Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

The Kurds Are Close to Mosul—And in No Hurry to Get There

02/02/2015

In the first 24 hours of the Kurds’ latest offensive there were 16 coalition air strikes. Peshmerga fighters attacked from positions near Mosul Dam, taking Islamic State by surprise and cutting their supply lines. Now the Kurds are close to the militants’ stronghold in the city of Mosul.

New Apache confounded the enemy in combat, commander says

02/02/2015

Lt. Col. John Davis said the enemy in Afghanistan had gotten used to the Apache AH-64D. The enemy knew roughly how long the Apache would take to get there, how long it could engage, when it would have to leave for fuel and when it might come back. The first battalion commander to deploy the new Apache AH-64E Guardian in combat said that's why the new model managed to scare a confused enemy.

Kuban Military Aviation Base to Get 25 New Yak-130 Training Planes in 2015

02/02/2015

The Zhukovsky and Gagarin Air Force Academy in Armavir, Krasnodar is set to receive five new Yakovlev Yak-130 light attack training aircraft this week, with twenty more to be delivered before the year is out, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. The completed planes, which have been undergoing testing in the Irkutsk region in Siberia at the Irkut Corporation plant, are set to make their long journey across the country this week.

Ireland drawn into New Cold War as Putin flexes muscles

02/01/2015

A diplomatic spat erupted as the Government warned it was “absolutely unacceptable” that the two Tupolev 95s were in Irish-controlled airspace for five hours without notifying the Irish authorities. The planes were flying with their transponders switched off – meaning they could not be ‘seen’ by civilian aircraft as they passed through the busy airspace, where around 1,800 planes a day travel.

Chadian jets bomb Nigerian town in anti-Boko Haram raid

02/01/2015

Chadian aircraft on Saturday bombed the Nigerian town of Gamboru in a raid targeting extremist group Boko Haram, security sources said, as regional efforts to combat the Islamists intensified. An initial raid was carried out around midday by two fighter jets on the town in Nigeria's far northeast along the Cameroon border, sources from Chad and Cameroon said on condition of anonymity.

Philippines Military Plane Crashes During Training, Killing Two Pilots

02/01/2015

The Philippines air force said Saturday that one of its light planes, which is manufactured in Italy, crashed in the sea during a training mission. Two pilots were killed in the crash, according to The Associated Press (AP). The single-prop SF-260FH which crashed, was a trainer aircraft, according to GMA News, which cited Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Canaya.

U.S. vs. Russia – Military Might

02/01/2015

The historical relationship between the United States and Russia can hardly be described as rosey. The two countries are inextricably linked due to the Cold War era, with the world’s two modern superpowers having enjoyed an extremely suspicious relationship with one another for decades during the 20th century.

Shake, rattle, boom: Red Flag military exercises commence once again

02/01/2015

People in southwest Utah may once again experience loud booms and rumbles across the region as the U.S. Air Force and invited allied forces take part in Red Flag military training exercises. Called Red Flag, the combat trainings started Monday and continue though Feb. 13.

Marine Division Tactics Course takes off

01/31/2015

Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons 115, 122 and 312 as well as Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons 533 and 224 are participating in the Marine Division Tactics Course aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Jan. 12 to Feb. 6. The MDTC provides groundside and airborne instruction in doctrine, tactics and weapons considerations to F/A-18 Hornet aircrew and Marine air intercept controllers.

US spokesman: Gunman in fatal Afghan attack was in uniform

01/31/2015

The killing of three American aircraft mechanics at the Kabul airport was done by a man in an Afghan uniform who was killed at the scene of the shooting, the Pentagon said Friday. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the mechanics were Defense Department contractors, but the circumstances of the attack are under investigation.

Air Force names 2-star to lead F-35 Integration Office

01/31/2015

With the initial operating capability date of the F-35 Lightning II quickly approaching, the Air Force appointed Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian as the director of a larger Air Force F-35 Integration Office, Feb. 1. In addition to gaining new leadership, the F-35 Integration Office will also grow from a staff of four to 12 and be collocated with Air Force acquisition fighter program element monitors and liaison officers from the major commands.

Lawmaker, an A-10 vet, aims to protect Warthog

01/31/2015

One of the newest lawmakers on Capitol Hill is a former A-10 driver, and she is wasting no time protecting her former aircraft. Rep. Martha McSally, a freshman Republican from Arizona, on Jan. 29 sent a letter to President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urging them not to seek to retire the A-10 in their fiscal 2016 budget request, expected to be unveiled Feb. 2.

Put the Pentagon On a Real Budget

01/31/2015

It's budget season again, which means it's time for another round of budget gimmicks on the part of the Pentagon. The Obama administration's new Pentagon budget proposal exceeds the budget caps established in current law by $34 billion. That's a hefty sum even by Pentagon standards.

New RAAF jets to be able to shoot back

01/30/2015

Aircraft maker Lockheed Martin says there is no technical problem with aircraft's 25mm gun, although its computer software isn't yet complete and it hasn't been fully tested on the aircraft.By the time these advanced aircraft enter operational service with the RAAF in 2020, the gun will be fully functional.

Congressional commission releases new plan to overhaul military pay and retirement

01/30/2015

A congressionally mandated commission on Thursday called for an overhaul of the military’s compensation and retirement system, recommending changes so that future service members will contribute to their own retirements and could choose private-sector healthcare plans. A long-awaited report from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission made 15 recommendations that members said would increase the financial options troops have without reducing their overall compensation.

Navy issues aircraft maintenance, logistics task order to DynCorp International

01/30/2015

Nearly four dozen aircraft of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Nevada are to receive logistics and maintenance support from DynCorp International. The task order received for the services has a performance period of one year and carries a maximum value of $44.5 million.

Airbus Shakes Up Its Military Aircraft Unit

01/30/2015

Faced with mounting criticism from European governments over production problems with its newest military transport plane, the Airbus Group on Thursday announced a management shake-up at its military aircraft unit and promised a restructuring of the business to address what it said were “unacceptable” delivery delays.

Light Combat Aircraft Tejas achieves rare technological breakthrough

01/29/2015

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has achieved a rare technological breakthrough with three consecutive start ups of its engine in extreme sub-zero temperatures of Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir.

Engine failure caused Predator crash in Afghanistan

01/28/2015

Engine failure caused an MQ-1B Predator drone to crash July 14 in Afghanistan, the Air Force announced this week. The Predator was flying a reconnaissance mission near Kandahar Air Base when it crashed after experiencing engine failure. The Air Force, however, did not recover the wreckage of the drone, and investigators were not able to determine the specific root cause of the problem, Air Combat Command said in a news release.

Boeing’s Sub-Hunting Poseidon Gets a Pentagon Budget Boost

01/28/2015

Boeing Co.’s maritime surveillance aircraft will get an increase in the Pentagon’s fiscal 2016 budget, with the Navy to request 16, one more than planned for that year, according to budget documents. The Navy will request $3.4 billion for the plane, the P-8A Poseidon, according to documents from the Defense Department comptroller circulating in the military services.

Are the Polish F-16s combat-worthy?

01/28/2015

Back in September 2013, as rumors that the backbone of the Polish fighter force was to be deployed to Syria, we explained that one of the main flaws of the “Jastrzab” (Polish name for the F-16) was that the aircraft lacked AIDEWS (Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite ) capabilities.

Major deployment set for Tucson's Davis-Monthan

01/28/2015

About 1,100 airmen, including part of a squadron of A-10 close air-support jets, will be deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base by mid-March. It’s one of the biggest near-simultaneous deployments from the Tucson base in memory.

US, Greece reinforce proven partnership through airpower

01/28/2015

Over the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the U.S. and Greek air forces continue bilateral flying training missions here. The training, which began Jan. 16 and will run through Feb. 13, aims to bolster the nations' warfighting capabilities through combined air operations as well as maintain joint readiness between the two NATO partners.

Zambia To Boost AF Trainer, Lift Capabilities

01/28/2015

The Zambian Air Force will take delivery of an undisclosed number of trainer, transport and fighter aircraft and aerial defense systems this year as part of a major re-equipment program to improve operational and airlift capabilities. Addressing senior Army, Air Force and Defense Ministry officials at the Air Force Headquarters Annual Ball for 2014 recently held in Lusaka, commander Brig. Gen. Jabes Zulu said the additional aerial defense assets will include a new radar system to secure national

Iran Expects Russia to Honor Contract on Delivery of S-300 Missile Systems

01/28/2015

Iran expects Russia to meet its contractual obligations to deliver the S-300 air defense systems, canceled by Moscow after international sanctions were imposed on the country, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei told RIA Novosti in an interview Tuesday. “Iran continues to view the S-300 contract as legitimate and not a subject of international sanctions as it was signed before the introduction of sanctions and the [S-300] is a defensive rather than an offensive system,” Sanaei said.