Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Japan eyes arms exports to secure sea lanes under new rules

02/26/2014

Japan will allow the export of arms to countries located along sea lanes to ensure the safe delivery of oil and other natural resources, while bolstering Japan’s defense cooperation with the United States by providing repair work for U.S. military aircraft overseas, according to a draft of new principles on arms exports.

Why The F-35 Is Essential For Canada

02/26/2014

Last week Defence Watch ran a three part series on why the F-35 wasn’t the right aircraft for Canada. This week Defence Watch runs a three part series on why the F-35 is essential for Canada. The article is written by Edward Wu, who is based in Vancouver. He answered the Defence Watch request to pen a defence of the F-35. He noted that he is not associated with any defence or aerospace contractors, nor any political parties or government.

122nd Fighter Wing, Senators react to proposed cuts

02/26/2014

The 122nd Fighter Wing and local Congressmen are reacting to Monday’s proposed cuts to the U.S. military. One major change is eliminating A-10 combat jets flown by Fort Wayne’s Air National Guard Base. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel proposed eliminating the A-10 aircraft, U-2 spy planes, shrinking the army to its smallest size in 74 years and reducing some military benefits. This would save about $75 billion over the next two years.

The BAE Systems’ Salam Deal Hints at the Importance of Defence Industrial Partnerships with Emerging Powers

02/26/2014

After protracted negotiations, UK defence giant BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia have agreed on the pricing for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets. The deal highlights the crucial relevance of and challenges to defence-industrial partnerships between Western countries and emerging powers around the world.

The Next Carrier Air Wing

02/26/2014

In early February, analysts from four Washington think tanks held a public event to recommend how the Pentagon could walk the fine line between developing a future military capable of meeting emerging security threats and staying within legislated budget caps. Although the teams differed on many of their recommendations, all chose to shrink the Navy’s fleet by two or more aircraft carriers.

Boeing Receives $2.4 Billion Contract for 16 P-8A Poseidon Aircraft

02/26/2014

Boeing's [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon program will enter full production, following a $2.4 billion contract award from the U.S. Navy for 16 additional aircraft that will bolster maritime patrol capabilities. The order, which will take the total fleet to 53, marks a transition from preliminary low-rate production. Boeing has delivered 13 P-8As to the Navy, which deployed its first patrol squadron to Kadena, Japan in December 2013 and has been conducting operational missions since then.

Russia to Man Kyrgyz Airbase With Professional Soldiers

02/26/2014

A Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan will be fully manned with personnel serving under contract by the end of 2014, the Central Military District said Tuesday. "There will be no conscripts at the base [in Kant] after 2014," the district said in a statement. According to the military, contract servicemen at the Kant base receive a 30 percent increase in salary, 15 additional vacation days and service housing. Every six months of service under contract at Kant is counted as one year when calculating r

Final US Tanker Aircraft Departs Manas Base in Kyrgyzstan

02/26/2014

The final US tanker aircraft supporting military operations in Afghanistan departed a Kyrgyzstan airbase Monday ahead of the closure of the facility later this year, a US army media agency reported. An agreement with Kyrgyzstan that provides for the United States’ transit center at the Manas airport, the country’s largest, is slated to expire in July.

Airbus Seeks Compensation from Germany for Canceled Jet Order

02/25/2014

Airbus Group NV is demanding compensation of close to one billion euros from Germany for the cancellation of an order for 37 Eurofighter combat aircraft, a spokesman for the defense ministry said Monday. Handelsblatt reported the plane maker wants 900 million euros ($1.24 billion) in compensation. Germany last week canceled the final tranche of 37 jets that were part of an order for 180 Eurofighters.

What's on the Chopping Block—and What's Safe—in the Pentagon's Shrinking Budget?

02/25/2014

This year's scramble in Washington over the budget request will start Monday, when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to preview the fiscal 2015 Defense Department budget—a week before the official request goes to Congress. Its first hint at budget priorities will spur the defense industry to start lobbying, lawmakers to stake out their priorities, and the Pentagon to launch a charm offensive on Capitol Hill.

Marine Corps to Support Afghan Electronic Attack Missions from Qatar

02/25/2014

In recent years Prowler detachments were regularly operating from Bagram in Afghanistan, tasked primarily in providing electronic support for ground operations, assisting ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq with counter IED jamming, signals intelligence and selective jamming. Supporting traditional marine corps missions, such as amphibious operations, and other high intensity warfare operations require different techniques.

Military spending cuts could affect A-10 aircraft fleet at Selfridge

02/25/2014

The Pentagon is proposing to eliminate its A10 aircraft fleet — including those at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison — as part of a wide-ranging reorganization that could affect the Harrison Township facility. State officials have said there are about 18 A10s stationed at Selfridge and there are more than 400 people associated with their combat-support maneuvers at the base.

DOD aims to scrap A-10 to keep F-35 alive in new budget

02/25/2014

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is unveiling the Pentagon’s proposed budget today—a budget that will dramatically scale back the size of the military. But in order to save the most sacred of cows in its ongoing modernization efforts, the Pentagon is proposing the elimination of what has arguably been the most effective combat aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory: the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Australia should boost stocks in drone aircraft, military lobby group says

02/25/2014

AN influential air power lobby group wants Australia to acquire long-range unmanned combat aircraft that can fire precision missiles against targets without risk to pilots. According to the Canberra-based think tank, the Sir Richard Williams Foundation, so-called unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) are developing at such a rapid rate that they could replace manned fighters by the late 2020s.

Germany Plans Procurement Overhaul After Program Missteps

02/24/2014

Germany is expected to overhaul its defense procurement policy using external reviews to create greater transparency, experts say, after the defense minister sacked two senior ministry officials last week over mismanagement of numerous procurement programs.

Russia's $9 Billion Drone Program Looks Like a Bluff, but Should You Laugh It Off?

02/24/2014

Russia has high hopes of developing its own home-grown drones, such as this Dozor-600 being developed by St. Petersburg's Tranzas Company. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. This month, for the first time ever, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu revealed how much Russia intends to spend on building a fleet of high-speed, long-endurance, combat "drone" aircraft: $9 billion.

Flameout: Why the IAF won't accept HAL’s jet trainer

02/24/2014

Faced with a Mexican standoff over the home built intermediate jet trainer (IJT) the Indian Air Force (IAF) is prepared to shoot its way out of the crisis. Tired of waiting for the IJT – under development since 1999 – the IAF now wants to import Swiss jets as a contingency measure. The IJT is aimed at providing high-speed training for IAF pilots entering the second stage of training.

Time Running Out on Europe's Typhoon Orders

02/24/2014

Governments and industry are in discussions over the fate of the final order of Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets for the four partner nations involved in the program amid Germany’s plan to end its purchases early. The British, German, Italian and Spanish governments are in negotiations with industry over whether to go ahead with part or all of what is known as the Typhoon Tranche 3B order, an executive familiar with the talks said.

Software to help warfighters plan air battles with manned aircraft and UAVs is topic of DARPA industry briefing

02/24/2014

U.S. military researchers will brief industry on 28 Feb. 2014 on a program to develop software decision aids to plan aerial battles involving manned combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Officials of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., will outline the upcoming Distributed Battle Management (DBM) program on 28 Feb. from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the DARPA conference Center, 675 North Randolf St., in Arlington, Va.

New arms threat: Argentina's £3billion boost to military

02/23/2014

Buenos Aires will acquire military hardware including fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft weapons and specialised radar, as well as beefing up its special forces. The news comes months before drilling for oil begins in earnest off the Falkland Islands, provoking Argentina’s struggling President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Last month she created a new cabinet post of Secretary for the Malvinas, her country’s name for the Falklands.

Pentagon moving ahead with new vertical lift aircraft

02/23/2014

The Pentagon is committed to early design work on a new aircraft that will replace thousands of helicopters now used by the U.S. military, its first "clean sheet design" program in years, the Army official heading the effort said on Friday.

U.S. Officer Makes Waves Again With China Comments

02/23/2014

An outspoken intelligence officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet has ruffled feathers in Beijing and Washington by warning publicly that the Chinese military is training for a “short, sharp” war with Japan and planning to establish an air defense identification zone over the disputed South China Sea this year or next.

Air Defense: Finland Flees The Soviets

02/23/2014

Finland is buying American FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS (MAN-Portable Air-Defense Systems) anti-aircraft missiles to replace the Russian SA-18s they have been using. Since the Soviet Union collapsed, Finland had been systematically replacing its Cold War era Russian weapons with Western ones.

Gov't to assess low-frequency noises from Osprey aircraft in Okinawa

02/23/2014

The government plans to assess the impact of low-frequency noises caused by the U.S. Marine Corps' MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in response to calls from Okinawa Prefecture, where the aircraft are deployed, government sources said Saturday. A panel will be set up in April to devise new environmental standards, while the Defense Ministry may send officials to the United States, where the aircraft were developed, to look into relevant studies.

Indian aerospace industry faces talent shortage: HAL chairman

02/23/2014

Shortage of skill-based workforce was posing a challenge to the growth of the Indian aerospace industry in the absence of synergy between policy, industry and academia, HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi said Saturday. "India needs better training and education infrastructure with a pragmatic policy-industry-academia ecosystem to tap the huge employment potential in the aerospace industry," he said at the first aerospace round table conference here.