Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

NATO flies with partners over Iceland for first time

02/04/2014

Fighter jets from NATO and partner countries began to conduct a wide range of air defence-related flying activities over Iceland on Monday (3 February 2014), in the first event of its kind to be held on the island. The Iceland Air Meet 2014 (IAM2014) brings together participants from NATO members Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands and the United States, and from partner countries Finland and Sweden, supported by NATO AWACS.

Lockheed Martin fires most powerful portable LASER weapon it has ever created in hi-tech race to replace missiles

02/04/2014

It is a weapon that could mean the end of traditional missiles. Lockheed Martin revealed is has tested the a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power ever fired. The firm says the weapon could eventually be mounted on jets, tanks and fighter planes - and will more than triple in strength before being used in combat.

China to Ramp Up Military Spending

02/04/2014

China already spends more on its military than any country in the world except the United States. Now, as defense budgets at the Pentagon and in many NATO countries shrink, China’s People’s Liberation Army is gearing up for a surge in new funding, according to a new report.

Five Reasons The Latest Pentagon Testing Report On The F-35 Fighter Doesn't Matter

02/04/2014

Two weeks ago the annual report of the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation was leaked to the Reuters news agency in advance of its public release. The subsequent dissemination of its contents has afforded critics of the tri-service F-35 fighter program the opportunity for a new round of complaints about the supposed mis-steps of those engaged in developing the plane.

U.S. To Test Unmanned Combat Air System Aircraft Working Together With Manned Aircraft

02/04/2014

The U.S. Navy plans to take the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft out to sea onboard an aircraft carrier this summer to test how well it operates together with manned aircraft around the ship and on the flight deck.

Lockheed Martin Files For FAA Type Design Update

02/04/2014

Lockheed Martin officials submitted a Program Notification Letter to the Federal Aviation Administration on Jan. 21, 2014, for a type design update for the Lockheed Martin Model L-382J airplane, a civil-certified variant of the proven C-130J Super Hercules to be marketed as the LM-100J.

US Air Force Orders Additional Boeing Combat Survivor Evader Locators

02/04/2014

Boeing will deliver an additional 2,550 Combat Survivor Evader Locator radios – which are vital to the rescue of downed pilots and other warfighters in dangerous situations – under a new $24 million contract with the U.S. Air Force. A global emergency call system that enables the safe, fast and efficient recovery of warfighters in harm's way, CSEL is used by the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy for search and rescue operations.

Indian Aircraft Carrier Training Facility to Open Soon

02/04/2014

A training facility for naval pilots to practice aircraft carrier operations is set to open in India’s coastal Goa region later this month, the head of the Russian company overseeing the project said Monday. The site is based on a Russian facility under construction near the Black Sea town of Yeysk that was planned to open last year but has suffered undisclosed delays.

Russia May Build New Aircraft Carrier by 2023 – Designer

02/04/2014

The development and construction of a new aircraft carrier for the Russian navy could take about 10 years, a St. Petersburg-based ship design bureau said Monday. Sergei Vlasov, general director of the Nevskoye design bureau, said the overall cost of the ship could range between 100 and 250 billion rubles ($2.8-7.1 billion).

Russia to Deploy More Su-25 Combat Planes at Kyrgyz Airbase

02/04/2014

Russia will deploy four additional Su-25 ground attack aircraft at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, Russia’s Central Military District said Monday. “A unit of modernized Su-25SM Frogfoot fighter-bombers will be deployed this year at the Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan,” the district said in a statement.

Syrian aircraft pound rebel-held areas of Aleppo

02/03/2014

Syrian government aircraft unleashed a wave of airstrikes on more than a dozen rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, as President Bashar Assad's forces inched into areas controlled by opposition fighters for more than a year, activists said.

US and French navies complete combined strike group operations

02/03/2014

The U.S. and French navies completed five weeks of rare combined carrier strike group operations in the Middle East Sunday. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and French Navy Task Force 473 — which includes the French carrier FS Charles de Gaulle — began operating together in late December.

Unfunded F-16 Upgrades Put Jet's Combat Value in Doubt

02/03/2014

As officials in Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) were busying themselves for Chinese New Year celebrations last week, they received potentially devastating news for the Pacific nation’s air defense plans. The US Air Force plans to defund the combat avionics programmed extension suite (CAPES) program, as budget constraints could force the service to move remaining money from CAPES to the F-16 service-life extension program (SLEP), according to sources.

Procurement: Blowing Smoke For the F-35

02/03/2014

The U.S. Department of Defenseis being accused of deception for refusing to admit the true cost of the new F-35 in the face of growing cuts in the military budget. Despite these cuts the Department of Defense will not change the number of F-35s ordered nor the unit cost that should be increased becasue of these cuts. Something has to give. The U.S. Air Force still expects to get production models of its 31 ton F-35A in late 2016.

Air Combat Command's challenge: Buy new or modernize older aircraft

02/03/2014

After a tense budget battle last year, the Air Force is gearing up to defend what service officials have called a series of hard choices about what to keep and what to dump. With finances tight, the biggest fight is over whether to modernize older platforms or risk a capabilities gap while pushing that funding toward recapitalization programs.

The Russian Punishment Ship

02/02/2014

anuary Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetzov passed through the English Channel on its way to the Mediterranean. The carrier had five escort vessels and military pilots flying close by could not help but notice that there was a lot of rust on the deck of the carrier. This was not a good sign.

Hill F-16s flying crisis simulations in South Korea

02/02/2014

In early January, nearly 300 airmen and 12 F-16s from Hill Air Force Base left the friendly confines of Utah for one of the most unstable regions in the world - and after a month in Korea, the group has already become a stabilizing force. Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing are at Osan Air Base in South Korea, providing what Air Force officials call a "theater security package."

PLA seen seeking to limit US protection of Taiwan

02/02/2014

The US military believes that China is developing “growing confidence” that it can deal with or deter US intervention if Beijing attacks Taiwan. It was also revealed in testimony before a congressional commission that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears to have a “more mature viewpoint” on military operations against the US.

Chinese AEW&C aircraft effective for mission over E China Sea

02/02/2014

Since the establishment of the East China Sea air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) has constantly been a subject of public discussion. A recent report about the first PLA AEW&C aircraft fleet captured immediate attention from both at home and abroad after being published.

Russia to Give Kazakhstan Air Defense Systems Free-of-Charge

02/02/2014

Russia is set to supply fellow former Soviet nation Kazakhstan with S-300 air defense systems free-of-charge, a top Russian military official said Friday. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, who was part of a military delegation traveling to the Central Asian state, said five battalions of S-300PS systems would be supplied from the arsenals of the Russian army.

Lockheed Remains Top in Weapon-Sales Ranking Amid Russian Rise

02/01/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co. and BAE Systems Plc remained the top three global armsmakers even as suppliers from South Korea, Brazil and Russia made inroads in a market that contracted for a second year. Sales of weapons and services by the 100 largest suppliers fell 4.2 percent in real terms to $395 billion in 2012 after a 6.6 percent retreat in the previous year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a review that excludes Chinese manufacturers.

UK, France to Invest £120 million in a Joint UCAV Study

02/01/2014

The UK and France have agreed to strengthen defence cooperation following a Summit at RAF Brize Norton today. A communiqué signed by the Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande sets out plans for closer ties between the two countries. ”Britain and France are natural partners for Defence cooperation. We have made substantial progress since the Lancaster House Treaty was signed in 2010 and today we have committed ourselves to go further still.”

Green Flag East takes a new approach at training

02/01/2014

With U.S. forces pivoting to the Pacific, Air Combat Command's detachment on Barksdale, the 548th Combat Training Squadron, has for the first time, incorporated maritime training into a Green Flag exercise involving the F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 187th Fighter Wing from Montgomery, Ala. from Jan. 9 through 28.

Dassault Aviation salutes a major step forward for the Future Combat Air System

02/01/2014

Dassault Aviation is delighted by the decision announced today by the President of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, concerning the future combat air system. This decision led to the signing by the French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his counterpart, of a letter of intent which formalizes the launch of joint feasibility studies in the field of unmanned combat air systems (UCAS).

Asia's first 'Shore Based Test Facility' near Dabolim

02/01/2014

As the Indian Navy gears up for the exciting prospect of operating two aircraft carriers simultaneously-the ageing INS Viraat and the newer INS Vikramaditya that entered into service in 2013, the defence wing has commissioned Asia's first 'Shore Based Test Facility' (SBTF) at INS Hansa, the Naval aviation station near Dabolim, in South Goa. The SBTF is chiefly used for flight testing of Naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers.