Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

New Cold War: Su-35 Fighter Jets Could be Supplied to China from Russia Next Year, Official Says

12/13/2014

A top official with Russian contractor Sukhoi said Russia will supply “standard” versions of the Su-35 combat aircraft to China, a report said. Speaking with IHS Jane’s 360, Sukhoi first deputy director general Boris Bregma said that a “contract will be signed at the end of 2014 or at the beginning of 2015.”

Lasers! What Are They Good For?

12/13/2014

So the Naval Diplomat went on National Public Radio out in Los Angeles yesterday — via phone, alas, not onsite — to discuss the “laser gun” mounted aboard USNS Ponce, a U.S. Navy amphibious transport-cum-afloat forward staging base (AFSB). Occasioning NPR’s interest: this week the navy leadership has certified the old amphib’s 30 kW laser weapon system (LaWS) for combat use. Even while it undergoes testing, LaWS will provide some defense against lower-end threats.

Turkey boosts cooperation with Italy, Europe over defense

12/13/2014

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that Turkey and Italy possess good opportunities to cooperate in the defense industry. Davutoglu and his Italian counterpart, Matteo Renzi, were speaking on Friday at the Turkey-Italia Business Forum in Istanbul, hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey. Davutoglu said earlier that the two countries had cooperated on projects such as the ATAK series of helicopters – the first locally made Turkish attack helicopter.

Conservatives looking into extending ISIS mission in Iraq

12/13/2014

Defence Minister Rob Nicholson says the Conservative government will ”have a look at” extending the six-month air combat mission against ISIS forces in Iraq. Nicholson made the comments in an interview with Global News as he was in the midst of a day-and-a-half visit to various locations in Kuwait, including Camp Patrice Vincent, the staging base for Canadian CF-18s, Aurora surveillance aircraft and a Polaris refuelling plane.

Oslo Suspends Military Cooperation With Moscow Until 2016: Defense Ministry

12/13/2014

Norway has decided to suspend military cooperation with Russia till the end of next year, the country’s Ministry of Defense said Friday. “The Government has considered the issue again and decided to continue the suspension of all bilateral military activities until the end of 2015,” the ministry said in a statement published on its official website.

Chinese Engineer Charged for Smuggling F-35 Engine Designs

12/12/2014

The US government has brought charges against a Chinese citizen who is alleged to have tried to smuggle critical information related to the F-35 fighter jet out of the United States and into China. Reuters reports the individual in question is an engineer named Yu Long, who worked on the design of the F-35's engine. The documents Long is charged with trying to smuggle pertained to the testing and equations used to engineer titanium that is used in the F-35 engine.

Canadian planes bomb Islamic State checkpoint in Iraq

12/12/2014

Canadian warplanes bombed an Islamic State militants’ checkpoint in northern Iraq this week, the federal government says. James Bezan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, told the House of Commons on Thursday that CF-18s struck their target Wednesday. “Our CF-18s dropped one 500-pound bomb on an ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] vehicle checkpoint about 250 kilometres to the southwest of Mosul,” Mr. Bezan said.

Navy Laser Weapon Now Operational

12/12/2014

The US military has taken another giant step into the world of Star Wars with the activation of a new laser weapon that it now considers operational and ready for action. The remarkable new laser weapon system, or LaWS, was demonstrated aboard the USS Ponce, operating in the Persian Gulf in tests conducted earlier this year. On December 10, the Navy released graphic videos showing the laser’s use against drones, setting them on fire and causing them to fall from the sky.

The Navy Is Developing A Next-Generation Drone That Can Land On Aircraft Carriers

12/12/2014

The Navy is trying to build a next-generation super-drone that it can launch from an aircraft carrier and refuel in mid-air. n the first quarter of 2015, the US Navy will pick a winner from among the four defense contractors asked to design a version of the aircraft.

A-10s in Boise saved if 'Cromnibus' bill passes; Idaho gets other money, too

12/12/2014

The A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft, central to the Idaho Air Guard’s mission at Gowen Field?in Boise, would be protected for a year in the omnibus spending bill that was headed to final passage in the House Thursday. The appropriations bill denies the Obama administration’s request to retire the A-10s, also known as Warthogs, and provides $337.1 million to keep them flying in 2015.

The Pentagon's Flying Decoy Super Weapon Is About To Get Much Deadlier

12/12/2014

One of America's most potent air combat creations doesn't hang as a poster on adolescent boys' walls or gets featured in a Bruckheimer blockbuster. The humble yet game-changing Miniature Air Launched Decoy has had a quiet history and it is already operational in two iterations. Now, this radar stumping super-missile is becoming a 'networked' kamikaze smart drone.

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.