Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Our Aircraft Carriers Are Not Sitting Ducks

08/05/2014

The U.S. Navy is greatly endangered by the global proliferation of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles. Some analysts, like Dennis Gormley, Andrew Erickson, and Jingdong Yuan at the National Defense University, say U.S. aircraft carriers in the western Pacific are sitting ducks for communist China’s missiles, especially their CM-400AKG Mach 5.5 Wrecker cruise missile and their DF-21 ballistic missile, dubbed “the carrier killer.” They are wrong.

ANALYSIS: India's air force modernisation challenge

08/05/2014

The modernisation of the Indian air force is massive in scale and hugely expensive, but should deliver capability that will put the service at the forefront of any future conflict. At the beginning of this decade New Delhi embarked on a modernisation of the Indian air force on an unprecedented scale. The process is under way as part of the long-term integrated perspective plan, which spans a period of 15 years from 2012.

Sukhoi to sign another contract with India on FGFA

08/05/2014

Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft manufacturer plans to sign another contract with India in the framework of the joint project for the construction of a fifth generation multipurpose combat jet, Alexander Klementyev, a Sukhoi deputy director general told Itar-Tass. “We hope the contract [for experimental design works] will be signed soon,” he said.

The Cold War is back: Russian, US and British combat jets are once again engaging in games of “chicken” in the skies

08/05/2014

The Cold War brinkmanship between Russia, NATO and the United States is back with military aircraft once again playing their deadly game of “chicken” in the skies. The latest incident at the weekend — involving a US “electronic intelligence” surveillance jet flying in what the US insists was international airspace over the Baltic Sea — is just one of an apparently escalating series of probe, counter-probe and mid-sky standoff. Such aerial bravado has been rare since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Lockheed Martin Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb Achieves Objectives in Marine Corps Training Exercises

08/05/2014

Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb (DMLGB) was successfully employed during recent U.S. Marine Corps weapons and tactics instructor training. During the training exercises at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, AV-8B Harrier aircrews released 19 GBU-12F/B DMLGB weapons. The weapons were released in tactically representative engagements, and used various targeting modes against fixed targets.

Ukraine crisis: Russia boosts air force near border

08/04/2014

Russia's defence ministry has announced it is holding military exercises this week involving 100 aircraft in the west of the country near the Ukraine border. A spokesman said fighter jets, helicopters and the latest bombers would take part in the operation. Every time Russia announces a new round of military exercises it is seen as a show of strength in the conflict with Ukraine, a BBC correspondent says.

Islamic State builds forces, targets for Baghdad bomb attacks

08/04/2014

The al Qaeda offshoot terrorizing Iraq is in the process of consolidating territorial gains and increasing the target list in Baghdad, a U.S. official and defense analysts say. But at this point, the Islamic State army of Sunni extremists does not have the capacity to take Baghdad, where a huge Shiite population and stiffer Iraqi forces defend the capital.

U.S. Continues Testing Surveillance Plane in Singapore Exercise

08/04/2014

A U.S. surveillance plane is joining Singapore’s military in exercises as the navy tests the aircraft’s capabilities after the Pentagon found it ineffective at some tasks. The P-8A Poseidon, a Boeing Co. 737-800 modified with radar and sensors, is conducting anti-submarine and surface warfare sorties as part of the CARAT Singapore maneuvers that end Aug. 8, according to mission commander Lieutenant Commander Colette Lazenka.

US: Spy plane flew over Swedish airspace to avoid Russian military

08/04/2014

The U.S. military acknowledged Sunday that an Air Force spy plane slipped into Swedish airspace without permission last month to avoid a possible encounter with a Russian aircraft. The statement by Navy Capt. Gregory Hicks confirms widespread published reports alleging the July 18 incident.

Airstrike Near U.N. School Kills 10, Gaza Officials Say

08/04/2014

As Israel began to redeploy significant numbers of its troops away from populated areas of Gaza on Sunday, an Israeli Air Force missile struck near the entrance of a United Nations school sheltering displaced Gazans in Rafah, killing 10 people and wounding 35 others. Even as Israel moved unilaterally to reduce military contact with Palestinians on the ground in Gaza, while waiting to see how the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad would respond, it continued to fight around Rafah,

ran's elite Guards fighting in Iraq to push back Islamic State

08/04/2014

In early July, hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of Kamal Shirkhani in Lavasan, a small town northeast of the Iranian capital Tehran. The crowd carried the coffin past posters which showed Shirkhani in the green uniform of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and identified him as a colonel.

Companies Show Move Toward Increased R&D Funding

08/04/2014

Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall last summer challenged defense firms to spend more of their money on internal research-and-development (IRAD) projects. Kendall’s comments sparked widespread debate and divided the defense industry into two camps: one that believed internal investments would spur future government business, and another that believed it could all be a colossal waste of money and time without detailed guidance of where to invest.

Islamic State Seizes Control Over Iraq’s Largest Dam

08/04/2014

The Islamic State militants have seized control of Iraq’s biggest dam, an oilfield and three more towns in the country’s north on Sunday, Reuters has reported, citing witnesses. Concerns grow that the terrorists could use the dam to flood major Iraqi cities or deprive them of water. The militants on Sunday seized the towns of Wana and Sinjar.

Donetsk Militia Says Ukrainian Su-25 Fighter Plane Shot Down

08/04/2014

Independence supporters in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said Sunday they can confirm having downed a Ukrainian Su-25 fighter plane. “It [plane] is lying between the towns of Yenakiyevo and Makiivka [Donetsk Region],” a spokesman for militia told RIA Novosti, adding that a search for the pilot is ongoing. In this area in eastern Ukraine, an intensive fighting between militia and security troops is underway. Ukraine’s military is using aircraft against independence supporters.

Gaza Strip School Housing Refugees Bombed, Leaving 20 Dead

08/03/2014

Gaza Strip refugees who found housing in a school were bombed, leaving 20 dead and more than 100 wounded. The artillery shells struck the school around 5 a.m., and most of the dead were young men gathering for prayer at dawn. A classroom where women and children were sleeping was also struck. A refugee recounts that people were torn to pieces, and witnesses recall Gaza youth picking up body parts in preparation for burial.

Syria villagers drive out Islamic State jihadists

08/03/2014

Four days of fighting left nine IS fighters, three tribesmen and five civilians dead, UK-based Syrian opposition activists say. The jihadists' actions in the Ashara area had bred resentment locally, another activist based in Turkey said. In neighbouring Iraq, IS fighters fought Kurdish forces at Zumar. IS is dedicated to building an Islamist state in Syria and Iraq.

These Reports Signal The Beginning Of The End For ISIS In Iraq

08/03/2014

Residents of Iraq's second-largest city, which has been under the control of ISIS since early June, have reportedly started clashing with militants, Tim Arango reports for The New York Times. They're chafing under the brutal rule of an organization too extreme even for Al Qaeda. But ISIS's assault on the region's cultural heritage has been particular cause for local alienation from the group.

K-MAX cargo drone home from Afghanistan, headed to storage

08/03/2014

The Marines’ unmanned cargo chopper is headed for storage now that its time in combat is over. The K-MAX, a 6,000-pound aircraft built by Lockheed Martin, has returned home, the company announced July 24. Since 2011, the Marines used two of the drone helicopters to move gear and supplies around the combat zone in Afghanistan, carrying more than 4.5 million pounds of cargo and conducting thousands of delivery missions, according to a Lockheed release.

Royal Jordanian ‘suspends Baghdad flights’ over security fears

08/03/2014

Jordan’s national carrier on Saturday suspended flights to the Iraqi capital for security reasons, an airline official said. “Royal Jordanian suspended its flights to Baghdad today because of the security situation,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The airline was closely monitoring developments in Iraq and may extend the suspension of flights, added the source.

Modified UAVs raise concerns for infantry

08/03/2014

The next big threat to American forces might be a flying IED. Officials are worried that proliferation of drone and improvised bomb technology means something as amateurish and cheap as a remote control plane could be turned into a low-tech but deadly weapon.

Russian Jets Fly Over Ukraine as Probe Continues

08/03/2014

Russian jets were flying over its former Soviet Union states as international monitors started their investigation on the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. Lithuania's Defense Ministry said a Russian aircraft was recorded "flying without a pre-agreed schedule" in waters near Estonia on Friday by NATO jets stationed in Lithuanian air base, Bloomberg reported, quoting its spokeswoman Viktorija Cieminyte.

Russian Navy unveils counterpart to American P-8 Poseidon aircraft

08/03/2014

The anti-submarine Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft is based on a model that has demonstrated its effectiveness for decades. The modernized plane has a sophisticated targeting system and will significantly increase the combat capability of Russia’s Northern Fleet.

JAS 39 Gripen will meet Air Force’s multirole combat aircraft needs

08/03/2014

“And after the F/A-50s, we are hoping that we will soon acquire our first modern fighter aircraft,” Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in earlier report. It is also known that coming 12 FA-50 Philippine version will act as the country’s trainer and main fighter jets for the meantime, until PAF pilots have gained enough experience in flying supersonic jets and enough budget to acquire more capable and sophisticated aircraft.

Michigan National Guard to conduct Operation Northern Strike

08/02/2014

Aircraft from more than a dozen military units will be operating in northern Michigan over the next several weeks as part of a major training exercise organized by the Michigan National Guard. More than 5,000 Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors will participate in the third annual Operation Northern Strike exercise, based primarily at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.

Sunk Costs: New Carriers Commit UK To Buy Escorts & F-35Bs, Says 1st Sea Lord

08/02/2014

65,000-ton ships are hard to turn around, and they can drag a lot else in their wake. That’s the $10.4 billion (£6.2 billion) bet the Royal Navy has placed on its controversial program to build two new aircraft carriers. While a third smaller than American nuclear carriers, the ships’ costs have grown so much that the British government is considering temporarily mothballing the second ship, HMS Prince of Wales, as soon as it’s complete.