Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Chinese Surveillance Aircraft Enter Taiwan's Airspace

08/27/2014

The Taiwanese Air Force scrambled combat aircraft to pursue Chinese surveillance aircraft that made four separate intrusions into Taiwan’s airspace within less than 12 hours, a senior Taiwanese military official confirmed on August 26, one day after the standoff. According to information provided by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the first intrusion occurred at 8:33 a.m., when a single Y-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft that had taken off from Chenghai, Guangdong Province.

Russia Plans to Supply India With A-50 Aircraft – Aircraft Company

08/27/2014

Russia and India plan on signing a contract to supply India with A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft, Beriev Aircraft Company General Director-General Designer Igor Garivadsky told journalists Tuesday. “We plan on signing a deal with the Republic of India to deliver the A-50 aircraft,” Garivadsky said.

Iran airs TV footage of purported Israeli drone

08/26/2014

A crash scene aired on Iranian state television Monday purported to show the wreckage of an Israeli drone shot down near an Iranian nuclear site, prompting questions about how a plane with limited range could have penetrated so deeply and whether it is indeed what Tehran says it is. The brief video showed what the channel described as parts of the battleship-gray drone scattered in an unidentified desert area. The channel identified the unmanned vehicle as a Hermes 450, a known Israeli model.

Australia's potential military role in Iraq is limited, strategic experts say

08/26/2014

Australia’s options for an expanded military role in Iraq are “limited” or “symbolic”, strategic policy experts have said, while the opposition indicated it was yet to receive a government briefing on such action. The Australian newspaper reported on Monday the government was actively considering a greater role and could join the US in air strikes.

Block the Jihadist Highway

08/26/2014

In seeking to turn back the advance of the barbarous Islamic State forces across Iraq and Syria, it is essential to staunch the flow of foreign jihadists joining the fight, including any more from Australia. Governments, including our own, are trying to do so. Yet Turkey, the country with the capability to interdict recruits travelling on the so-called “Jihadist Highway” en route to the Islamic State killing fields, is doing little to help.

Smart-Skin Aircraft Can Detect Combat Damage

08/26/2014

Engineers at BAE Systems' Advanced Technology Centre are investigating a ‘smart skin’ concept which could be embedded with tens of thousands of micro-sensors. When applied to an aircraft, this will enable it to sense wind speed, temperature, physical strain and movement, far more accurately than current sensor technology allows.

Singapore Quietly Expanding Fighter Force

08/26/2014

Singapore appears to have more than its declared total of 24 Boeing F-15SG Eagle multirole fighters, with recent developments indicating that the small Asian city-state is already operating 32 aircraft, and looks set to bring that total up to 40. Located strategically at one end of the Straits of Malacca chokepoint where a quarter of the world’s annual maritime trade passes, Singapore plays a vital role in regional security and is a close security and defense partner with the United States.

A Tour of the Boneyard

08/26/2014

My son Ian and I had already spent two days at the Pima Air & Space Museum outside Tucson, Arizona, walking the hangars and the terrific collection of aircraft parked outside. Pima is adjacent to the fence line of Davis-Monthan AFB, home of the “Boneyard.” Its official name is the Air Force’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group—the caretakers of nearly 4,000 U.S. military aircraft headed for scrap, storage, or potential rebirth, all parked on 2,600 acres of Arizona desert.

Russia's new air force is a mystery

08/26/2014

The Russian air force has just introduced three new jet fighters. Not the much-publicized Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter — which isn't ready yet — but three slightly different versions of the classic Su-27, all originating from the same Sukhoi design bureau but built by two separate manufacturers.

F-35 Flight Test Program Milestones Maturing Combat Capabilities

08/26/2014

The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program continued a steady path of flight test milestones in August, including weapons separation, software compatibility and flight hours, all demonstrating program maturity. “The test milestones are a direct result of the detailed planning, coordination and execution between various government teams and the integrated test force,” said J.D. McFarlan, Lockheed Martin's Vice President for F-35 Test & Verification.

IS Joins List of Militant Groups With Reported Drone Capabilities

08/26/2014

The Islamic State (IS) militant group appears to have drone capabilities as is evidenced by a recent IS propaganda video containing surveillance footage of a Syrian military base. The 14-minute video, uploaded to YouTube on Saturday, shows aerial views of Syrian Army Military Base 93 near Raqqa Governorate in northern Syria. There is a caption over the footage that reads “From the drone of the army of the Islamic State.” The video does not show the drone itself.

Indian Troops Arrive in Russia for Air Force Drills

08/26/2014

Indian troops have arrived in Russia’s Lipetsk to take part in the joint Air Force exercise Aviaindra 2014, held August 25 to September 5, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Igor Klimov told the press Monday. “From August 25 to September 5, 2014 a joint Russian-Indian exercise Aviaindra 2014 will be held on the Russian territory under the Air Force commander-in-chief’s leadership. The official starting date of the drills is August 29, 2014.

The Foreign Policy Essay: China’s ADIZ in the East China Sea

08/25/2014

Reporting on China’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, which it rolled out in November 2013, has been highly (if understandably) skewed. (ADIZs are unilaterally declared areas that stretch beyond territorial airspace within which states impose reporting requirements on aircraft for purposes of national defense.) China’s ADIZ stretches into the East China Sea, beyond Japan’s designated “mid-point line,” towards the Ryukyu Islands.

Air Force Still Wants to Retire Warthog Jets

08/25/2014

The U.S. Air Force plans to revive its controversial push to retire the A-10 fighter jet in the face of fierce opposition from lawmakers. Congress is set to reject the existing Air Force plan to save $3.5 billion by retiring the fleet of A-10 "Warthogs," which were used extensively to provide air support to ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Airbus Tests Jet's Ability to Fly Farther From Emergency Landing Sites

08/25/2014

Airbus Group intends to ramp up flight tests this week to demonstrate that its newest jet model eventually should be allowed to fly routes taking it as many as seven hours from an emergency landing strip. Slated to be delivered to lead customer Qatar Airways Ltd. by the end of the year, the A350 would have unprecedented regulatory leeway compared with other twin-engine jets on ultralong polar or over-water routes.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Issues Stark Warning on Islamic State

08/25/2014

If the extremist group fighting in Iraq and Syria that calls itself the Islamic State isn't stopped it will eventually seek to carry out an attack on British soil, U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned in an article published on Sunday. Writing in the Sunday Times newspaper, Mr. Hammond said security services estimated some 500 British jihadis had travelled to Syria and Iraq in recent years.

Islamic extremists seize Syrian military base then behead captured Assad soldiers

08/25/2014

Islamic extremists captured a major government military airport in Raqqa, eastern Syria, on Sunday, completing their takeover of the entire province and dealing a humiliating blow to President Bashar Assad. The victory is further evidence that the Islamic State is determined to widen its grip on the region.

US, Norway to Inspect Russia's Air Space

08/25/2014

A group of US and Norwegian aviation inspectors plan to fly over Russia's and Belarus' territory this week under The Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists Sunday. "Between August 25 and August 30 of this year, as part of The Treaty on Open Skies, a join mission of the United States and Norway will conduct a flight over the territory of a group of member-states [Belarus and Russia].

Russia to Survey Danish Air Space

08/25/2014

Russia plans to launch a surveillance flight over Denmark's territory this week as part of The Treaty on Open Skies, acting head of the Defense Ministry's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center told journalists Sunday. "As part of The Treaty on Open Skies, the Russian Federation plans to conduct an observation flight aboard an An-30B, outfitted with digital surveillance equipment above the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark," Ruslan Shishin said.

Iran Downs Israeli Spy Drone Attempting to Penetrate Nuclear Enrichment Site - Reports

08/25/2014

Iranian Revolutionary Guards have downed an Israeli drone that was trying to spy on Iran’s nuclear facility in Nantaz, state news agency ISNA reported Sunday. "The downed aircraft was of the stealth, radar-evasive type and it intended to penetrate the off-limit nuclear area in Natanz... but was targeted by a ground-to-air missile before it managed to enter the area," ISNA quoted a statement by the Revolutionary Guards.

Moscow Dismisses Russia's Alleged Violated of Finnish Air Space - Defense Ministry

08/25/2014

Russia’s Defense Ministry has dismissed allegations that Russian aircraft entered Finnish airspace without permission. “On August 23, 2014 a military transport airplane of naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet was carrying out a scheduled flight en route from airbase Pushkin in Leningrad Region to airbase Chernyakhovsk in Kaliningrad Region. The flight was carried out in strict compliance with the agreed itinerary.

Egypt Denies Involvement in Tripoli Airstrikes – Agency

08/25/2014

Egypt on Sunday denied any link to unclaimed airstrikes that hit military camps in the Libyan capital Tripoli earlier this week, according to Agence France-Presse. "Egypt denies categorically reports and claims that Egyptian military aircraft struck sites held by militias in the Libyan capital Tripoli," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Ten dead in new air raid on Libyan militia near Tripoli

08/24/2014

An unidentified warplane bombarded militia positions near Tripoli airport overnight, leaving at least 10 people dead, a spokesman for an alliance of Libyan militias said on Saturday. The aircraft targeted an army base to the south of Tripoli and a nearby warehouse, Mohammed al-Ghariani, spokesman for Fajr Libya (Libyan Dawn), said on An-Nabaa television station.

Brazil Exports First M2M-enabled Aircraft for the Military

08/24/2014

Drones are one of the many applications that involves M2M communication technology today. These M2M-enabled aircrafts, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), do not have a human pilot aboard and rely mostly on onboard computers that are controlled remotely. As the concept of connected and driverless cars is gradually being adapted, pilot-less aircrafts have long been made a reality.

That US-China Near Miss In The South China Sea Is A Sign Of Things To Come

08/24/2014

This week's reported near collision between a Chinese fighter plane and an American surveillance aircraft in the East China Sea proves that China isn't afraid to strictly enforce its maritime border in the South China Sea, even if it has to risk a confrontation with the world's most powerful military.