Military Aviation News Archive
01/14/2014
The MQ-5B Hunter, which is currently deployed supporting contingency operations across the globe, provides warfighters with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA), communications relay and weapons delivery.
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01/12/2014
The Western arms embargo against China (because of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre) continues to provide evidence of being more evaded than complied with. Major military exporters like France and Germany are leading the way. European firms are particularly eager to drop the embargo and some, like France, are basically ignoring it. This is done most frequently by disregarding the installation of dual-use Western equipment in Chinese weapons systems.
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01/12/2014
Dassault Aviation has secured the F3 R standard development contract for the RAFALE combat aircraft while French Defense Minister Jean- Yves Le Drian visited its main facility. Negotiations were finalized with the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on December 30, with the contract estimated about 1 billion euros.
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01/12/2014
Russia has taken the first steps toward establishing its first air base in Belarus, but questions remain over how much Moscow will have to pay for the privilege.
Last month, four Russian Su-27 fighter jets and their support personnel arrived at the Baranovichi air base, near Belarus's borders with Poland and Lithiania (both NATO members). The move is part of a plan to set up a Russian fighter jet regiment, likely at another base in Belarus, by 2015. RIA Novosti writes that the new base would
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01/12/2014
Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' much-talked about memoir includes a chapter in which he relives bitter clashes with Air Force officials over nuclear weapon screw-ups, drone deployments and funding for the F-22 fighter aircraft. The showdown culminated in June 2008 with the firing of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley.
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01/12/2014
A global ranking shows that China is developing its air power faster than any other country in the world, propelled in part by its newest jet fighters and special mission military aircraft, according to a Chinese news source. The online news website - Xin Lang Jun Shi (Sina Military) - cited a 2013-2014 world air power report published by U.K.-based weekly "Flight International."
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01/11/2014
The question has long vexed defense analysts, as the projected costs of fighters seem to expand even faster than those of other military hardware. Some of the reasons include the ever-increasing gulf between civilian and military technology, a gulf that demands extra specialization on the part of engineers, equipment, and workforce.
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01/11/2014
A new program enables controllers and combat aircrews to visualize, select and employ guided weapons from a diverse set of airborne platforms, an instructor told the DARPA Congressional Tech Showcase here yesterday. Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Short, an instructor at the Marine Corps Aviation Weapons School, Yuma, Ariz., describes DARPA’s Persistent Close Air Support program as precise and prompt with its digital air-to-ground coordination and shared situational awareness.
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01/11/2014
The type of U.S. Navy helicopter that crashed Wednesday near Norfolk, Va., killing at least two personnel, breaks down frequently and may be more accident-prone than other kinds of military helicopters, according to interviews and safety data. An MH-53E Sea Dragon crashed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean, about 20 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, during a training mission. Four of the five crew members were pulled from the frigid water. Two later died and a pilot remains missing.
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01/11/2014
France planned to invest 1 billion euro (1.364 billion U.S. dollars) in a bid to upgrade the Rafale combat aircraft enough to snatch deals and cope with a fierce competition, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday. "It is a clear sign of our commitment to invest in the Rafale... to have better international level. It is also a guarantee to offer for a long term products that meet the requirements of export," the minister said.
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01/11/2014
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $13.3 million Foreign Military Sales contract in November from the U.S. Air Force to support additional integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto the Finnish Air Force F-18C/D aircraft. This third contract for Finland includes wind tunnel models and test support, software development completion, logistics support and engineering documentation. All work under this contract will be completed by third quarter 2016.
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01/11/2014
A naval task force led by Russia’s largest warship has passed through the English Channel on its way to the Mediterranean, a Russian military official said on Friday. The group carried out naval aviation exercises while passing close to UK territorial waters, Captain 2nd Class Yevgeny Kirillov said.
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01/11/2014
Roketsan is one of Turkish major weapons manufacturer and defense contractor. The company was established in 1988 with the supports of Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee in order to strengthen country's defense industry capacity. Roketsan is developing Cirit , a laser-guided 70 mm rocket system which is set to equip the Turkish Army's T-129 Atak, AH-1P Cobra and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters with low-cost precision strike capabilities.
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01/10/2014
A U.S. military plane has crashed in eastern Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of three Americans. There are no indications that the aircraft was brought down by enemy fire, said a defense official. “International Security Assistance Force service members and one ISAF civilian died following an aircraft mishap in eastern Afghanistan today,” said a statement released by NATO in Afghanistan.
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01/10/2014
The first ever Air Reserve Component combat delivery Association between the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard is ending. As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the 107th Air Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard relinquished their KC-135 aircraft and became the 107th Airlift Wing. It was decided by the Department of Defense and the Air Force that the 107th would associate with the Air Force Reserve's 914th Airlift Wing.
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01/10/2014
A state-of-the-art new radar has moved another step closer to be installed on a fighter jet built in Lancashire. Work is underway on modifications and upgrades to a Typhoon development aircraft, named IPA5, as part of a programme to integrate an electronically-scanning radar, the E-scan radar.
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01/10/2014
With national elections looming in India, speculation is growing that contracts for the long-delayed medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), as well as the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), could soon be signed. However, the MMRCA pact might cover only the supply of 18 Dassault Rafale aircraft from the French production line, leaving further negotiations for the remaining 108 required to be concluded by the new government.
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01/10/2014
A report in the Russia and India Report takes a fascinating look at the role of the twin-fin Sukhoi-30 MKI air superiority fighters in the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) combat strategy. The Su-30 MKI is an eminently versatile fighter that is capable of meeting the IAF’s evolving needs, particularly in the context of a nightmare scenario involving a two-front war with Pakistan and China.
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01/10/2014
Saab is a relatively small aerospace company, employing almost 14,000 personnel with sales of £2.25 billion in 2012: it is a David among Goliaths. And yet, as 2013 drew to a close it was announced that Brazil plans to buy 36 Saab Gripen fighter aircraft.The world fighter aircraft market is dominated by a few large firms from the USA, Europe and Russia. Among them are Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Eurofighter (producing the F-15; F-16; F-18; F-35; and Typhoon aircraft).
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01/10/2014
Notwithstanding the financial constraints, the defence ministry has been on a drive to procure and upgrade military assets over the last five years for which it spent a whopping amount of Rs 3.25 lakh crore. The ministry procured and upgraded a large number of military equipment for the armed forces including nuclear submarines, special operations transport aircraft and fighter planes.
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01/10/2014
Lockheed Martin received two production contracts on Dec. 19 totaling $449 million from the U.S. Air Force for continued production of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and the Extended Range (ER) variant. The Lot 11 and Lot 12 contracts include production of 340 baseline missiles and 100 ER missiles. The contracts also include systems engineering, logistics support, tooling and test equipment.
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01/10/2014
The Royal Air Force Typhoon Display Team will display daily at the show, with Flight Lieutenant Jamie Norris taking Eurofighter Typhoon to the skies once again following a fun-packed season showcasing its performance throughout 2013, with the most recent at the Al Ain Aerobatic Show.
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01/09/2014
Tinker AFB Airmen will update ground maintenance and mission planning software in support of a new Air Force contract that will increase the B-52 Stratofortress's "smart-weapons" capacity by 50 percent. The $24.6 million agreement stipulates that Boeing will develop a modification to existing weapon launchers so the aircraft can carry smart weapons in the bomb bay, which will enable aircrews to use the B-52's entire weapons capacity.
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01/09/2014
Military experts describe China's arms race as a global military force following China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning returning to its home port of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province on January 1, completing a 37 day scientific and training mission in the South China Sea.
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01/09/2014
Nearly 4,500 active-duty military members work for the wing, which includes a separate base at nearby RAF Feltwell, supported by nearly 2,000 British and US civilians. The base is home to F-15 fighter planes, the US Air Forces in Europe’s (USAFE) only F-15 fighter wing.
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