Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Tejas Mk-II Preliminary Design to be out Next Month

02/17/2014

The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is giving the final touches to the preliminary design of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-II, scheduled to be completed by the end of March. An official told Express on Saturday that the detailed design phase of LCA Mk-II would begin in the second quarter of 2014.

India Returns To The Good Old Days

02/17/2014

On February 7th an Indian pilot landed a MiG-29K on the new Indian aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya for the first time. A Russian pilot was in the back seat to advise but the landing went off with no problem. Indian carrier pilots had been practicing on Vikramaditya size land air strips. This was not the first time a MiG-29K landed on the Vikramaditya. That happened in July 2013 while the Vikramaditya was still in Russia undergoing sea trials.

Lockheed Martin Refines Hybrid Wing-Body Airlifter Concept

02/16/2014

Traditionally, performance drives military-aircraft design decisions and the energy implications of those choices are secondary. But as fuel costs eat into reduced budgets, the balance is shifting. Energy is fast becoming a critical constraint on operations, and the results could reshape aircraft design.

Indian Navy kicks off largest combat exercise

02/16/2014

With an all-seeing eye 36,000km above the equator, the Indian Navy has kicked off its largest exercise with both the western and eastern fleets amassing in the Bay of Bengal for intensive combat manoeuvres. “Tropex” or the theatre-level readiness and operational exercise underway across the eastern seaboard with over 50 warships, including aircraft carrier INS Viraat and nuclear submarine INS Chakra, as well as scores of fighters, helicopters and drones is a yearly feature.

Cope North ‘14 commences on Guam

02/16/2014

Aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Royal Australian Air Force fly in formation over the Pacific Ocean in support of exercise Cope North 2013, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 5, 2013.

BAE Targets Lockheed in Asia's F-16 Upgrade Wars

02/16/2014

BAE Systems is preparing to leapfrog over Lockheed Martin and gobble up international F-16 upgrade contracts should the US Air Force drop funding for its fighter jet radar upgrade program.

End In Sight For The Hornet Line - Or Is It?

02/16/2014

As things stand, when the new US defense budget is revealed next month a significant line item that has been a staple for more than four decades will be missing. No new versions of the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet strike fighter, or its EA-18G Growler electronic attack cousin, will appear in the US Navy’s budget request, either for domestic or foreign use. The move has been planned for some time, but is likely to surprise many veteran defense observers — and alarm others.

Cope India: How the IAF rewrote the rules of air combat

02/16/2014

Exactly 10 years ago, in the space of just 13 days, the Indian Air Force dealt a massive blow to the myth of invincibility of the US Air Force. At the Cope India exercise held at the Gwalior air force range on February 15-27, 2004, Indian pilots reportedly notched up an astounding 9:1 kill ratio against the all-powerful USAF, sending shock waves through the American defence establishment.

Malaysia to lease fighter jets amid money issues, says report

02/16/2014

Defence industry executives have revealed that Malaysia was looking to lease fighter jets instead of purchasing them as the country faces shortage of funds, according to US-based military journal Defensenews. It said Putrajaya had put off plans to purchase multi-role combat aircraft on ice last year due to fiscal and political reasons.

More organized approach could've got LCA faster: DRDO official

02/15/2014

In light of defence minister A K Antony recently expressing concern over delay in development of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Avinash Chander, director general (R&D) in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said government should adopt an organized approach in such projects.

At Singapore Airshow, it's what China isn't displaying that counts

02/15/2014

A United States Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon completes a triple roll in the sky above the largest aerospace and defense show in Asia. It's followed with an aerial demonstration by the U.S. MV-22B Osprey - the world's first production tilt-rotor aircraft. It can take off and land like a helicopter, but flies with the range, airspeed and payload of a fixed-wing airplane.

Israeli UAVs Serve In Morocco

02/14/2014

France recently received its first two American Reaper UAVs and immediately put them to work. These are replacing older Harfang UAVs. France wasted no time in retiring the Harfangs as three of them have been given (or sold very cheaply) to Morocco. France and Morocco have long had good relations, especially in military matters.

13th Bomb Squadron brings global strike capability to Red Flag

02/14/2014

Gliding through the air like a phantom in the night, the B-2 Spirit evades enemy air defenses, finds its target, then unleashes its firepower only to slip away from the enemy as quietly as it came. During the years, Red Flag exercises have progressed from dog fight air-to-air combat training into complete combat integration involving all aspects of air warfare. Air-to-ground attacks are a vital part of an air campaign, and the 13th Bomb Squadron brings the B-2, a vital asset, to that fight.

BAE Takes Aim at F-15 and F/A-18 Upgrade Work

02/14/2014

With a substantial contract under its belt to upgrade South Korea’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s, BAE Systems is now looking to extend its activities in the market for modifying other nations’ aircraft by looking at Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18 jets, said executives from the US arm of the British-based company.

Saab Hopes Gripen Deal Will Secure More Aircraft Orders

02/14/2014

Swedish defense group Saab AB hopes that a recent Brazilian order for its Gripen aircraft will help it win more fighter-jet deals from other countries, even as the company’s fourth-quarter earnings fell amid tough market conditions, its chief executive said Thursday. “Brazil’s choice of Gripen has received attention across the globe,” Hakan Buskhe told The Wall Street Journal in an interview. “This gives an extra boost to a number of other discussions that we are involved in.”

UK keen to offer Eurofighter to India

02/14/2014

A UK trade body has said that it still sees the potential of supplying Eurofighter to India, which has postponed till the next fiscal its plan to buy 126 fighter planes from France's Dassault Aviation. "We are very keen, should the opportunity arise, to offer India a cost effective solution," Adam Thomas, a senior spokesman for the Defence & Security Organization at the UK Trade and Investment, told PTI at the Singapore Airshow here.

Boeing looks to Congress to fund fighters after Navy skips orders

02/14/2014

Boeing Co is mounting a last-ditch campaign to convince U.S. lawmakers to buy more fighter jets and stave off a shutdown of a St. Louis production line after the U.S. Navy failed to fund the jets. The Navy's fiscal 2015 budget plan omits funding for any extra F/A-18E/F Super Hornets or EA-18G Growlers, according to several sources familiar with the issue. The White House is due to submit its 2015 budget request to Congress on March 4.

Indonesian Arms Industry Seeks to Drum Up Business

02/14/2014

While the Indonesian government is snubbing the Singapore Airshow this week, the country’s main military manufacturer is using it as an opportunity for a coming-out party, with staff members in orange flight suits courting potential buyers. The showing for the state-owned manufacturer, Indonesian Aerospace, which almost collapsed after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, represents a new sense of optimism that has not been seen in the country’s domestic military sector since the 1980s.

Russia Plans to Build 150 Aircraft in 2014

02/14/2014

Russian aircraft makers are expected to manufacture about 150 military and civilian aircraft in 2014, a government official said Thursday. “The plan for 2014 stipulates production of over 100 combat aircraft and 46 civilian planes, including 40 Sukhoi Superjets,” said Andrei Boginsky, who heads the aviation construction department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Pakistan plans to sell JF-17 Thunder combat jets to Saudi Arabia

02/14/2014

Pakistan today said it is looking to sell JF-17 Thunder combat jets and trainer aircraft to Saudi Arabia, but rejected reports it was in talks with the oil-rich nation for nuclear cooperation. Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is scheduled to visit Pakistan during February 15-17. The visit is expected to focus on deeper security and defence cooperation between the two sides.

Boeing Delivers Kuwait Air Force’s 1st C-17 Globemaster III

02/14/2014

Boeing today delivered Kuwait's first C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, an aircraft that will expand the Kuwait Air Force's capabilities in military and civilian operations, including humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

Russian Air Force Increases Planes with Artificial Intelligence

02/13/2014

The President of IRKUT, part of the Russian aerospace conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation, Oleg Demichenko, stated today the air force of his country has already received more than 40 combat aircraft Yak-130 with built-in artificial intelligence. Demichenko pointed out that 42 planes of that type were delivered, and a contract establishes the Ministry of Defence shall receive 55.

Now You See It, Now You Don't: Britain Unveils Stealthy Super-Drone

02/13/2014

A new video released by aerospace giant BAE shows a bat-shaped drone zipping down a runway, taking off smoothly, and then coasting over an empty expanse of mountains and valleys before landing back at the empty airstrip. The next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle is outfitted with stealth technology and designed to fly - and theoretically fire at targets on the ground - without a human controller.

Korea Aerospace to Participate in South Korea’s New Fighter Jet

02/13/2014

Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., the country’s only planemaker, said it will participate in South Korea’s plan to build its own new fighter jet that will replace the older F-4s, F-5s and F-16s. The Asian nation’s air force is expected to order about 100 aircraft, Chief Executive Officer Ha Sung Yong said in an interview in Singapore today. The government is looking for a foreign partner to collaborate on this project to provide some technical assistance, he said.

A new arms race is exploding into Asia, with an expensive and extensive shopping list of new weapons. Who’s buying what — and where does Australia stand?

02/13/2014

In the aftermath of the Cold War, the region has become a confused place where foes have become friends and supposed friends bicker over minor — and major — territorial differences. The problem is, the scatterings of conflicted islets which were once “no-go” zones, both diplomatically and developmentally, are now being seen as potentially valuable assets.