Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

First Airbus Military A400M for Turkish Air Force makes maiden flight

08/15/2013

The first production Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter for the Turkish Air Force (TAF) has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery. The aircraft, known as MSN9, took off from Seville, Spain, at 13:56 local time (GMT+2) on August 9 and landed back in Seville 5 hours and 30 minutes later.

Israelis, Egyptians Cooperate on Terror

08/14/2013

Israel and Egypt are quietly cooperating to quell Islamist militants along their border, Western officials say, a sensitive relationship illuminated by a deadly Israeli drone strike late last week inside Egyptian territory. Israel's intervention in the Sinai Peninsula—which Egyptian officials denied, and which Israeli officials neither confirmed nor denied—would be the clearest manifestation of the high-level interaction between Israeli and Egyptian military and intelligence chiefs.

Pentagon watchdog to release classified audit on V-22 Osprey

08/14/2013

The Pentagon’s internal watchdog is poised to publish a classified report scrutinizing how much time the military’s V-22 Osprey spends in maintenance and unprepared for flight. The Defense Department inspector general’s audit will determine whether the Osprey’s performance “meets mission capability rate requirements, as well as how the frequency of repairs and the replacement of supply parts” affects its mission readiness, officials with the IG’s office wrote in their August newsletter.

MCAS Beaufort to showcase Joint Strike Fighter next week

08/14/2013

Soon, military and community leaders will get a chance to see what all the fuss - and all the construction at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort - has been about. The new Joint Strike Fighter will be displayed at the base during an inivition-only event Tuesday. Among the invited guests are area officials and the media. Brig. Gen. Robert Hedelund, the commanding officer for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing is among those scheduled to attend the event.

Budget Pressures Seen as Biggest Risk to Long Range Bomber Program

08/14/2013

The Air Force is setting out to do something it hasn’t done in more than two decades: acquire a heavy bomber. The aspiration is to have an operational long range strike bomber in the air by the mid-2020s. To do so, the service will have to avoid some of the pitfalls of the past, and keep funding flowing to the program despite budget pressures, analysts said.

The Future Of Aerial Combat

08/14/2013

Since the dawn of aerial combat, pilots have needed a direct line of sight to engage their target. However, the days of one-on-one Top Gun style dog-fighting may finally be nearing their end. Thanks to new technology developed by the European Air Force, pilots no longer need direct visual confirmation of their target. Instead, they can engage multiple enemies with the help of a radically advanced helmet.

Israeli Drones Over Brazil’s Sports Arenas to Boost Elbit Profit

08/14/2013

Israel’s Elbit Systems Ltd., whose drones already provide crowd surveillance above Brazil’s soccer stadiums, is seeking a sales boost as the South American country bolsters security for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. “The intelligence-gathering electronic and optics technologies of Elbit and our Brazilian partners are perfectly suited for the homeland security challenges at these events,” Chief Executive Officer Bezhalel Machlis said in an interview.

Prime Contractors Chasing Big Business Retooling Old Fighters

08/14/2013

For the United States and its allies, the F-16 has proven time and again to be the perfect all-around, multi-mission fighter aircraft, and with ongoing delays in developing a revolutionary new plane, air forces are preparing to keep it flying for decades to come.

ACMI pods produce knowledge, keeps warfighters sharp

08/14/2013

Keeping track of 60 aircraft from U.S. and allied partners during a two-week exercise could seem to be an impossible task especially in a training space the size of Florida. To help with the giant task of tracking and collecting data, fighter aircraft are equipped with Air Combat Maneuver Instrument Pods to track actions ensuring pilots can learn from their flying experience and sharpen their war-fighting skills,.

Indian Air Force’s Non-Combat Battle

08/14/2013

India’s air force has a fairly high casualty rate, most of it not in combat. A total of 66 defence personnel and 6 civilians have died between 2009-10 and 2012 due to plane crashes. A total of 54 defence aircrafts have crashed in 45 months, an average of 1.2 crashes per month. There were 16 crashes in 2009-10, which increased to 17 in 2010-11 and declined to 15 in 2011-12. Six crashes took place till the end of 2012.

US Air Force combat aircraft no longer grounded

08/14/2013

The U.S. Air Force says many of its combat air forces will start flying again after being grounded since April because of budget cuts. The grounding affected about one-third of the Air Force's active-duty combat aircraft, including squadrons of fighters, bombers, and airborne warning and control craft.

BAE sees growth in foreign, commercial electronic systems

08/13/2013

Britain's BAE Systems is gearing up for strong growth in commercial and international orders for its wide range of electronic systems, and expects that to help offset declining military spending in the United States and Europe.

CIA: Drones Document Count Would Damage National Security

08/13/2013

The CIA admitted late Friday it has a number of documents about drones, but told a federal court that disclosing even the number of documents it possessed would damage national security. The disclosure came around 11:00 p.m., hours after President Barack Obama held a press conference promising more transparency around national security issues.

The U.S. is buying even more hardware for Yemen’s military

08/13/2013

U.S. drones have been battering Yemen, killing at least 28 people, and American spy planes watch from overhead. And now, Yemen’s skies are looking to get even more crowded. The U.S. Navy is helping the Yemeni air force buy 12 light spy planes, adding to the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military aid the U.S. given to the Sana’a regime.

Pilot pipeline in peril

08/13/2013

The first successful landing of a drone the size of a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier in July drew acclaim from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus as “the future,” but the vision raises questions about Pensacola’s traditional role as a training ground for thousands of military aviators. “The manned aircraft portion of Naval aviation is going to decrease in favor of unmanned,” said retired Adm. Robert Kelly.

Improved Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is now part of president’s escort

08/13/2013

When the president lifts off from the White House lawn, he’s joined by a few new wingmen. On President Barack Obama’s vacation flight Saturday to Martha’s Vineyard, new MV-22 Ospreys made their debut escorting his staff, Secret Service agents and the news media – although not the chief executive himself – to the island off the Massachusetts coast.

HAL's basic trainer aircraft project still on: Antony

08/13/2013

Defence Minister A.K. Antony said Monday the basic trainer aircraft (BTA) project of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) "is still on" and the Indian Air Force has not sought more Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mark II basic trainers. Answering queries from media persons about IAF "favouring" Pilatus over state-run HAL's HTT-40 trainer, which is still under development, Antony said that the project to build the BTA was being pursued.

India milestone as it launches own aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

08/13/2013

India launched its first indigenously-built aircraft carrier on Monday, a landmark moment in the $5 billion or 500 crores project that seeks to project the country's power and check the rising influence of China.

S. Korea to buy 4 aerial refueling tankers for fighter jets

08/13/2013

South Korea's arms procurement agency on Monday approved a long-delayed plan to buy four aerial refueling tankers from 2017-19 to extend the operational range of the country's fighter jets. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said it will open bidding for the project in February of next year and select a contractor in October in the same year.

Lockheed Martin Receives $223 Million M-TADS/PNVS Contract for Republic of Korea Apaches

08/13/2013

Lockheed Martin received a $223 million contract to provide the Republic of Korea with Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) systems for the nation’s AH-64E Apache helicopter.

New Engine for Russia’s T-50 Fighter Jet Expected by 2020

08/13/2013

The final version of the engine for Russia’s first fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet will be available by the end of the current decade, the United Engine Making Corporation said Monday. T-50 prototypes are currently using a preliminary, “Stage 1” engine, while the “Stage 2” engine will make the jet’s capabilities “even more impressive,” a corporation spokesman told RIA Novosti, without providing any technical details.

Outside NATO, Ukraine Could Be Valuable Security Partner

08/12/2013

President Viktor Yanukovych’s signing of Ukraine’s renewed NATO Annual National Plan last month, and the country’s completion of naval exercises with the alliance, in line with the Eastern European country’s commitment to supporting NATO counterpiracy operations, reaffirm its interest in maintaining a transatlantic relationship, at least to some extent.

AF to Add Fighter, Bomber Rotations to Australia

08/12/2013

The Air Force plans to increase the number of airmen and aircraft it will rotate through Australia as part of the U.S. military's Pacific Pivot and increased presence in Australia. President Obama announced in 2011 on his trip to Australia the U.S. plan to deploy 2,500 Marines on 6-month rotations to the port city of Darwin. The president explained that it would serve as a stepping stone toward increasing the U.S. military's partnership with Australia.

Egypt May Not Need Fighter Jets, But The U.S. Keeps Sending Them Anyway

08/12/2013

The story with F-16 fighter jets is similar. Since 1980, we've sent Egypt 221 fighter jets, valued at $8 billion. "Our American military advisers in Cairo have for many years been advising against further acquisitions of F-16s," Springborg said. Egypt already has more F-16s than it needs, he said.

Airman Killed in Helo Crash Was Afghan Rescue Hero

08/12/2013

The airman killed in a helicopter crash on Okinawa was a decorated para-rescue veteran whose effort to recover a wounded soldier was captured in one of the most iconic combat photos to come from the war in Afghanistan, the Air Force said Saturday.