Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Saab pulls out of Denmark fighter bidding

07/22/2014

Swedish defence firm Saab has declined to provide a bid for a 30 billion ($4.37 billion) Danish fighter contract while reports indicate that US firm Lockheed Martin is set to land the deal. Three candidates are officially in the running to receive one of Denmark’s biggest public purchases of all time when the military purchases new fighter jets by July 1st 2015.

“All flights, including Malaysian B777, were being escorted by Ukrainian Su-27 Flanker jets over Eastern Ukraine”

07/22/2014

There are still too many unanswered questions about the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over eastern Ukraine on Jul. 17, 2014. Among them, one of the most important deals with the possible error made by the operator inside the SA-11 “Gadfly” (“Buk”) TELAR (transporter erector launcher and radar) who did fire one or more missiles against a civilian plane.

Why the Ukraine separatists screwed up: Badly organized insurgents can’t master complex weapons systems

07/22/2014

For many people, “nonstate actors” are supposed to be ill-equipped militias, warlord bands or Vietcong insurgents in black pajamas. Because they lack sophisticated weapons, so the common assumption goes, they resort to irregular guerilla tactics. But if they somehow got modern precision weapons, it is often argued, they would quickly become a grave danger to state militaries like the Americans’ – or the Ukrainians.

Russian Navy gets analogue of P-8 Poseidon aircraft

07/22/2014

The Russian Navy is now equipped with a modernised Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft, designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines. The plane is equipped with a conceptually new targeting system and is another example of how platforms long used by the army and navy have been given a new lease of life after modernisation.

War Zones Don't Deter Some Carriers

07/22/2014

Four days after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, the carrier and other major airlines are still flying over war zones, underscoring how crucial that airspace is to the industry. Airlines have discretion to plan flight routes along airways they think are safe, but rely on governments to issue warnings if they deem airspace unsafe.

Airbus Seeks Pan-European Drone Pact to Challenge Taranis

07/22/2014

Airbus Group NV (AIR) said it favors a pan-European deal on military drones after an Anglo-French agreement from which it’s excluded received government backing and the U.K.’s Taranis model began testing stealth technology. A bilateral approach to developing a combat drone that could succeed aircraft such as the Eurofighter ignores both the capabilities of other countries and the success of more inclusive aerospace programs.

Experts: Don't Bet on Revival of 2nd F-35 Engine

07/21/2014

The revival of the Pentagon’s storied F-35 alternative engine program is unlikely despite a US Senate panel raising that possibility, experts say. Finding billions of dollars for such an effort within the Pentagon’s already capped budget would prove a herculean task, particularly if sequestration caps return in 2016, these experts say.

Russia conducts aerial exercises over Finland

07/21/2014

Russian military aircraft will be patrolling Finnish airspace Sunday and Monday as part of annual Open Skies exercises. The military drills will also see the Russians conduct surveillance runs in Estonia.

Russia led missile attack on Malaysia plane

07/21/2014

Ukrainian officials said “irrefutable evidence” proves that Russia’s military operated the missile system that blew a Malaysia Airlines jet from the sky, killing 298 people. “This terrorist act was committed with the help of the Russian Federation. We know clearly that the crew of this system were Russian citizens,” Vitaly Naida, Ukraine’s chief of counterintelligence, told reporters on Saturday.

Weapons School students get first look at upgraded B-1s

07/21/2014

For the first time students from the U.S. Air Force Weapons School got to fly with the newly upgraded Sustainment Block-16 B-1B Lancer during the student's Integration Phase (IT) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Airmen from the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron here brought the B-1B to Nellis AFB, allowing weapons school students hands-on time with the new technology.

China Spy Ship Lurks as Vessels Join U.S. in Naval Drill

07/21/2014

China sent a surveillance vessel to waters off Hawaii even as the country participated for the first time in the world’s largest international naval exercise led by the U.S. The auxiliary general intelligence ship is outside U.S. territorial seas, yet within the 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, Captain Darryn James, chief spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

Despite Opposition, US War Funding Likely To Pass

07/21/2014

Republicans and Democrats showed a rare display of bipartisanship last week when members of both parties criticized the Pentagon’s $58.6 billion war budget request, but experts say Congress will likely approve the measure. US lawmakers directed the majority of their frustration at a$5 billion White House request for the newly created counterterrorism partnership fund.

There's a technical fix to ensure civilian airliners aren't shot down

07/21/2014

The awful crash of Malaysian Flight 17 in the Ukraine combat zone seems likely to have been caused by a long-range surface-to-air missile. At this writing, who launched the missile remains undetermined. Regardless of who's guilty - why is a modern software-driven weapon capable of striking a civilian jet in the first place? All commercial airliners send out transponder signals that identify them as civilian. In most cases, what's employed is a protocol called Mode C, which is not used by militar

India's 20-Year Late LCA Faces Fresh Delays

07/21/2014

India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-1, already 20 years late, likely will miss its final operational clearance (FOC) deadline set for the end of 2014, an Indian Air Force source said. In the run-up to the FOC stage, handling tests are being performed on only one aircraft while the remaining five are still in production. Ideally, handling flight tests should be performed on at least six aircraft to ascertain their operational readiness, the source said.

NATO: Russia’s accusations – setting the record straight

07/20/2014

NATO’s main public website published rebuttal of a series of russian accusations against NATO which are based on misrepresentations of the facts. Here is document that sets the record straight.

Japan eyes buying Ospreys as US looks to expand fleet to mainland

07/20/2014

Japan’s defense ministry wants funding to purchase Osprey aircraft starting next year, with the addition of more than a dozen tilt-rotor aircraft over the next few years, despite homegrown protests and concerns regarding the aircraft’s safety. During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera lauded the ability and performance of the controversial helicopter-airplane hybrid in the Philippines, where it was used extensively in typhoon relief operations.

Ukraine Says It Can Prove Russia Supplied Arms System That Felled Jet

07/20/2014

The Ukrainian government said on Saturday that it had proof that Russia had provided the surface-to-air missile system that shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 298 people aboard. That claim came as officials from Malaysia and the Netherlands pleaded for politics to be put aside so they could recover their dead, still lying in a field in a war zone.

Palestinian death toll from Israeli offensive in Gaza climbs to 330

07/20/2014

At least 330 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, have died and 2,400 others have been wounded since Israel launched a major military offensive in the Gaza Strip 12 days ago, medical sources told Efe. The number of people killed has risen sharply since the Israeli army escalated its "Operation Protective Edge," a campaign of massive air raids and naval barrages intended to stop rocket attacks from Gaza, by launching a ground invasion Thursday night.

Farnborough Airshow: Inside the F-35 Lightning II - the invisible fighter jet

07/20/2014

It is practically invisible, it gives the pilot a 360 degree vision and it has the most powerful fighter engine in the world. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Britain's £70 million stealth jet, is an "infinitesimally small” single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft. “I see everything that happens, 360 degrees around me, at astonishing distances,” said Billy Flynn, F-35 Lightning II pilot.

Modi govt clears private sector entry into military transport aircraft project

07/20/2014

Signaling the end of defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics' monopoly in the domestic aerospace arena, the Modi government on Saturday gave the formal nod for the Indian private sector to tie up with a foreign collaborator to supply 56 transport aircraft to the IAF. TOI on Wednesday had reported that the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by defence minister Arun Jaitley, would clear the proposed Rs 13,000 crore project in its meeting on Saturday.

F-35 fighters flying again at Nellis

07/19/2014

F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets that had been grounded at Nellis Air Force Base resumed flying Friday. Nellis spokeswoman 1st Lt. Sarah Ruckriegle said the four F-35s assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron were cleared to return to the skies after the nation’s fleet was grounded earlier this month following a June 23 fire in one in Florida.

Restored "Nighthawk" F-117 Returns To Holloman

07/19/2014

History was made once again as crews with the 49th Maintenance Squadron returned the famed F-117 Nighthawk to the Holloman Heritage Park. The completely restored aircraft takes its place in the park following a 4-month restoration project. "After sitting in the New Mexican sun exposed to wind, snow, rain and birds the F-117 had begun to look extremely shabby," said Jim Burrett, 49th Wing historian.

Indian Air Force using World War-II era lighting system at Leh airbase: CAG

07/19/2014

Indian Air Force uses a World War-II era lighting system for the landing of fighter and transport aircraft at the Leh airbase at night due to lack of any facility for advanced airfield lighting, CAG pointed out today. The government auditor has found that IAF was using solar gooseneck flares for running flight operations at night at Leh airbase.

USAF test flights first RMP modified F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft

07/19/2014

The US Air Force (USAF) has successfully completed the first flight of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft upgraded with the new APG-82(V)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. Around 47 F-15E fighter aircraft belonging to the 389th and 391st Fighter Squadrons are scheduled to be fitted with the radar by 2017.

Should passenger jets have missile defense systems?

07/19/2014

When a plane like Malaysia Airline Flight 17 is suddenly dropped from the sky by a missile attack launched from a vehicle no larger than a tank, the temptation is to look for the technology that will protect airline passengers from such threats. So should we be equipping commercial passenger planes with missile defense systems?