ukraine – Official

03/21/2014

Ukraine would be inflicting unnecessary damage upon itself if it breaks off ongoing cooperation with Russia’s defense industry, a senior Russian official said Thursday. “If the Ukrainian leaders who recently came to power choose the path of destructive engagement with Russia, I think they will be punishing themselves, punishing the Ukrainian people, who are happy to work with our businesses,” Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said.

Russia Signs Treaty to Annex Crimea

03/20/2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin defied Western warnings and signed a treaty to annex Ukraine's Crimean peninsula Tuesday, while accusing the United States and its allies of going too far in luring post-Soviet nations away from Moscow.

Israeli air force strikes Syrian targets

03/20/2014

After many so-called "phantom attacks" conducted inside Syria in recent months were attributed to Israel, the nation's air force performed widespread attacks on Syrian targets over the night of 18 March.

U.S. lawmakers urge end to Pentagon contracts with Russian firm

03/20/2014

U.S. lawmakers who oppose the Pentagon's dealings with Russia's state-owned arms exporting firm are using Moscow's intervention in Ukraine to press the argument that contracts with Rosoboronexport should end.

How Ukraine’s Military Stacks Up Against Russia’s

03/20/2014

The worst-case scenario in the Russia-Ukraine crisis would be a war between the two states. How do their respective forces compare? Russia has about four times as many soldiers as Ukraine does, twice as many tanks, and more than six times as many combat aircraft. The huge imbalance in forces reflects the defense budgets of the two countries. Russia spends about $78 billion on its armed forces annually, Ukraine $1.6 billion.

SIPRI on international arms exports and imports

03/20/2014

The volume of Indian imports of major weapons rose by 111% between 2004/08 and 2009/13 and its share of the volume of international arms imports increased from seven to 14 % the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports. At the same time Pakistan’s imports of major arms increased by 119%.

A-10 On Death Row Again

03/20/2014

Citing growing budget shortages (and the enormous costs of developing and building the new F-35) the air force plans to retire 410 combat aircraft (and about a hundred support planes) in the next five years. These include 340 A-10s and 70 F-15Cs. In that same time period over a hundred new F-35s would enter service leaving the air force with about 300 fewer combat aircraft.

Boeing Phantom Swift Selected for DARPA X-Plane Competition

03/20/2014

Phantom Swift, a prototype Boeing initially built in less than a month, has been accepted to be part of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) X-plane program. DARPA is trying to mature a new aircraft configuration capable of both efficient hover and high-speed cruise.

France Should Return Money if Warship Deal Cancelled – Rogozin

03/20/2014

France should either fulfill its contract obligations under a June 2011 contract to deliver two Mistral-class warships to the Russian navy or return the money, a Russian deputy premier said on Wednesday. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday that Paris will consider canceling the 1.2-billion-euro deal if Moscow provokes further escalation in Ukraine.

India’s Military Hardware Used in Search for Flight MH370

03/19/2014

Although India has temporarily suspended its part in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines jet, it has turned out to be a costly affair, experts say. In the hunt for MH370–which India dubbed Operation Search Light—the country deployed six ships – three each from the navy and the coast guard. It also lent Dornier aircraft belonging to the navy and the coast guard and even its P-8I, a long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, to the effort.

B-1B, F-16s could be next if Congress blocks Air Force plan to retire A-10

03/19/2014

The Air Force would be forced to make heavy cuts to its fighters and bombers if Congress rejects plans to retire the A-10 without providing additional funding, a top budget official said today. The administration’s plan to cut the entire A-10 fleet, including infrastructure and depots, would save the Air Force $3.7 billion, plus another $500 million in cost avoidance, said Maj. Gen. James Jones, the deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.

How a Sub-Hunting Plane Could Find a Lost Airliner

03/19/2014

The U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon has been making headlines for its role in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The long-range aircraft's main mission is hunting and killing submarines, but it's not just a tool for dropping torpedoes and killing enemy ships. The sensors and hardware on board can make this 130-foot airplane an essential part for the MH370 search.

First Typhoon Flight With AESA Could Open Door to Exports

03/19/2014

A Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet is due to fly for the first time with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar later this year, marking a crucial milestone in the drawn-out development of the fighter’s new sensor. Managers at Selex, a partner in the Euroradar consortium planning the Typhoon’s leap to AESA, are confident the demonstration will persuade all four partner countries to sign a development contract this summer, possibly at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Crimea: A Death on Each Side After Gunfight at Army Base, Tougher Sanctions

03/19/2014

In Crimea today, soldiers wearing Russian uniforms stormed a Ukrainian army base and took its commander captive, killing one Ukrainian officer, according to the Ukrainian government, while a Crimean news agency reported that a pro-Russian defense force member had been shot and killed. These events came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty making Crimea a part of Russia.

UK offers Typhoons for Baltic Air Policing Mission

03/19/2014

The UK has offered to deploy a number of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to Lithuania to bolster the NATO-led Baltic Air Policing Mission, a senior government minister announced on 17 March.

F-35's French rival pitches 'Canadianized' fighter jet

03/19/2014

Dassault Aviation of France is making an aggressive bid to sideline the F-35 and to sell its own jet fighter to Canada, offering to transfer technology, create jobs and share billions of dollars in business if Canada buys its Rafale fighter to replace its outdated fleet of CF-18s.