Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

U.S. considers air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria, may have to co-ordinate with Assad

08/24/2014

U.S. President Barack Obama is to consider air strikes in Syria in the battle against jihadist terrorists who beheaded an American journalist. Ben Rhodes, Mr. Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a strategy to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) needed to deal with both sides of the border in Iraq and Syria.

How a Real Air War Could Demolish ISIS

08/24/2014

With sickening snuff videos and viral postings of mass executions, ISIS has developed the projection of terror way beyond any predecessor. It has also managed to make itself seem more militarily formidable than it actually is. Even though its capacity as a training camp and assignment center for jihadists who can be sent to blow people up in Europe, the U.S. and Asia poses an extreme new danger, this should not be confused with its threat as a land-based army.

Iraq's federal, Kurdish forces wrest Mosul Dam from ISIL

08/24/2014

The high level of co-ordination between Iraq's federal army troops and Peshmerga forces in the Kurdish region has resulted in successful joint operations against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in the north of the country, Iraqi military officials said. "One of the fruits of the great co-operation between the Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga was the liberation of the Mosul Dam and the surrounding villages, as well as cities and towns in the mountainous province of Ninawa.

Obama faces decision on military aid for Ukraine

08/24/2014

As Ukraine's standoff with Russia over its support of pro-Russian separatists escalates, President Obama must decide how the USA can prevent the conflict from spinning out of control. While Obama has been quietly letting Germany take the lead on the diplomatic front up until now, what he and his deputies communicate at talks Tuesday between Ukraine, Russia and European leaders in Belarus could play a pivotal role.

Pitch Black 2014 RAAF exercise winds up after a month of simulated combat in our Top End

08/24/2014

The breathtaking and ear-shattering game of darts above the Northern Territory ended Friday after three weeks of intensive action. Today, they’re taking off for home. Up to 110 aircraft from New Zealand, United States, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and New Caledonia participated in the swirling battle simulations in Australia’s northern skies with Australia’s RAAF.

Pentagon: China tried to block U.S. military jet in dangerous mid-air intercept

08/23/2014

The Pentagon on Friday blamed China for instigating a dangerous midair encounter with a U.S. military aircraft off its coast, saying that a Chinese fighter jet made several threatening passes during an intercept in international airspace. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the U.S. government filed a formal complaint with China about the near miss between a Chinese J-11 fighter jet and a Navy Poseidon P-8 patrol aircraft 135 miles east of Hainan Island.

China’s Chengdu J-20 Fighter Redesigned Using Stolen F-35 Data

08/23/2014

China has been developing a native fifth-generation stealth aircraft called the Chengdu J-20. This aircraft is expected to compete with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is built by Lockheed Martin Corporation as well as Russia’s T-50. A Chinese entrepreneur was arrested for stealing F-35 and F-22 fighter jets’ design data. The stolen data was meant to help in redesigning the J-20, and has increased the likelihood of F-35 fighter jets to become obsolete even before they became operational.

Ukraine Accuses Russia Of ‘Direct Invasion’ For Sending Aid Trucks Into Rebel-Held Area

08/23/2014

Russia unilaterally sent an aid mission into rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Friday, saying its patience had worn out after a week of delays it blamed on the Ukrainian government, which called the move a “direct invasion.” Trucks ostensibly loaded with water, generators and sleeping bags are intended for civilians in the city of Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatist fighters are besieged by government forces. Shelling of the city has been ongoing for weeks.

Amid U.S. air strikes, Iraq struggles to build own air force

08/23/2014

President Barack Obama told a recent interviewer he did not want the U.S. military to become Iraq's air force. But he may have little choice. Iraq had only a fledgling air force when the United States withdrew in 2011. Washington has agreed to bolster Iraqi air power by selling Baghdad 36 sophisticated F-16 multi-role jet fighters and 24 Apache helicopters.

China’s Hypersonic Aircraft Fails Second Test Launch

08/23/2014

A Chinese hypersonic vehicle designed to deliver nuclear weapons at high speeds failed in its second test launch, the South China Morning Post reported. "It's necessary for China to boost its missile capabilities, because the PLA's [People’s Liberation Army] weapons are weaker than the US' shields, which are deployed everywhere in the world," Xudong Wang, a satellite adviser to China’s central government, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

Pentagon: Isis is 'beyond anything we've seen' and must be contained

08/22/2014

Senior Pentagon officials described the Islamic State (Isis) militant group as an “apocalyptic” organisation that posed an “imminent threat” on Thursday, yet the highest ranking officer in the US military said that in the short term, it was sufficient for the United States to “contain” the group that has reshaped the map of Iraq and Syria.

The F-35 vs. The VHF Threat

08/22/2014

The heated and ongoing international debate regarding the combat effectiveness of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in a highly contested environment has led many observers to question the fighter’s survivability in the face of advanced Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems and very high frequency (VHF) radars. Yet, few have examined the issue closely using lessons drawn from the only incident in which a stealth aircraft was lost in combat.

GE wants in on new fighter jets

08/22/2014

GE Korea, the local unit of the United States-based General Electric, expressed a keen desire to participate in Korea’s next-generation fighter jet program once it gets off the ground. If Korea chooses GE jet engines, according to Khang Sung-wook, president and chief executive of GE Korea, it will help Korea nurture its aerospace industry since GE remains open to delivering its technological expertise.

Pro-Russian rebels shoot down three Ukrainian aircraft amid heavy fighting

08/22/2014

Pro-Russian rebels have shot down another Ukrainian Air Force's Su-25 Frogfoot fighter aircraft in the Luhansk region. Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko was quoted by 112.ua as saying: "Today a Su-25 attack aircraft has been shot down while on a combat mission. "The fate of the pilot is unknown yet but hope remains that he will be alright."

Chinese Jet Threatened U.S. Intelligence Aircraft

08/22/2014

A Chinese jet fighter flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy P-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft near Japan this week in an encounter that highlights China’s continued aggressiveness in the region. The P-8, a new, militarized Boeing-737 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, was conducting routine surveillance of the Chinese coast over the East China Sea on Monday when the incident occurred, said U.S. defense officials familiar with reports of the encounter.

Drones are taking flight: Britain is at forefront of aerospace technology

08/22/2014

Drone is a dirty word in Whitehall. Ministry of Defence and Royal Air Force officials avoid using the description for the squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – also known as remotely piloted air systems – increasingly being used by British forces. American-built Reaper UAVs have already been in service for several years with the RAF in Afghanistan, while Thales is building its Watchkeeper system for the British Army to replace the Hermes 450, an unarmed surveillance machine.

Defense Ministry reveals prototype of first Japanese stealth fighter

08/22/2014

The Defense Ministry released images of a homegrown experimental combat plane designed to be Japan's first stealth fighter. The sleek jet features huge box-like intakes for its highly sophisticated engines. The aircraft, dubbed the Advanced Technological Demonstrator (ATD), is now undergoing trials. From tip to tail, it is 14 meters long with a nine-meter wingspan, slightly smaller than an operational fighter jet due to the scaled-down engines.

Essay: The Legal and Moral Problems of Autonomous Strike Aircraft

08/22/2014

The U.S. Navy’s move toward developing a carried-based unmanned combat aircraft might eventually afford the service the ability to strike targets at long-range, but there are ethical and legal questions that linger should the Pentagon develop a fully autonomous system. As currently envisioned, the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) will be autonomous, but it will have a “man-on-the-loop” according to Rear Adm. Mat Winter.

Keep on Rockin’: C-130J Ferries to Little Rock AFB

08/22/2014

The 61st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, received another Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules airlifter today. Brig. Gen. Brian Robinson, vice commander, 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Scott AFB, Illinois, ferried the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., facility here.

The Arab world has to take on Isis in its own backyard

08/21/2014

The Middle East hosts a formidable array of air power. Between them, the six nations of the Gulf Co-operation Council possess more than 600 combat-capable aircraft. Add Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt, and you have 1,000 more. Why, then, is only the US dropping bombs on the jihadis of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) as they expand their “caliphate” in the heart of the region?

Flight restrictions slow F-35 software testing

08/21/2014

Flight restrictions on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 are hampering the Pentagon’s ability to conduct software tests that the plane must pass before it can be declared combat-ready by next July, according to the Pentagon’s weapons-testing office. The start of rigorous in-flight testing on the initial software for the Marine Corps version of the fighter is already five months late and may be further delayed by the flight restrictions imposed on the 20 test aircraft and 79 training jets.

Exclusive: Baghdad Open to Letting U.S. Warplanes Fly From Iraqi Bases

08/21/2014

Iraqi officials have given their American counterparts clear signals that Baghdad is willing to let U.S. fighter jets operate out of Iraqi air bases, a move that would allow planes to stay airborne longer and deliver more strikes. But the Obama administration, at least for now, doesn't seem all that interested.

Air Force grounds 82 F-16 fighter jets after cracks found near cockpit

08/21/2014

The Air Force has temporarily grounded 82 of its aging F-16 fighter jets after structural cracks were found near the cockpits. The first cracks were discovered July 31 during post-flight inspections of a F-16D model, which is a two-seat variant primarily used for training. Subsequent inspections found that more than half of the F-16Ds were affected.

Obama weighs limited options to counter Isis in Iraq

08/21/2014

The Obama administration is not thought to be considering qualitatively new military options against the Islamic State (Isis) in the wake of its beheading of American journalist James Foley. While Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Isis “must be destroyed”, another US official said the horrific, recorded slaying had not changed US policy options for striking the jihadist entity that has overrun much of northern, western and central Iraq.

100 aircraft from S'pore and 6 nations take part in air combat exercise

08/21/2014

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is participating in a large-scale multilateral air combat exercise in Darwin, Australia, involving 100 aircraft and 2 300 personnel from seven participating nations. Codenamed Exercise Pitch Black , this year's biennial exercise will take place from Aug 1 to 22 and see the RSAF deploying about 300 personnel, six F-15SG and eight F-16C/D fighter aircraft, a Gulfstream 550 airborne early warning aircraft, and a KC-135R air-to-air refuelling aircraft.