Military Aviation News Archive
05/22/2014
The Indian Air Force's Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme earned its sobriquet of being the 'mother of all procurements' due its cost, pegged at around US $10 billion in 2007. But seven years down the line, and after the selection of the French Rafale post rigorous evaluation trials, the acquisition still remains some distance away.
Read More...
05/22/2014
NewsChannel 3 got a first-hand look at a F-22 Raptor as it did every maneuver in the book, preparing for this year’s Virginia Beach Patriotic Oceanfront Air Show next weekend. “It’s always a ton of fun for me. I get out there. I’ve got a good airplane. The weather was great today. A little bit of wind but nothing we couldn’t handle,” said Capt. John Cummings, pilot of the F-22.
Read More...
05/22/2014
Seoul formally protested joint naval drills by China and Russia in the East China Sea that intruded into Korea’s air defense identification zone (Kadiz). According to the Korean Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday, the training area for the military exercises conducted by Beijing and Moscow partly overlapped with the Korean and Japanese ADIZs. Seoul was barely given any prior notice.
Read More...
05/22/2014
ntegration of the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Storm Shadow / Taurus cruise missile, and Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto the Eurofighter Typhoon will represent "a paradigm shift" in the combat aircraft's capabilities, company officials announced on 21 May. Speaking at the ILA Airshow in Berlin, officials from both Eurofighter and MBDA noted how the integration of these new weapon systems onto the Typhoon will keep the fighter at the forefront.
Read More...
05/22/2014
If you think that the military routinely hides problems from the public, then you must never have read the reports that congressional committees produce as part of their annual review of Pentagon budget requests. Those reports describe hundreds of problems that need to be addressed each year, and often result in legislative language directing remedies.
Read More...
05/22/2014
The United States has sent 80 troops to Chad in Central Africa to support a growing international effort in neighboring Nigeria to help find and rescue the schoolgirls who were abducted by an Islamist extremist group last month, the White House said on Wednesday. The American military personnel are not ground troops. They are mostly Air Force flight crew members, maintenance specialists and security officers for unarmed Predator surveillance drones.
Read More...
05/22/2014
The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) subsystem has received full certification for operation by the United States Department of Defense International AIMS (Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System, Identification Friend or Foe, Mark XII/Mark XIIA, Systems) Program Office. The system is designed to ensure the safety of allied aircrews engaged in combat operations.
Read More...
05/22/2014
Ukraine is meddling in Russia’s affairs by asking Moscow to stop the Aviadarts 2014 international competition, calling it a military exercise, the commander of the Russian air force said Wednesday. Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged Russia to cancel the event, scheduled for May 21-27 in the Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, saying it would escalate tensions.
Read More...
05/21/2014
The Brazilian air force plans to acquire 28 military cargo jets from aircraft manufacturer Embraer SA worth 7.2 billion Brazilian reais ($3.27 billion), the company said Tuesday. The KC-390 planes will be delivered over a period of 10 years, with the first delivery scheduled for the end of 2016.
Read More...
05/21/2014
China has used military aircraft to support over 130 ships it deployed to guard oil rig Haiyang Shiyou 981 that has been planted illegally in Vietnamese waters in the East Vietnam Sea since May 1, the Vietnam Coast Guard reported Monday.
Read More...
05/21/2014
A spokesman says the body of a U.S. Marine who fell from an aircraft during a training flight has been found. Spokesman Mike Barton said the body was found Tuesday. Barton said the Marine was a member of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and a crewmember of an Osprey that was conducting a training flight Monday evening.
Read More...
05/21/2014
Are American political leaders and national security experts underestimating the military capabilities of China? That question is posed by Asian-Pacific security analyst Timothy Walton in the current issue of the National Interest. Despite the dramas playing out on the Russian and Middle Eastern fronts, Walton's question may well be the most important strategic concern facing America in the 21st century. To grasp just how important, consider the consequences if the answer is yes.
Read More...
05/21/2014
Slovakia is looking to lease Saab Gripen fighter aircraft to replace its MiG-29 fighter fleet, according to Slovak National Armament Office Director Róbert Tibenský. Tibenský was speaking at the annual GLOBSEC security forum held in Bratislava from 14-16 May, and confirmed that by 2020 Slovakia will have replaced most of its Soviet-era legacy equipment with modern platforms.
Read More...
05/21/2014
Three lists of aircraft have recently been added to the 127th Wing's website. The lists feature the 94 different military aircraft that have been assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base since it opened in 1917 as Selfridge Field; the 54 different aircraft that have been assigned to the Michigan Air National Guard since its forerunner organizations were created in 1926; and the 33 aircraft and one 3/4 scale replica aircraft on permanent display at the Selfridge Military Air Museum's.
Read More...
05/21/2014
With the security situation in Libya deteriorating daily, the Pentagon has placed 250 Marines and aircraft in Sicily as a precautionary move should the State Department request the evacuation of American staff from the embassy in Tripoli, Libya, military officials said today.
But if the Marines are called in, what would an evacuation look like?
Read More...
05/21/2014
Russian defense experts will train the country’s soldiers to operate the latest unmanned aerial vehicles, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. "The main objective of military exercises is to clarify the basic requirements and methods of providing training for UAV units and to reinforce skills ... in flight operations," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Read More...
05/21/2014
A new Russian high-speed helicopter currently under development may be adapted for military use, a manager at an avionics systems manufacturer involved in the project told RIA Novosti Tuesday. "We’ve had talks about the military version," said Givi Janjgava, Deputy Director General of Radio-Electronic Technologies KRET.
Read More...
05/20/2014
Sichuan Chengfei Integration Technology Corp (002190.SZ), a Chinese state-owned maker of auto parts and batteries, said it plans a $3.4 billion private share placement to raise funds to buy three companies that make military aircraft. Sichuan Chengfei's offer follows a push by the Beijing government to use capital markets to fund military expansion and float state-owned assets.
Read More...
05/20/2014
Iberia has received a new contract from Airbus Defence & Space for the conversion of three A330s to the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) configuration. Announced on the eve of the ILA Berlin show, the award extends a previous deal between the two organisations for a further three years, as each aircraft will require one year to convert to the air-to-air refuelling role.
Read More...
05/20/2014
The U.S. Justice Department has brought first-of-its kind charges against Chinese military personnel in connection to cyber espionage cases at six U.S. companies, including U.S. Steel.
A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania indicted five Chinese military hackers on charges related to computer intrusions, economic espionage and other offenses against U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar power industries.
Read More...
05/20/2014
It is precision flying at low speed and a high angle of attack. It is the definitive skill that sets Navy carrier pilots (and Air Force exchange pilots who have flown with a Navy carrier squadron) apart from all others. It's interesting to note that military uniforms have all sorts of badges and doodads to show that the wearer has qualified in this or that, but there is no doodad for carrier landings. They are included in the gold wings a naval aviator wears.
Read More...
05/20/2014
In what could be a move to ease tensions with the West and avoid another round of sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered troops deployed near Ukraine to return to their home bases. Putin also praised the launch of a dialogue between the Ukrainian government and its opponents even as fighting continued in the eastern parts of the country.
Read More...
05/20/2014
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is to provide a star turn at this year's ILA Berlin Airshow with a pair of the service's Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft on the static display line-up. No further details have been released by the show organisers, and the Israel Defence Force (IDF) did not respond to a request for clarification on the variant of F-16 these might be.
Read More...
05/20/2014
Who needs Switzerland when you have Brazil and Russia? That view of the forces helping spur demand for new combat aircraft should ease the disappointment at Saab AB after Swiss voters rejected a $3.5-billion plan to buy the Swedish company’s newest jet fighter.
Read More...
05/20/2014
The U.S. Air Force has introduced into its B-52 fleet the first aircraft upgraded with an advanced communications system, developed by Boeing, that keeps the bomber ahead of emergent threats while improving aircrew safety and situational awareness.
Read More...