Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Airstrikes Against ISIS in Iraq Proved Its Effectiveness: Pentagon

09/10/2014

Airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) militants’ positions in Iraq are extremely effective, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said. "The airstrikes that we conducted in support of Mosul Dam operations led to Iraqi forces retaking Mosul Dam. The airstrikes that we took in and around Amirli broke the back of the ISIL forces that were attempting to take Amirli. And now, over the weekend, these airstrikes conducted in support of Haditha Dam.

Obama Eyes Drone War On Islamic State

09/09/2014

White House spokesman Josh Earnest suggested Monday that President Barack Obama will launch a long-term drone war against the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), whether or not Congress approves. He repeatedly declined to say if Obama would seek permission from Congress to launch airstrikes in Syria, but insisted the president would like to get congressional “buy in.”

Royal Air Force Tornados deployed to West Africa

09/09/2014

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has deployed three Tornado GR.4 combat aircraft to Chad to help search for missing Nigerian schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in April. The aircraft, from II Army Cooperation Squadron, departed Norfolk in late August, according to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly. The Tornados are operating from N’Djamena International Airport in Chad, where they are hosted by the French military detachment there, reports Air Forces Daily.

Majority of Australians support military intervention against ISIS, Newspoll reveals

09/09/2014

The Coalition might have marked their first anniversary in government with a dip in the polls, but they’re on the right track when it comes to military support in the Middle East. The latest Newspoll reveals the majority of Australians support the federal government’s decision to provide humanitarian aid and weapons - including 50 tonnes of small arms and ammunition - to forces opposing Islamic State (otherwise known as ISIS or ISIL) militants.

U.S. Marine Corps’ Aggressive Move Into An Amphibious Future

09/09/2014

In an aggressive move to reclaim its maritime expeditionary heritage after 13 years of grinding land-based combat and counterinsurgency/nation-building, the Marine Corps has published a new capstone conceptual document that charts a new course into the future. Expeditionary Force 21 draws heavily on the Corps’ historic roles as a forward-deployed or fast-responding force willing and able to perform a wide range of duties.

Hagel to press Turkey to join fight against Islamic State

09/09/2014

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is meeting Monday with Turkey’s top politicians and its senior military leader to discuss forming a regional coalition to battle the Islamic State group. During his first official visit to Turkey, Mr. Hagel is expected to urge officials, including Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayip Erdogan, to have their country play a key role in the regional component of an international plan to combat the militant group, U.S. officials said.

Using a flight simulator with the Russian Air Force

09/09/2014

Modern simulators used for practice make it possible to considerably speed up pilot training and to create training situations for experienced pilots in which aircraft operate at the peak of their technical capability. The quiet merchant town of Torzhok in the Tver Region is known not only for its ancient history but also for being home to one of Russia's best military helicopter training schools, the Center for Pilots' Military Retraining.

Russia’s Air Force not dependent on foreign-made components

09/09/2014

Russia’s Air Force does not depend on foreign components, United Aircraft Corporation CEO Mikhail Pogosyan said on Monday. “Clearly, our military aviation must not depend on foreign supplies, and we are pursuing this policy now,” he said. In civil aviation, the share of domestically-made components is 50% “This figure is higher when aircraft are upgraded. This [growth] happens faster now,” Pogosyan said.

Can a Coalition of Rivals Fight ISIS?

09/09/2014

In the summer of 1990, when Saddam Hussain's army marched into Kuwait, the U.S. marshaled an international coalition consisting of nations as eclectic as Argentina, Syria, Senegal and South Korea. But as the Islamic State jihadist group, also known as IS or ISIS, with a self-styled caliphate overruns large tracts of northern Iraq and Syria and shocks the world with a brutal campaign, building a similar coalition is proving to be exceedingly difficult.

India Considers Buying 126 Eurofighters From Germany

09/09/2014

India may acquire 126 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Germany, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported Monday. Indian and German officials are once again negotiating a multibillion-dollar deal for the delivery of 126 German-made fighter jets to India, the agency reported, citing German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Russian Reconnaissance-Strike Drone Chirok to Begin Tests in 2015

09/09/2014

Russian reconnaissance and strike drone "Chirok" will begin tests in 2015, the CEO of the Moscow Research Radio Engineering Institute Yuri Nevzorov told RIA Novosti on Sunday. "After the new year , we will launch the test. We have three models of the aircraft in total,” said Nevzorov during the 10th Anniversary of the International Gidroaviasalon exhibition in Gelendzhik, Russia.

DND seeks P25 B for modernization projects

09/08/2014

A total of P24.7 billion is needed next year to fund 12 projects to enhance the military’s capabilities. The STAR obtained data showing that among the projects that the Department of National Defense (DND) wants to include in the 2015 budget are lead-in fighter trainer jets ammunition, long-range patrol aircraft, multi-purpose attack craft, rocket launchers and base upgrades.

Navy's new amphib highlights the future of Marine aviation

09/08/2014

About 1,500 Marines and sailors have been busily testing the capabilities of the Navy’s newest amphibious assault ship during a two-month transit in a region that rarely sees a warship of this size. Marines and sailors have been engaging important U.S. allies in this part of the world since leaving the Mississippi shipyard in July.

Arab League chief: Confront Islamic State group

09/08/2014

The head of the Arab League urged its members Sunday to confront Islamic State extremists "militarily and politically," issuing an apparent call to arms as President Barack Obama prepares to go to lawmakers and the American public with his own plan to stop the militants.

US expands attacks on extremists as Iraq moves to reclaim villages

09/08/2014

The United States on Sunday expanded its air war against Islamic extremists in Iraq, sending fighter jets to attack targets near the Haditha Dam in coordination with ground forces from the Shiite Muslim-dominated Iraqi military and local Sunni Muslim tribes. The operation was led by Anbar’s governor, Ahmad Khalaf, who received a serious head wound from shrapnel from a mortar round apparently fired by Islamic State fighters.

Chinese Carrier's Purported Air Wing Deemed Plausible but Limited

09/08/2014

New details have emerged on the aircraft lineup for the new carrier Liaoning, which analysts say is a “plausible” mix of foreign-designed fighter jets and various helicopters, yet limited due to its lack of other necessary aircraft. According to the Aug. 28 edition of the Chinese-language Shanghai Morning Post, the carrier will house 36 aircraft.

U.S. continues air raids on Islamic State targets in Iraq

09/07/2014

American warplanes continued their airstrikes on the Islamic State militant group in northern Iraq on Friday and Saturday, destroying some of its military vehicles, the U.S. Central Command said. A mix of attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft were used to conduct two air raids in support of operations near Irbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, the Central Command said in a statement.

EXCLUSIVE: RAF jets prepare to strike IS terrorists in two weeks

09/07/2014

s many as 12 RAF Tornado GR4s jets could join eight members of the US-led “core coalition” for strategic bombing raids over Northern Iraq. Details of the countdown to combat emerged as Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond renewed Britain’s pledge to tackle the “pernicious threat” of IS at source, telling the Sunday Express that, while there would be no British boots on the ground, “we have ruled nothing else out at this stage”.

Ten questions Nato faces in its fight to combat Isis

09/07/2014

David Cameron used the runup to the Nato summit in south Wales to focus attention on the Islamic State (Isis) threat. The prime minister left the clear impression that Britain was moving closer to launching air strikes in northern Iraq in concert with the Americans, who are already conducting limited attacks.

ISR in Syria is a mission for the Air Force

09/07/2014

The disclosure that the U.S. military is flying surveillance sorties over Syria to collect information on the Islamic State and identify potential targets means that one service’s fleet is busy in the region, experts say. The mission calls for a fleet that can best thwart Syria’s advanced air defense systems, the threat of which led military leaders to argue against enforcement of a no-fly zone over the country last year.

Truce in Ukraine Spawns Hope, Doubt in West

09/07/2014

A tentative peace deal for Ukraine reached Friday raised hopes for a resolution of the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, even as the U.S. and Europe beefed up sanctions aimed at pressuring Russia to leave the battlefield. After a day of continued fighting, Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russia separatists in the east of the country said they had stopped their military operations when the cease-fire went into effect at 6 p.m. local time.

Iran's supreme leader approves working with US military to strike at Isis in challenge to the west

09/06/2014

The mission to crush the Islamic State out of existence leaves the US and the UK facing the unpalatable prospect of having to make common cause with foes in Iran and Syria. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has approved contacts with US military officials to help defeat jihadists, it was claimed last night. Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran told the BBC.

RAF Tornados sent to West Africa

09/06/2014

RAF Panavia Tornado GR.4 combat aircraft have deployed to West Africa to join multinational operations against the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The aircraft from 2 (Army Co-operation) Squadron left RAF Marham in Norfolk during the last week of August and have since begun operating over Nigeria from the French airbase at N'Djamena in Chad, according to defence sources in London.

US to convert older Mavericks into laser-guided missiles as strikes on IS continue

09/06/2014

The US Navy (USN) is to convert its stockpile of TV-guided AGM-65A/B Maverick air-to-surface missiles to the laser-guided AGM-65E2 configuration under a USD49.5 million contract awarded to Raytheon on 3 September. The conversion of 500 missiles will run through to the end of January 2017. Although not mentioned in the Department of Defense's (DoD's) notification, the contract most likely arises from the current USN air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.

Islamic State: Where key countries stand

09/06/2014

The US has openly expressed alarm over IS, saying the group was "beyond anything" it has previously seen. The US began launching air strikes on IS in northern Iraq on 9 August - at the request of the Iraqi government - but has said it will take a "broad international coalition" to defeat it.