Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

War Budget Tapped As Lawmakers Fight To Save A-10 Fighter Jet

05/09/2014

After a months-long debate over whether to keep or scrap a fleet of aging Air Force jets, the House Armed Forces Committee voted Thursday to continue funding the planes through 2015, thanks in part to a powerful lobbying group that said scrapping the planes would put the lives of U.S. soldiers at risk.

April Marks New F-35 Flying Records

05/09/2014

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft fleet, which surpassed 16,000 cumulative program flight hours to date in April, flew a monthly record high for System Development and Demonstration (SDD) with 282 flight hours and 153 flights in April.

Russian Tu-95 Bear Bomber Launches Cruise Missiles During Drills

05/09/2014

A Russian strategic TU-95 “Bear” bomber launched six cruise missiles against ground targets during military drills Thursday overseen by President Vladimir Putin. The bomber successfully fired six cruise missiles at ground targets simulating key military assets of a hypothetical adversary.

Russian Aircraft Carrier Group Enters English Channel

05/09/2014

A group of warships from Russia’s Northern Fleet led by the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov entered the English Channel Thursday, the head of the Western Military District’s press service for the Northern Fleet told RIA Novosti.

Turkey receives first attack helicopter

05/08/2014

The Turkish Army has received the first T-129 attack helicopter co-produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Italian-British AgustaWestland after several months of technical snags, Defense News reported.

Three Canadians lead observers in Ukraine

05/08/2014

After being in Odesa when more than 40 people were burned, suffocated, beaten or shot to death in fighting between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian mobs last week, a Canadian-led team of multinational military observers returned Tuesday to southern Ukraine to resume their appraisal of the shaky security situation there.

Syrian opposition leader requests anti-aircraft weapons

05/08/2014

The President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) Ahmad Jarba on Wednesday stressed the need for more sophisticated weaponry to combat the Syrian air force which "burns and bombards civilians on a daily basis." Speaking through a translator at the US Institute for Peace, Jarba said the only way to move forward with a political process and engage the regime of Bashar Al-Assad is by gaining leverage on the battlefield.

Vienna company to share in foreign missile sale to Brazil

05/08/2014

A small business in Vienna could share a $169 million contract with The Boeing Co. to provide missiles to Brazil. If approved by Congress, Boeing and Delex Systems Inc., the latter of which counts less than 200 employees, would be the primary contractors for a foreign military sale of 20 Harpoon missiles, associated parts and training equipment and engineering and logistics support services.

TURKEY APPROVES F-35 ACQUISITION

05/08/2014

Turkey's ultimate decision-maker on procurement, the Defense Industry Executive Committee, announced late Tuesday that Turkey has committed to buying two F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) jets as part of an order expected to be consummated in 2016. The committee chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and with the Chief of General Staff and the Minister of National Defense also announced that the country still planned to buy 100 of the advanced jets.

Air Force: U-2 did not scramble LAX computers

05/08/2014

The Air Force has confirmed that a U-2 spy plane did not cause the computers at the Los Angeles International Airport control center to crash last week, causing flights to be delayed, cancelled and diverted. The Blaze first reported on Monday that an Air Force spokeswoman had said the plane did not cause the control center's computers to fail.

Foreign Militaries Eye Sikorsky S-97 Raider

05/08/2014

It hasn’t even flown yet and the U.S. Army program it was intended for was put on hold, possibly indefinitely. But that hasn’t stopped foreign militaries from inquiring about when they might be able to buy the Sikorsky S-97 Raider, the company’s next-generation light-attack helicopter. The coaxial design features counter-rotating rotor blades and a push propeller, among other innovations, that will allow it to fly much faster and farther than today’s choppers.

First Iraqi F-16 Completes First Flight

05/08/2014

Lockheed Martin successfully completed the first flight of the inaugural F-16 Fighting Falcon for the Iraq Air Force. The jet is the first of 36 F-16 Block 52 aircraft on order through the U.S. Department of Defense for Iraq.

Selex ES to work up Falco UAS development plan with Jordan

05/08/2014

Selex ES has been highlighting its extensive work with Jordan while also promoting key technologies for surveillance and situational awareness during the SOFEX 2014 show being held in Amman. With ongoing collaboration in a number of areas and a memorandum of understanding signed in 2013the Finmeccanica subsidiary said it anticipates moving toward a more strategic relationship with King Abdullah.

Jordan orders BAE Systems' APKWS rocket

05/08/2014

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the US Navy have formally signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the first international sale of BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket.

Losing Syrian Rebels Press in Washington for Weapons

05/07/2014

U.S.-backed leaders in the Syrian opposition have come to Washington to lobby for better arms, challenging the Obama administration’s position that providing advanced anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles is too risky. Ahmad al-Jarba, president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, is leading a delegation to meet administration officials and lawmakers and persuade them to provide lethal arms to the Free Syrian Army.

India risks destabilising Afghanistan

05/07/2014

With foreign combat troops preparing to leave Afghanistan, India has agreed to supply the country with military equipment. Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid says the move risks raising tensions. India's decision last week to pay for arms and equipment from Russia to boost the strength of the Afghan National Army (ANA) could be a dramatic game-changer in the region - as well as a step fraught with escalation in regional rivalries.

U.S. Army UAVs Frozen In Time

05/07/2014

Faced with smaller budgets over the next decade, the U.S. Army has halted evaluation of new UAVs and is standardizing on four existing models (Gray Eagle, Shadow 2000, Raven, and Puma). All four of these were developed and purchased in large quantities over the last dozen years and will remain the primary army UAVs for the next 5-10 years.

Chief of Staff Describes Air Force’s ‘Precarious’ Position

05/07/2014

After 23 years of high-tempo operations, the Air Force is in a precarious position, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. The general was joined in his testimony by his fellow members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the Joint Chiefs chairman, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, and the vice chairman, Navy Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld Jr.

Eastern Europe Targets Improved Transport Capabilities

05/07/2014

With the crisis in Ukraine forcing Eastern European governments to refocus on defense, several are expanding their helicopter fleets to replace largely Russian-built aircraft, with an emphasis on transport. Poland is developing the largest helicopter procurement program in the region, with plans to buy 70 new aircraft this year as part of a military modernization program that extends to 2022.

PACAF commander: Russian air, sea patrols increasing in Pacific

05/07/2014

Russian military planes and ships have been stepping up patrols in the Pacific in response to tensions in Ukraine, according to the commander of Pacific Air Forces. “[There’s been] a significant... increase in the amount of activity from Russia in the Asia-Pacific,” PACAF commander Gen. Herbert Carlisle said Monday. “And we relate a lot of that to what’s going on in the Ukraine.”

Bomber spending by U.S. Air Force projected to double after 2019

05/07/2014

The U.S. Air Force projects that its annual spending on long-range bombers will almost double after 2019 as it seeks a new stealth aircraft that may pit Northrop Grumman Corp. against a joint bid from Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. The service’s total budget for bomber production and upgrades will jump to about $9.5 billion in fiscal 2020 from less than $5 billion for the previous year beginning Oct. 1, according to a Pentagon document obtained by Bloomberg News.

DOD Works to Counter Russian Intervention in Ukraine

05/07/2014

The Defense Department is working with the State Department and NATO allies to provide reassurance, deterrence and support to Ukraine, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. The U.S. government’s response to Russia’s actions in the region is being done carefully and without taking actions that would escalate the crisis, Evelyn N. Farkas said.

US, Iraq continue counterterrorism cooperation

05/07/2014

Lt. Gen. Michael Bednarek, chief of the US Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq, said that the Iraqi government and armed forces are working on countering terrorism in cooperation with the United States. Speaking to Azzaman on May 3, Bednarek said, “The cooperation consists of supplying Iraq with weapons, information, training, development and aerial maps to detect the movement of terrorist forces and armed groups opposing the Iraqi government.”

Combat Vets Champion Warthog Plane Brass Wants Scrapped

05/07/2014

When about 3,000 U.S. soldiers traveling on a dirt road in Iraq came under fire from behind a ridge in the opening weeks of the 2003 American invasion, the retired Air Force chief master sergeant says he called for air support from the only plane that could fly low and slow enough to tell friend from foe: the A-10.

Ukraine Helicopter Shot Down Over Slavyansk

05/06/2014

A Ukrainian helicopter has been shot down over the pro-Russian stronghold of Slavyansk as the security situation in the country continues to worsen. Ukraine's defence ministry said the pilots survived. Elsewhere in the east of the country four paramilitary policemen were shot dead in fighting. A number of other rebels and civilians are also thought to have been killed or injured, according to Sky's Stuart Ramsay, who is in eastern Ukraine.