Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed Martin Announces Briefing Schedule For Singapore Airshow

02/06/2014

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) stands ready to support customers with a variety of regional security and commercial services solutions as the aerospace world shifts its focus this week to Asia Pacific. During the Singapore Airshow, the Corporation will highlight its 50-year history in the region and discuss new areas for partnership and collaboration with its valued customers.

Russia-Belarus Union State Increases Defense Spending in 2014

02/06/2014

The Russia-Belarus Union State will allocate 3.2 billion rubles ($91.5 million) in 2014 for joint military, defense industry and security projects, the body’s top official said Wednesday. The supranational entity spent only 1.3 billion rubles on defense and security from a 2.5bln-ruble budget assigned for this purpose last year, State Secretary of the Russia-Belarus Union State Grigory Rapota said.

Russian Combat Jet Trainer to Perform at Singapore Air Show

02/06/2014

Russia’s new Yak-130 combat trainer will take part in demonstration flights at the Singapore Air Show next month, a government agency said Wednesday. According to the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation will also showcase models of Su-35 and T-50 fighter jets as well as several civilian aircraft: the Sukhoi Superjet 100, MS-21 and Be-200.

Turkey’s new carrier alters eastern Mediterranean energy and security calculus

02/05/2014

In late December 2013, Turkey took a major step in altering the naval balance in the eastern Mediterranean by contracting the construction of a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship that can function as an aircraft carrier, potentially providing Turkey an unprecedented measure of sea control in the region.

BAE set to team up with French on UAVs

02/05/2014

They will be teaming up with the french after a £120m deal was signed by Prime Minister David Cameron and French President, Francois Hollande for a two year unmanned systems feasibility study. France has been researching its own drone-style aircraft and BAE has already produced its Taranis unmanned air vehicle at Warton. It has also been conducting test flights of a Jetstream aircraftwhich can operate without a pilot. Warton is expected to be the centre of the new collaboration.

Inside the F-35: The Challenges

02/05/2014

Since the Pentagon chose the F-35, the program has run into delays, huge extra costs, and lots of concerns about the jets themselves. In 2020, 18 of these new fighter jets will land at the Vermont Air National Guard. Hard to believe but the Pentagon started working on a new fighter jet 17-years ago.

Tejas Set to Begin High-altitude Trials

02/05/2014

The Final Operational Clearance (FOC) campaign of Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is set to gain momentum with the high altitude trials scheduled this week in Leh. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) Director P S Subramanyam told Express on Tuesday that during the Leh trials, the aircraft engine would be started at lower than -10 degree Celsius.

Turkish-Syrian fighter-jet dogfights reported near border

02/05/2014

Turkey has continued to intercept Syrian warplanes. Officials said Syria and Turkey have engaged in dogfights over their mutual border. They said the confrontations have focused on control of the air space over northern Syria, which contains Al Qaida militias. “The Syrians are increasingly using their air defense systems to threaten Turkish fighter-jets,” an official said.

India, Dassault Rafale Deal Appears Stalled

02/05/2014

Negotiations over the multibillion dollar deal to sell 126 Dassault Rafale jets to India have stalled, according to Indian Defence Ministry sources, who say the sticking point involves issues governing license-production of the jets at state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).

Russian designers may develop new aircraft carrier by 2023

02/05/2014

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).

Xi Jinping told Liaoning's captain to get aircraft carrier ship-shape soon

02/05/2014

A Communist Party magazine has revealed concerns expressed by President Xi Jinping during his inspection of China's first aircraft carrier in August. Xi's visit to the ship was widely covered by mainland media, but until yesterday what he discussed with the Liaoning's commander had not been reported.

Airbus Mulls India Assembly for C295 Aircraft in Military Pitch

02/05/2014

Airbus Group NV (AIR), aiming to pitch its C295 plane to the Indian Air Force, said it may set up a local assembly line for the military transport aircraft as it seeks to boost business outside the U.S. and Europe. The planemaker will bid for the Indian contract next month, Christian Scherer, head of marketing and sales at Airbus Defense & Space, said by e-mail. India, the world’s largest arms importer, invited bids last year for 56 transport planes to replace its aging fleet of Avro aircraft.

U.S Air Force Selects Lockheed Martin To Provide Software That Integrates Air Operations & Missile Defense Assets

02/05/2014

Lockheed Martin is developing a software planner that integrates air operations and missile defense systems, giving the Air Force the ability to “see” and better understand dynamic global situations. The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth approximately $8 million to provide an air and missile defense planner that will be integrated into the U.S. Air Force Air Operations Center.

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.