Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Weapons: Make It So

12/05/2013

Putting a new missile or bomb on a warplane is not a simple process. It takes months, or years if there are problems. There’s lots of opportunities for problems. The process begins with lots of calculations that determine, in theory, if the new weapon will fit on the aircraft and be able to operate safely and effectively. There is software for this.

‘War Eagles’ forge another first

12/05/2013

The day after Thanksgiving saw the VP-16 “War Eagles” become the Navy’s first operational P-8A Poseidon squadron to deploy overseas – when the first two of its six aircraft took off from NAS Jacksonville for Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. “I’m truly excited about leading the Navy’s first operational P-8A Poseidon deployment.

America’s Military at a Crossroads

12/05/2013

More than a decade after initiating the “War on Terror,” along with invasions and occupations that brought regime change to both Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington’s defense planners face the arduous task of refocusing America’s military towards the threats of the future: defeating anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) weapons and strategies that are quickly being adopted by nations and non-state actors alike.

DSCA Approves Sale of 14 Chinooks to S. Korea

12/05/2013

A $151 million deal for 14 Boeing CH-47D Chinook cargo helicopters to South Korea has gotten the green light from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). Released under the Foreign Military Sales program, the Dec. 3 DSCA notification said the aircraft will be sold and transferred to South Korea incrementally once the US Army begins taking receipt of new-production CH-47F model aircraft, a process estimated to begin in the January time frame.

Pentagon focused on weapons, data fusion as F-35 nears combat use

12/05/2013

Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is making good progress as it nears initial combat use by the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015, but the company must still finalize the software needed to deliver weapons and fuse data from its many sensors, the Pentagon's F-35 program chief told Reuters on Wednesday.

‘Absolute killer’ air-to-air missile readied for Russian 5G fighter jet

12/04/2013

Russia is finalizing an advanced air engagement system combining “fire-and-forget” guidance and “single-shot kill” ability within a single air-to-air missile. The system aims to frustrate any missile evasion maneuvers enabling a target to escape. The K-77M air-to-air missile with this advanced guidance system will be fitted on to the fifth-generation fighter jet PAK-FA (advanced frontline aircraft system, also codenamed T-50) and it will start to be delivered to the Russian Air Force by 2017.

Northrop Grumman Begins On-Time Production of First NATO Global Hawk

12/04/2013

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Moss Point, Miss., Unmanned Systems Center started production of the first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Block 40 Global Hawk aircraft, enhanced to meet NATO operational requirements.

USN's P-8A Poseidon reaches IOC, leaves on inaugural operational deployment

12/04/2013

The US Navy's (USN's) P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft programme has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with the inaugural deployment of two aircraft on 29 November and their subsequent arrival at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, on 1 December.

AERO Vodochody Aerospace in talks over sale of jet fighters

12/04/2013

Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody Aerospace says it is party to negotiations between the Ministry of Defense and Draken International for the sale of its jets. Draken is a U.S. firm that provides tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services for customers such as the U.S. military for airborne adversary support, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, and testing services.

China's aircraft carrier combat taskforce is still unfledged

12/04/2013

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning ship, sailed out from a military port in Qingdao of east China's Shandong province to the South China Sea on the morning of November 26, accompanied by the guided missile destroyers "Shenyang" and "Shijiazhuang", the guided missile frigates "Yantai" and "Weifang" of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN). The Liaoning ship and its accompanying warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait into the South China Sea on November 28.

It’s official: Hill Air Force Base receiving new F-35 fighter jets

12/04/2013

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced Utah will be the home for the Air Force’s first operational F-35A Lightning IIs, the controversial fighter jet. The announcement was not unexpected. The U.S. Air Force said in 2010 Hill Air Force Base was a preferred site for the F-35s.

Opinion: Europe Faces Smaller Role Without Next-Gen Fighter

12/04/2013

In the absence of having any next-generation combat aircraft currently under development, Europe faces the risk of strategic downgrading, according to the France-based air and space academy.

Lockheed Martin test pilot talks fighter aircraft innovations in situational awareness, sensor payloads

12/04/2013

Lockheed Martin Test Pilot Billie Flynn opened the second day of the Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montreal with a talk about innovations in military fighter aircraft. The key to pushing the envelope currently is to take the human, who has historically been the limiting factor, out of the equation to push what the aircraft itself can do, Flynn says. The F-22 was the start of that new paradigm.

Russia to Test UAE-Made Drone Next Year

12/04/2013

Russia’s armed forces will conduct test flights of a drone aircraft from the United Arab Emirates early next year, the manufacturer said. The unmanned United 40 Block 5 long-range reconnaissance vehicle will be tested to assess whether it meets the military’s operational needs. The medium-altitude drone can stay airborne for more than 100 hours and can also be equipped with Namrod air-to-surface guided missiles.

Al Raha secures RSAF F-15 maintenance extension

12/04/2013

Riyadh-based Al Raha Group for Technical Services has been awarded an estimated $45m extension of an existing contract for third party logistics, repair and return management services on Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15s.

US calls on China to rescind air defence zone to avoid Japan confrontation

12/03/2013

The US called on China to scrap its newly declared air defence identification zone on Monday, warning that Beijing risked a potentially dangerous confrontation with Japan and its allies at the start of a trip to the region by vice-president Joe Biden. The explicit request for China to “rescind” threats against unannounced aircraft passing over a chain of islands in the East China sea was made by the US just hours after Biden landed in Tokyo ahead of a six-day trip to Japan, China and South Korea

No Chinese military aircraft have entered Taiwan's ADIZ: minister

12/03/2013

No military aircraft from China have entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) since Beijing's recent demarcation of an ADIZ over the East China Sea, Defense Minister Yen Ming said Monday. Part of China's new ADIZ overlaps with Taiwan's, but no Chinese military aircraft have been spotted in Taiwan's air defense zone, Yen said at a hearing in the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Maiduguri attack: Boko Haram ‘incapacitates’ five military aircraft, soldiers kill 24 insurgents – DHQ

12/03/2013

The Nigerian military said on Monday evening that five of its aircraft were ‘incapacitated’ when suspected Boko Haram members attacked an Airforce base in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Soldiers, however, killed 24 of the insurgents in a gun-battle, the defence headquarters said.

Too Close for Comfort? The U.S. Pacific Presence

12/03/2013

In the late 1980s, when it was apparent the Soviet Union was on its last legs, Colin Powell was Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser. One day, he found himself sitting at a table in the Kremlin across from the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. “Ah, General, I’m so sorry,” said Gorbachev, “you’ll have to find a new enemy.”

Image of the Day: Russian PAK FA fighter jet gets new shark camo

12/03/2013

As much as we like the look of the F-22 Raptor (and we certainly do), the Russians have managed to give their own fifth-generation fighter, the PAK FA, a much better paint job. The last time we saw this futuristic aircraft, it was sporting a not-entirely displeasing blue camo color scheme, but this latest one is apparently called "shark camo.

If China's Airspace Grab Turns Violent, Here's How the Dogfight Could Go Down

12/03/2013

Last week China announced a new air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, basically insisting it's in charge of the airspace over the disputed Senkaku Islands claimed by Japan. Japan and the United States said they would not recognize the ID zone and promptly sent in warplanes to underscore the point. U.S. B-52 bombers flew over the Senkakus, practically inviting a Chinese intervention.

Last 'new' Phantom returns to service

12/03/2013

he 82nd Aerial Target Squadron received the last of the "new" QF-4 aerial targets as the Vietnam-era aircraft landed here Nov. 19. The QF-4, Aircraft 68-0599, spent more than 20 years in the Air Force "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., before being brought back to life for one last mission.

Lockheed Martin Showcases New Training Technologies at I/ITSEC 2013

12/03/2013

Lockheed Martin will demonstrate the latest advancements in simulation and training for the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The event, Dec. 2-5, is the world's largest modeling, simulation and training conference.

Russia, US to Hold Joint Military Drill in July

12/03/2013

Russia and the United States will hold a joint military exercise next July, a spokesman for Russia’s Central Military District said Monday. Col. Yaroslav Roshchupkin said the drill, dubbed Atlas Vision 2014, will be held in the Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals.

Syrian warplanes kill 50 in northern rebel town

12/02/2013

Syrian government helicopters dropped barrels full of explosives on a rebel-held town near the northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 50 people in two separate attacks over the weekend, activists said on Sunday. The shelling hit near a bakery in the town of al-Bab, located east of Aleppo, killing at least 24 people, said Rami Abdurrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Akram al-Halabi, a rebel spokesman based in nearby in Aleppo.