Military Aviation News Archive
07/11/2014
In its first major military decision since taking office, the new Indian government is backing the completion of India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier. According to local media outlets, the Narendra Modi government agreed on Wednesday to release funds to complete the construction of the long-delayed Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), the INS Vikrant.
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07/11/2014
Today, the Department of Defense announced an agreement aimed at reducing the price of an F-35 Lightning II 5th generation fighter to the equivalent of today’s 4th generation fighters by the end of the decade. Designated “The Blueprint for Affordability,” the DoD and F-35 industry partners – Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems signed an agreement to implement cost reduction initiatives to lower the production costs of F-35 aircraft.
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07/11/2014
Russian long-range aviation bases are increasing their presence in the Arctic, the press service of the Eastern Military District reported Thursday. "The crews of Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers at the Arctic long-range aviation base in Amur Region, have tripled their flying rate this year. By performing these tasks, the crews gain valuable experience in offline piloting over featureless terrain for a long period of time," the chief of the press service, Colonel Alexander Gordeyev, said.
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07/10/2014
Extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, pose a “clear and imminent threat” to the United States, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday, singling out lawmakers who may have been underwhelmed by his classified testimony on Iraq and Afghanistan from Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
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07/10/2014
The Pentagon is considering under what circumstances it will recommend President Barack Obama authorize the use of a missile-equipped drone to kill the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, CNN has learned. Any such mission to kill al-Baghdadi would have to be approved by Obama, according to several defense officials CNN has spoken to at length.
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07/10/2014
The Canadian military has released details on its new $100 billion wish list for new gear, and it's a revealing look at how the service views the future of war. The laundry list of hardware was released as part of Ottawa’s new procurement strategy, which was hastily installed following the government’s bungling of the F-35 acquisition process.
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07/10/2014
An Air Force report into the crash of a Pave Hawk helicopter in which North Idaho airman Staff Sgt. Afton Ponce was killed concluded Wednesday that bird strikes against the helicopter caused the crash in early January. Ponce was among the four airmen killed when their helicopter crashed on January 7, 2014.
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07/10/2014
Northrop Grumman Corp. has decided to build the next-generation bomber at its Palmdale, Calif., factory if it wins the $50 billion contract, a senior Northrop official told California lawmakers last week. A Northrop win would mean at least 1,500 new jobs in Palmdale and $420 million in tax breaks.
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07/10/2014
Russian-Chinese joint military drills are aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, not threatening alleged enemies, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday during a meeting with students from Beijing University of Foreign Languages.
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07/09/2014
The Pentagon’s costly fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters is grounded, just a week before the military’s jet of the future was to have its coming-out party at two air shows in Great Britain.
The latest problem for the $400 billion program, which is already seven years behind schedule, came after an engine on one of the F-35s caught fire during a June 23 takeoff from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
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07/09/2014
India on Tuesday successfully test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a defence base in Odisha, an official said. It has a range of 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg. The missile was launched from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.
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07/09/2014
A timely report on the UK’s maritime air power capabilities has claimed the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier – officially named on 4 July – is a wise acquisition, based on the strategic advantage the vessel will bring to the nation. The Royal Aeronautical Society’s paper, Current and Future Maritime Air Power for the UK, released on 3 July, says although the design and development have been debated in recent years, it remains an advantage for the UK to possess the HMSQueen Elizabeth.
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07/09/2014
Stephen F. Cohen published an article in The Nation on July 1 entitled “The Silence of American Hawks about Kyiv’s Atrocities.” It makes for an interesting read, though it places virtually all the blame for the distressing crisis in Ukraine on the Ukrainian government and Washington. That situation, however, cannot be painted in the black and white strokes used by Dr. Cohen; there are many shades of gray.
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07/09/2014
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday he had raised a $12 billion fighter jet deal being negotiated by French company Dassault with India’s government during talks with his counterpart in New Delhi, suggesting London has not given up all hope on the giant contract.
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07/09/2014
If you drool at air shows and dream of someday flying in a military jet without having to do any extra push-ups, this might be your chance. A Harrier jump jet goes up for auction later this month, and one lucky new owner could put this former military training plane in the skies again. You’ll just have to ship it over in a container first.
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07/09/2014
Jordan is to arm the six IOMAX Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA) Block 1 precision strike turboprop aircraft that were gifted to the country by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013, a senior company official has confirmed to IHS Jane's . This new capability will allow the BPA aircraft to carry six GBU-58 250 lb precision-guided bombs and/or six AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Additionally, precision strike weapons training will begin immediately for the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF).
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07/09/2014
Deepening its involvement in the crisis in Iraq, Iran has sent three Russian-made attack planes to the Maliki government that could be deployed against the Sunni militants who have wreaked havoc on Iraqi military forces, American and Iraqi officials said Tuesday. Delivery of the Su-25 aircraft, which American officials said had already conducted missions in western and northern Iraq.
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07/09/2014
It appears Ottawa has put on hold its decision to purchase next-generation F-35 fighter jets. It should go one step further and junk the purchase of any new fighters, period – saving $45-billion in the process. Canada does not need fighter aircraft. New Canadian fighters would almost certainly never be involved in serious strike or aerial combat operations and are not required to protect Canada’s populace or sovereignty.
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07/08/2014
Sixteen people were killed and five injured when a Vietnamese military helicopter crashed in the capital Hanoi early Monday during a training exercise, a top military official said. "The plane was carrying 21 people and it crashed during a parachute training exercise, killing 16 and injuring five others," Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, army deputy commander, told AFP.
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07/08/2014
The Iraqi Government is reportedly threatening to cancel a defence agreement with the US over the latter's delay in the supply of fighter jets. Unnamed sources close to Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Sunday Times that he is planning to cancel the strategic framework agreement signed with the US in 2008. "If Maliki revokes the agreement, Obama will see both Russia and Iran step in to fill the gap, especially where military contracts and logistics are concerned," one source said.
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07/08/2014
Raytheon has been awarded a more than $163 million contract to maintain a medium range air-to-air missiles program. Raytheon will provide engineering, program management and contractor logistics support for the AMRAAM central processing unit, Raytheon said Thursday. Raytheon will perform the task in Tucson, Arizona until Jan. 31, 2017.
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07/08/2014
The top US commander in Europe said he will probably need more troops to counter the renewed military threat from Russia that is roiling the far eastern region of Europe. But first he has to persuade the Pentagon to officially halt the US military drawdown that has been underway in his command since the Cold War ended.
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07/08/2014
With a few teeth-clenching exceptions (the Korean War's MiG Alley battles), since 1944, American land, sea and air forces have enjoyed the military and diplomatic benefits of U.S. air superiority. Unfortunately, in 2014 there are strong indications that America's air advantage is diminishing.
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07/08/2014
This month’s U.K. aviation-show extravaganza is shaping up very differently for two new fighter planes at opposite ends of the price spectrum. For the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program at $399 billion—time is running out to prepare for its planned international debut at two upcoming U.K. airshows starting Friday. The F-35 fleet remains grounded in the U.S. as investigators probe the cause of a June 23 engine fire on one of the planes.
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07/08/2014
Defence and security company Saab and FMV have concluded missile integration firings with Gripen and the MBDA Meteor BVRAAM (Beyond Visual-Range Air-to-Air Missile). These latest firings, conducted earlier this year, further verified missile integration with Gripen and validated seeker performance and missile range. This was the last major trials task required to clear the new missile for operational service on the Gripen C/D multi-role fighter.
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