Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Drills Over Baltics by NATO This Week

04/01/2014

NATO will hold air drills over the ex-Soviet Baltic countries on Tuesday - an annual exercise that has gained added significance this year amid growing concerns over Russia's territorial ambitions. "It is yet further proof of the alliance's solidarity and commitment," Lithuanian Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told AFP on Monday.

Hercules black box sent to US

04/01/2014

Still baffled by the crash of its brand new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft on Friday, the Indian Air Force has sent its voice recorders to the US expecting data to demystify the causes within this week.

Deal for 126 Rafale fighters close to being signed

04/01/2014

France and India are fully on track to seal the deal for the around $20 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) project, under which IAF will acquire 126 Rafale fighter jets, French ambassador Francios Richier said.

At Last, a Google Glass for the Battlefield

03/31/2014

Walking around Silicon Valley with an augmented reality display on your face makes you a glasshole. On the battlefield, though, similar technology will soon turn U.S. soldiers into a lethal cross between the Terminator and Iron Man.

MacDill getting eight more KC-135 tankers — maybe

03/31/2014

The Air Force plans to slash its ranks, retire a big chunk of its aircraft fleet and trim billions of dollars from its budget in coming years. Can there be any good news for MacDill Air Force Base amid such carnage? Maybe.

Ukraine’s ragtag national guard prepares for the worst

03/31/2014

Oleksandr Davydko’s usual instrument of choice is his plumber’s wrench. Now he grips his Kalashnikov automatic rifle as he and his comrades run through a maze of obstacles on a mock battleground.

Antony denies govt guarantee to France for Rafale deal

03/31/2014

With the UPA-2’s tenure coming to an end, France had wanted India to sign a pact to provide government guarantee for completion of negotiation for 126 fighter aircraft with Dassault but defence minister AK Antony has refused to do so.

Canada doesn’t need fighter-capable aircraft

03/31/2014

Canada does not need fighter capability to protect sovereignty, for minor armed conflicts, or for conflicts between major powers. Canada’s greatest threat would be a terrorist copycat 9/11 using either a drone or an aircraft. Fighters, unless in the vicinity of the target, could not protect against this threat.

Norway Stocks Up To Deal With The Russians

03/30/2014

Norway has ordered 36 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for its F-16 fighters. Norway received 72 F-16AMs in the early 1980s and upgraded them in the late 1990s to the Block 50 standard. The Norwegian F-16AMs were built in the Netherlands under license. Norway recently replaced the wings 57 F-16C fighters it still has in order to keep them in service until 2023.

U.S. Lawmakers Say A-10 Warthogs Should Not Be Retired But Suggest They Can’t Stop The Process

03/30/2014

Jeremy Herb of the Hill, a publication in the U.S. that covers federal politics, is reporting this: House lawmakers say they are not happy with the Air Force’s decision to cut the A-10 fleet in its 2015 budget request. But they don’t know if they can do anything about it.

Scrapping U-2 Won't Save As Much As Touted

03/30/2014

Retiring all of its U-2 spy planes and replacing them with Global Hawk UAVs won’t save as much money as the US Air Force had said it would, since the unmanned systems will need upgrades to handle the mission, according to experts and service data. To upgrade Northrop Grumman’s Block 30 Global Hawk, the Air Force intends to invest “about $1.77 billion” over the next 10 years, said Maj. Gen. James Jones, deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements.

S. Korea Wants Lockheed To Invest in Fighter Plan

03/30/2014

South Korea will ask Lockheed Martin to invest in the country’s KF-X fighter jet development project as part of offset deals over its selection of the F-35 joint strike fighter. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration made a final decision March 24 to buy 40 F-35As through the US Foreign Military Sales program. A final contract on the deal will be signed by September, according to the arms agency, with the first delivery in 2018. The deal is expected to be worth around $6.8 billion.

Budget cuts, F-35 delays eat into dwell for Marine aviation units

03/30/2014

Approximately seven months after wrapping up a deployment at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, members of Fighter Attack Squadron 122 found themselves back in Japan, the latest sign of the increasingly quick turnarounds being asked of F/A-18 and other aircraft squadrons across the service.

First upgraded IAF base commissioned

03/30/2014

The Sukhoi-30MKI fighter swept low and fast over the Punjab landscape, heading for the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Bhatinda. It had completed a simulated combat mission, in which fighter controllers had directed it from an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) - a flying command centre inside a giant IL-78 aircraft that controls air operations from 33,000 feet. Now the Bhatinda air base had been ordered to "recover" the fighter, i.e., guide it back to base and facilitate its landing.

Mystery Aircraft Over Texas

03/29/2014

As far as I know, this sort of thing has happened only once since 1956. That was when British magazines started getting eyewitness accounts and grainy photos of the Lockheed U-2, then operating out of RAF Lakenheath on its first spy flights over the Soviet Union. Classified programs have been exposed in all sorts of ways since then - for example, the A-12 Blackbird was disclosed under a degree of pressure.

Defence minister’s visit strengthens SA-Brazil defence ties

03/29/2014

The visit to South Africa last week by Brazilian defence minister Celso Amorim has resulted in defence ties between the two countries being strengthened, with cooperation in the fields of training and technology, particularly regarding air-to-air missiles.

Naval variant of LCA Tejas to undergo tests in Goa soon

03/29/2014

The naval variant of light combat aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas' will soon undergo carrier compatibility tests at the newly commissioned shore-based test facility at the Indian naval base INS Hansa in Goa, the LCA's programme director Kota Harinarayana told TOI on Friday. "Before we go to the ship, we have to do something on the ground that is similar to the ship," Harinarayana said, while pointing out that the shore-based test facility is primarily a ramp - similar to the ones on aircraft carriers.

Army Defends Move to Strip Guard of Apaches

03/29/2014

The U.S. Army’s top leaders defended their proposal to strip the Army National Guard of its AH-64 Apaches attack helicopters as part of a cost-saving move. Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said the proposal would help the service avoid some $12 billion in costs — a significant level of savings in an era of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.

China showcases growing military power in search for missing plane

03/29/2014

China, in the midst of a military build-up that challenges the United States and Japan, is showcasing its expanded capabilities in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 by deploying hardware such as satellites, warships and an icebreaker. With pictures of grey-hulled naval vessels and planes operating in seas thousands of kilometres from Chinese shores, state media has hailed the hunt for the plane as the country’s strongest search and rescue mission.

Air Combat: Five Reasons Fifth-Gen Fighters Don't Need Help From Jammer Planes

03/29/2014

The quest for what early aviators called “command of the air” is a defining feature of the military enterprise. Major military powers spend much more on combat aircraft than they do on warships or armored vehicles. And with good reason: if friendly forces can’t utilize the air space above enemy forces and nations for military advantage, then they probably can’t win the war on the ground or at sea.

Russia Moves to Scrap Black Sea Fleet Agreements with Ukraine

03/29/2014

Russia has begun preparations for terminating bilateral agreements with Ukraine related to the status and operation of the Black Sea Fleet, a Kremlin spokesman said Friday. The decision was made at a meeting of the country's Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin.

Qatar in $23bn arms order including Apache and NH90 helicopters

03/29/2014

Qatar has added to its defence spending with the agreement to buy herlicopters from Boeing and the joint venture NH Industries as well as missiles from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The total spend by Qatar on defence equipment this week is believed to have topped $23 billion. The announcements were made at the Dimdex conference in Doha.

C-130J Super Hercules aircraft crashes near Gwalior, 5 killed

03/29/2014

In a major setback to the Indian Air Force, a newly acquired US-made C-130J transport aircraft on Friday crashed near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh after taking off from Agra (in Uttar Pradesh) air base, killing five crew members, including four officers.

3 States Combine for Michigan CSAR

03/28/2014

With an A-10 Thuderbolt II providing combat cover from above, a New York-based HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter appeared just above the tree line in the woods of northern Michigan ready to spirit a downed pilot back to safety. And so ended another day of a week-long combat search and rescue, or CSAR, exercise centered around the Grayling Air Gunnery Range.

Brazil donates three Tucanos to Mozambique

03/28/2014

Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff has approved the donation of three ex-Brazilian Air Force Embraer EMB-312 Tucano trainer aircraft to Mozambique and says her country may finance the acquisition of a three Super Tucanos to boost the operational and combat capabilities of the Mozambican armed forces.