Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

What if there’s a real war in Ukraine

08/11/2014

Russia and the West are at war – over fruits, veggies, meat and bank loans. The cause is Ukraine, a vast emptiness formerly unknown to the western world, but now deemed a vital national security interest worthy of risking a very scary war. Economic embargoes such as those launched by the US against Russia may seem relatively harmless. They are not. Trade sanctions are a form of strategic warfare that is sometimes followed by bullets and shells.

U.S. Conducts Four More Airstrikes in Iraq to Defend Yazidis

08/11/2014

The U.S. military launched four airstrikes Saturday in northern Iraq designed to defend members of the Yazidi religious minority who were coming under attack from Islamic extremists, U.S. officials said. American aircraft also conducted a third airdrop of food and water for thousands of Yazidis stranded on Mount Sinjar, officials said. One C-17 and two C-130 aircraft dropped 3,800 gallons of drinking water and 16,128 meals, and were supported by U.S. fighter aircraft.

Australian military ‘back-up’ in Iraq not ruled out, defence minister confirms

08/11/2014

Australia will not rule out providing military “back-up assistance” to the US in Iraq, the defence minister, David Johnston, has confirmed. The Australian government’s initial focus is on humanitarian airlifts to provide food and water drops to people stranded on Mount Sinjar, but Johnston left the door open to a future role, saying right-minded countries could not “just sit back and watch atrocities unfold on their nightly television without taking some action”.

Hostage: Virtual training needed to address limits of Red Flag

08/11/2014

As fifth-generation fighters outgrow the Air Force’s premiere combat training exercise, the service should look to virtual training for pilots to test the limits of the F-22 and F-35, the outgoing head of Air Combat Command said. Red Flag exercises, held four times a year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, train more than 27,000 people who fly or support air operations of 1,200 aircraft and 20,000 sorties each year, according to the base.

China’s military provocation in the Pacific an accident waiting to happen

08/11/2014

Admiral Harry Harris, the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, has a reputation as a plain-spoken American military leader. In a long discussion with The Weekend Australian in his Hawaiian office this week, Harris amply fulfilled this high accolade. To render some of the take-outs in their starkest form: Harris thinks China is engaging in destabilising and provocative conduct at sea. He is worried that this could lead to an incident which escalates dangerously.

U.S. launches second wave of airstrikes in Iraq

08/11/2014

U.S. warplanes made a second wave of airstrikes Friday in northern Iraq against the militants who have besieged a religious group and threatened the city of Irbil, a Pentagon official said. Rear Adm. John Kirby, spokesman for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, said the second wave of strikes used a drone to attack a mortar position while four FA-18 fighter-attack planes hit a seven-vehicle convoy outside Irbil.

Kurdish Forces Take Back Two Towns Occupied by Militants in Iraq – Reports

08/11/2014

Kurdish forces have regained control of two towns in northern Iraq seized by Islamic State militants, Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday. "The Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) have liberated Makhmur and Gwer," Peshmerga spokesman Halgord Hekmat told AFP. Hekmat said "US aerial support helped” to liberate the towns. Representatives of the regional authorities also confirmed that the Kurdish troops had recaptured the towns following fierce battles.

US Conducts New Airstrikes on Iraqi Extremists – Reports

08/11/2014

The United States conducted four additional airstrikes on positions of Islamic State (IS) militants, who took control of several provinces in Iraq, Associated Press reported Sunday, citing the US military. According to the agency, the operation involved manned and unmanned aircrafts of US Air Force. One truck and several armored vehicles, which reportedly were used by the militants to fight civilians, were destroyed as a result of the airstrikes.

One Nellis aggressor squadron being deactivated

08/10/2014

The next time fighter jets take off from Nellis Air Force Base for a Red Flag air combat exercise, there will be fewer would-be “bad guys” to battle. Up-and-coming pilots who will be flying their first 10 simulated combat missions will face an adversary force that has fewer sparring partners, a sign of the times as the military reduces its planes and personnel and U.S. combat operations wind down in Afghanistan.

Why Obama's campaign in Iraq could require 15,000 troops

08/10/2014

President Obama says it all the time – no combat troops will return to Iraq. But many experts believe it will be extremely hard to achieve Obama’s newly expanded military mission there without more Americans on the ground. “I think the slippery slope analogy is the right one for Iraq right now,” said Barry Posen, director of the Security Studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Super Reaper Ordered

08/10/2014

The U.S. Air Force has ordered 38 MQ-9 Reaper ER UAVs. This is an upgrade of the original MQ-9 design that allows longer endurance(up to 35 hours) by carrying two fuel tanks (one under each wing) that use a new fuel management system that ensures fuel is taken from the main fuel tank and the two external tanks in such a way that the aircraft does not become unbalanced.

US planes, drones conduct more airstrikes in Iraq

08/10/2014

US forces Saturday launched more airstrikes in northern Iraq to defend attacks on Yazidi civilians, the Pentagon said, on the second day of its military campaign. President Barack Obama had announced this week he had authorized US air strikes in part to help break the siege of Mount Sinjar, where fighters from the so-called Islamic State forces have cornered and reportedly threatened to kill thousands of civilian refugees from the Yazidi religious minority.

Australia prepares humanitarian aid as Iraqis face starvation or death at the hands of militants

08/10/2014

Australia's air force could be helping the humanitarian aid effort in Iraq within days, but military action has been all but ruled out. Prime Minister Tony Abbott today revealed US officials had asked for Australia's help. He said two RAAF C130 Hercules aircraft currently stationed in the United Arab Emirates could be dispatched within days.

Ukraine: Rebels Have Shot Down A Ukrainian Military Plane

08/09/2014

The head of NATO called on Russia to "step back from the brink" of war by pulling its troops back from the Ukrainian border and warned further intervention in Ukraine would bring it greater isolation in the world. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the U.S.-led alliance's secretary general, made his call on Thursday during a visit to Ukraine in a show of solidarity after NATO warned of a possible invasion by Russia which, it said, had massed 20,000 troops near the frontier.

More than 100 aircraft, 8 ships ready for Iraq air campaign

08/09/2014

The U.S. has a massive force of ships and aircraft in the Persian Gulf for the air campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq. The first airstrikes against the Islamic State were carried out by two aircraft from the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is in the Persian Gulf along with the amphibious assault ship Bataan; the amphibious dock landing ship Gunston Hall; the cruiser Philippine Sea; and the destroyers Arleigh Burke, O’Kane and Roosevelt, according to the Defense Department.

US military aircraft drop food, water to Iraqis for second night

08/09/2014

U.S. military aircraft dropped humanitarian aid to Iraqis under threat from hardline militants in northern Iraq for the second straight night, the Pentagon said on Friday. "This airdrop was conducted from multiple airbases within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and as with last night, included one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together dropped a total of 72 bundles of supplies," the Pentagon said in a statement released late on Friday.

ANALYSIS: Irkut builds future on Yak-130 and MC-21

08/09/2014

“I believe,” says Oleg Demchenko, “that my grandchildren will fly in the MC-21." It is a bullish statement from the Irkut president and says much about his faith in the longevity and sales prospects for an airliner that has yet to roll out, let alone perform its maiden flight. Still, with a claimed firm backlog of 175 orders and a further 75 aircraft covered by tentative commitments, alongside a programme that has not experienced any disasters over the last 12 months.

Charleston-based C-17 dropped supplies to Iraq refugees

08/09/2014

A C-17 air transport based in Charleston was among three U.S. aircraft that dropped supplies Thursday to Iraqi refugees trapped on a mountain in northern Iraq, the Pentagon confirmed Friday. The S.C.-based plane dropped fresh drinking water to the refugees, including Christians and ethnic Yazidis, who had fled advancing forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, terror group.

Two US aircraft conduct strike on ISIS artillery in Iraq: Pentagon

08/09/2014

US fighters dropped bombs on Islamic militants in Iraq Friday, the Pentagon said, carrying out President Barack Obama's promise of military force to counter the advancing militants and confront the threat they pose to Iraqi civilians and Americans still stationed there. Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that two F/A-18 jets dropped 500-pound (227-kilogram) bombs on a piece of artillery and the truck towing it.

As strikes begin in Iraq, many options for Pentagon

08/09/2014

The US campaign against a militant group that has taken control of huge chunks of Iraq has begun. Despite the near-total withdrawal of US ground troops from the country in the past five years, the Pentagon has many options for more airstrikes — and many options on deployment, given the air dominance US forces will have. On Friday morning, Pentagon officials said a pair of F/A-18 Super Hornets had bombed artillery belonging to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISL).

F-16 Fighting Falcon

08/09/2014

The South Dakota Air National Guard is providing two F-16 Fighting Falcon static displays for the Black Hills Community Appreciation Day. The aircraft are assigned to the 175th Fighter Squadron, part of the 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Suggests Resuming MiG-31 Interceptor Aircraft Production

08/09/2014

The production of MiG-31 interceptor aircraft should resume, as they could prove effective for another 15 years, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday. “The aircraft had no rivals. That was the opinion of the Military-Industrial Commission, the Defense Ministry, the industry on the whole and even the State Duma, which used to hold special hearings on the subject of the interceptor. The production should be revived, as the jet is being upgraded.

Russian Arctic Helicopter Ready for Deliveries in 2015 - Source

08/09/2014

Deliveries of the Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopters, a variant of the Mi-8 medium twin-turbine transport helicopter modified for use in the Arctic, may begin as early as next year, Leonid Belykh, managing director of the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP), said Friday.

President Obama approves air strikes, emergency airlift of supplies to Iraq’s northern states

08/08/2014

President Obama has ordered air strikes to protect US interests in the city of Erbil and and prevent the “genocide” of 40,000 Iraqi refugees isolated on a mountain. He told a gathering in Washington DC this morning that he had authorised the targeting of any Islamic State convoy or troop movements in the direction of the northern Kurd city of Erbil which is the location of a US support and training effort.

With Shrinking Budgets, Pentagon Should Rely More on Guard, Reserve Troops

08/08/2014

The release of the 2014 National Defense Panel report landed with a quiet thud last week as most of Washington headed out for August vacations. Much delayed from its original congressionally mandated release three months after the Quadrennial Defense Review, the NDP review seemingly ignored today’s intractable budgetary realties by arguing for an even bigger defense budget. At the same time, it offered few tradeoffs and even fewer creative ideas for building a more efficient military.