Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Addressing the Gaps in Syria Policy in the Fight Against ISIS

11/06/2014

With the expansion of air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, into Syria in September, President Barack Obama exposed himself to a new round of criticism from armchair commanders at home and abroad. It is time for the Obama administration to clarify the Syria component of its strategy to combat ISIS.

Marines Hone Tactical Navigation Skills

11/06/2014

Gliding over mountain tops and maneuvering through deep valleys, Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 honed their tactical navigation skills and Assault Landing Zone techniques at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., Oct. 23. Tactical navigation training simulates a combat environment where ground threats cause pilots to maneuver aircraft through disparate terrain to conceal their location and evade threats.

Advisers will be on hand to combat IS in Iraq

11/06/2014

The UK is to step up its operation in Iraq three years after the last combat troops left the country, the Defence Secretary has announced. Michael Fallon said the move was necessary to challenge the growing threat posed by Islamic State terrorists. He stressed that the move would not involve putting troops on the ground. Instead, military personnel will take part in a "limited" training mission for local security forces.

Battlespace Simulations, Inc. Providing Modern Air Combat Environment to U.S. Armed Forces

11/06/2014

TatukGIS customer Battlespace Simulations (BSI) is increasingly successful licensing its flagship Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) to the U.S. Armed Forces for simulated combat training and mission rehearsal. MACE provides computer generated forces (CGF), sometimes referred to as semi-automated forces (SAF), and threat generation for distributed simulation environments, Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training capability, Electronic Warfare (EW) simulation capability.

The U.S. Air Force Is Trying to Trick Us Into Getting Rid of the A-10

11/06/2014

Literally for decades—since well before the 1991 Iraq war—the U.S. Air Force has been trying to get rid of the A-10 Warthog close air support aircraft. The A-10’s spectacular performance in four wars in Iraq—twice—plus Kosovo and Afghanistan has frustrated these efforts. In those conflicts, the A-10 outperformed all other U.S. aircraft in killing tanks and other vehicles and supporting infantry engaged in combat-at both very short—“danger close”—and longer ranges.

Dassault, BAE Wins French-UK Study Contract For Next Generation Combat Aircraft

11/06/2014

Cooperation between France and the UK is seen as the optimum way to progress a UCAS (Unmanned Combat Air System) solution, whilst supporting both governments’ intentions for closer defence ties. The joint study contract of €150m/£120m is to be supplemented with additional French and UK national funding to the combined value of €100m/£80m in the same period.

Norwegian Security Service Predicts Terrorist Attack in Norway Within 12 Months

11/06/2014

There has been a "negative development" in the security situation in Norway, and terrorists could attempt to carry out an attack in the country within the next 12 months, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said Wednesday. "Within the next 12 months it is likely that there could be threats or attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Norway.

Putin: Russia's Arms Exports Portfolio Exceeded $7.7Bln in 2014

11/06/2014

Russia has secured $7.7 billion in arms contracts with foreign customers since the beginning of 2014, the country's President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. "As a result, the foreign orders portfolio shows a steady trend at around $50 billion," Putin said at a meeting on Russia's military-technical cooperation.

Poland To Buy Armed Drones Amid Ukraine Crisis

11/05/2014

NATO member Poland said Tuesday it will acquire combat drones as part of a multi-billion-euro revamp of its armed forces amid heightened tensions with Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. “We will use these drones to defend our territory,” Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek told AFP.

The MoD's fighter jet gamble

11/05/2014

The Ministry of Defence is gambling an awful lot on the stealth characteristics of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (“Britain orders more F-35s as part of biggest-ever defence project”). It is clear from the initial order of just four operational airframes that the RAF and Fleet Air Arm will struggle to afford to field these exorbitantly priced aircraft in anything other than token numbers.

Discovery Air deploys A-4N jets to Germany ahead of training contract

11/05/2014

Discovery Air Defence Services Inc. has begun the deployment of Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft to Germany ahead of a five-year training contract that is set to begin in early 2015, the company announced on 29 October. The subsidiary of Canadian specialist aviation company Discovery Air has started the transfer of seven upgraded A-4N aircraft to Wittmund in northern Germany.

These Are The Chinese Military Advancements That Are Shifting The Balance Of Power In Asia

11/05/2014

As China continues its rise to superpower stature, Beijing is trying to rapidly increase its firepower. China’s attempts to seriously upgrade its military — with next-generation fighter jets, ballistic missiles, and advanced naval vessels — is partly aimed at keeping pace with the US. The two are in a veritable arms race in east Asia. The US engaged in a “pivot to Asia,” focusing military and diplomatic attention on an increasingly important part of the world.

Russian techies in town to clear Sukhoi spook

11/05/2014

A team of experts from Russia has arrived in Pune to investigate the recent accident involving the Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft at Theur village on October 14. Regular sorties of the fighter plane have been suspended due to the ongoing inquiry. The Russians will carry out a technical evaluation of Sukhoi-30 fighter planes, the entire fleet of which has been grounded for over two weeks following the crash of this frontline combat aircraft of Russian make at Theur, about 30 km from Pune.

Australian Super Hornets have bombed 14 Isis targets in Iraq

11/05/2014

Bombs dropped from Australian Super Hornet combat aircraft in Iraq have hit 14 targets, 11 of which were destroyed, defence officials have said. The Australian Defence Force provided the figures on Wednesday for operations conducted since the government gave the go-ahead for RAAF strikes against Islamic State (Isis) militants in early October.

Foreign F-35 Partners Allowed More Freedom to Customize Fighter Software

11/05/2014

Foreign air forces ordering the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be able to customize the mission data packages loaded onto their aircraft in a compromise that defense officials say both preserves U.S. security and allows allies a greater degree of customization of their fighters. Loading specific mission data packages onto the stealth fighter had been a bone of contention amongst the partner nations helping to develop the F-35.

Western Security Services May Be Turning IS Militants on Russia: Ex-Intelligence Officer

11/04/2014

The growing influence of Islamic State militants poses a threat to Russia's security, and there is a possibility that these extremists are supported by Western security services, retired Lt. Gen. Nikolai Pushkarev, formerly of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) told RIA Novosti.

Russia Test Fires Intercontinental Missile From Submerged Nuclear Sub: Defense Ministry

11/04/2014

A Russian Northern Fleet nuclear submarine on Wednesday fired a test intercontinental missile from the Barents Sea to the country's far eastern Kura Range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. "Within the frameworks of testing the reliability of marine strategic nuclear forces, the Tula [nuclear submarine] launched a Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea to the Kura Range [in Kamchatka]," the statement says.

Top US commander of Afghan war reassessing US withdrawal timeline

11/04/2014

The top commander overseeing the international military effort in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell, is assessing whether more coalition troops should stay in the country to train Afghan troops for longer than would be allowed under the Obama administration's current plans for a complete withdrawal in 2016.

Building US-UK Military Relations With Science and Technology

11/04/2014

The last time I was in the United States, I had the honor of receiving the only gold medal I’m likely to get my hands on these days. It came from the Association of Old Crows, an electronic warfare and information operations advocacy group founded in the U.S. in 1964. As the first British recipient, the medal was both a recognition of the United Kingdom’s role in electronic warfare and a symbol of the deep cooperation between American and British personnel in a field.

EUCOM chief: More troops, gear needed to deter Russia

11/04/2014

The top U.S. general in Europe wants to increase U.S. rotational forces in Eastern Europe and stockpile more military equipment across the continent in response to continued agressive moves by the Russian military. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove spoke to reporters at the Pentagon on Monday after a spate of tense confrontations involving Russian military aircraft flying in unusually large formations in the airspace of America’s European allies.

Pentagon to choose regional F-35 MROs this year

11/04/2014

The US Department of Defense (DoD) plans to choose and announce European and Asia-Pacific locations for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for the F-35 the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter airframe and engine, the DoD's programme manager for the stealthy combat aircraft programme said on 30 October.

Russian team in India to review Sukhoi-30 fighters after crash

11/04/2014

The team of 10 experts is currently in Pune, the Sukhoi-30 base, probing the crash that took place on October 14 near there with both the pilot seats ejecting without any command during landing. The pilots were safe but the aircraft crashed about 20 kms short of the runway. The fleet was grounded a week later. The Russian experts along with IAF personnel and officials from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited besides others are conducting a complete evaluation of the fleet of about 200.

Justice for the MH17 Victims is What we all Need

11/04/2014

At 17.17-17.20, the Boeing 777 was in Ukrainian airspace near the city of Donetsk at the height of 10100 m. An unidentified combat aircraft (presumably a Su-25 or MiG -29), which was a tier below, on a collision course, in the cloud layer, sharply gained altitude and suddenly appeared out of the clouds in front of the civilian aircraft and opened fire on the cockpit, firing from a 30 mm caliber cannon or smaller.

Here Are The 'Complex' Russian Air Incursions That NATO Is So Concerned About

11/04/2014

Tensions between Russia and the West have been steadily growing over the past few months, as there has been a sharp uptick in Russian bombers and fighters flying missions over Europe. This increase in activity has taken place against the backdrop of a frozen conflict in Ukraine, which has already pitted Russia and the West against each other.

‘Landmark event’: F-35C successfully lands aboard aircraft carrier (VIDEO)

11/04/2014

The US Navy’s most expensive plane, the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, has finally made its first ever recorded landing on an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz in San Diego, the military has announced. Cmdr. Tony Wilson, a 43-year-old Navy test pilot, made the first landing. “The aircraft handled phenomenally. I couldn’t make it go off the glide slope, it was that smooth of a jet,” Wilson told reporters assembled on the Nimitz.