Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russia Delays Tests of UAE-Made Drone

02/11/2014

The Russian military has postponed tests of a high-endurance drone until an unspecified future date, a spokesperson for the United Arab Emirates company that makes the vehicle said Monday. “All existing agreements will remain in force, but the Russian side has requested a delay in testing from February until a later date,” Tatyana Kirova of Adcom Systems said.

Video of an F/A-18 Hornet taking off from a public road

02/10/2014

The following video of Finnish Air Force F-18s departing from a public road was filmed during Ex. Warkaus 2011 at on Highway 5 in Joroinen Finland. Such kind of training, has been part of the standard training conducted mainly in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe since the Cold War.

Iranian warships 'to sail close to US maritime border'

02/10/2014

Iranian warships in the Atlantic Ocean are to sail close to US maritime borders for the first time, a senior naval commander has said. Iranian media quoted Adm Afshin Rezayee Haddad as saying the deployment was a response to US vessels in the Gulf. The fleet consists of a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship.

British pilots fired at least 39 missiles in Afghanistan using US drones – MoD

02/10/2014

The British Ministry of Defence reveals for the first time how British crews using unmanned US aircraft launched missiles in conflict zones. According to new figures, British pilots have launched at least 39 missile strikes against suspected Taliban insurgents from US drones based in Afghanistan. The details have emerged from the Ministry of Defence.

As Afghan deployment winds down, UK ponders military's role

02/10/2014

As British troops strip down equipment and load containers to leave Afghanistan, its military self-confidence has rarely been lower. When Britain ramped up its presence in Helmand Province in 2006, it was a different story. Afghanistan, current and former officers say, was seen as a winnable war that would showcase Britain's military and rebuild its reputation with U.S. officers underwhelmed by its performance in Iraq.

Singapore Airshow 2014 Photo Preview

02/10/2014

We are sending the following post from the media preview held today at the Singapore Airshow, two days before the official opening of the Singapore Airshow, some of the visiting aircraft and most of the Singapore Air Force aircraft are already parked at the static display area.

Can the Airbus Brand Work Magic on EADS?

02/10/2014

Goodbye, EADS; Hello, Airbus Group (Stand J23/Chalet CD19). Specifically, hello to Airbus Defense & Space, one of the group’s three divisions. Singapore is the first major air show for the new organization that merged Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian on January 1.

U.S. General Says China War Comparisons Unhelpful as Risks Rise

02/10/2014

Comments by the leaders of Japan and the Philippines drawing parallels between China’s growing assertiveness in the region and events in pre-war Europe are “not helpful,” said the commander of USAF in the Pacific. “The rise of Germany and what occurred between the U.K. in particular and Germany, and what happened in Europe, I don’t draw that comparison at all to what’s going on today” in the Asia-Pacific, General Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, 58, said in an interview yesterday in Singapore.

Transit operations shift from Kyrgyzstan to Romania

02/09/2014

The U.S. Air Force presence in Kyrgyzstan has ended, and a new hub in Romania is up and running. On Jan. 31, the 376th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron air traffic control airmen at Manas Transit Center deactivated, ending 10 years of controlling aircraft at the base, the major hub for Air Force operations into and out of Afghanistan. The base’s operations are being replaced by the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in eastern Romania.

CHINA’S INCREASED DEFENCE BUDGET AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA – ANALYSIS

02/09/2014

In marked contrast to India’s regrettable declining defence budget expenditures in face of rising threats from China and Pakistan, one is witnessing a surging increase in China’s defence budget notably when China faces no credible military threats from any quarter. China ‘s defence budget is assessed to touch US $ 148 billion in 2014, second only to the United States defence budget and outstripping the combined defence budgets of Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

HAL to roll out Tejas soon

02/09/2014

Hindustan Aeronautics will soon roll out India’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, LCA architect and D.S. Kothari Chair at Aeronautical Development Agency, Bangalore, Kota Harinarayana has said. This year HAL will make two aircraft and will progressively increase the number, he said. Tejas will be used for training and simulation based on the inputs of pilots for further improvements.

Renewed Syria Fighting Breaks Cease-Fire in Homs

02/09/2014

Renewed fighting broke a cease-fire in the embattled central Syrian city of Homs and halted a plan to evacuate civilians and bring supplies into rebel-held areas under siege, an official and activists said Saturday. The official said the fighting included a mortar that landed near U.N. personnel. An activist said combat began when government forces fired 11 rockets toward the rebel-held Hamidiyeh quarter. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Malaysia Struggles to Update Military

02/09/2014

The current political climate and government austerity measures in Malaysia mean that a number of programs for the Malaysian armed forces look likely to be postponed until the time frame of the 11th Malaysia Plan, which covers government spending for the period of 2016-2020.

Pentagon Drops Plan to Mothball USS George Washington Aircraft Carrier

02/08/2014

The Pentagon has dropped a plan to retire one of its nuclear-powered aircraft carriers after the White House intervened to head off a brewing political fight. The military had proposed an early retirement of the USS George Washington, reducing the U.S. carrier fleet to 10, as part of plan to deal with cost cuts imposed by Congress.

New AC-130J completes first test flight

02/08/2014

After more than a year of modification maintenance, the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider took to the skies for the first time as a gunship here Jan. 31. In early Jan 2013, the Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130J arrived here to begin the modification process with the goal of creating a "best of both worlds" aircraft. The end result became a 'hybrid' C-130 model with the flying proficiencies of the MC-130J and the combat capabilities of an AC-130.

US Air Force awards contracts for Moroccan P5 air Combat Training System

02/08/2014

The US Air Force has contracted Cubic Defense Applications to supply the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) with the P5 Combat Training System (P5 CTS) to provide Moroccan pilots with realistic air combat simulation training in line with the country's force modernisation requirements.

Lockheed and AeroVironment sign agreement on drone development

02/08/2014

Defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. signed an agreement with Monrovia drone maker AeroVironment Inc. to pursue opportunities together in unmanned aircraft development. The deal was announced late Thursday at the Defense Expo in India and centered on jointly working on AeroVironment’s massive robotic Global Observer aircraft. The companies are looking to sell the high-flying drone overseas.

UK to approve bulk F-35B buy in 2017

02/08/2014

Financial approval for the UK's main procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)/Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) is expected in the next three years, a government minister disclosed on 5 February. Answering questions in the House of Commons, Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support, and Technology, said that the financial approval for this main buy, known as Main Gate 5, should be granted in 2017.

Russia fulfils FGFA obligations with India - Alexander Kadakin

02/08/2014

Russia fulfils all of its obligations under the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) programme with India, Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin said at the Defexpo-2014 security systems exhibition in New Delhi. “We pay no attention to negative publications that appear from time to time and claim that Russia does not fulfil its obligations under the fifth generation fighter aircraft programme.

Drone crash closes NM national monument

02/08/2014

New Mexico’s most popular National Park Service attraction for tourists, White Sands National Monument, remains closed after a large military drone crashed Friday morning on monument property. Holloman AFB officials say a supersonic QF-4 drone, similar to the one in the photo, crashed during a training mission at 9:08 a.m.

First Indian MiG-29 Fighter Jet Lands on Vikramaditya

02/08/2014

An Indian MiG-29 naval jet landed on a refitted former Soviet aircraft carrier Friday, marking the first such operation since the ship was delivered by Russia to the south Asian nation earlier this year. “An exciting event took place today – the first landing of an [Indian] MiG-29 piloted by an Indian pilot on the Vikramaditya,” Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation vice president Igor Ponomarev told reporters at the ongoing DEFEXPO-2014 exhibition in New Delhi.

First Salvo Launch of Russian-Indian Cruise Missiles From Ship Successful

02/08/2014

The first ever test launch of an advanced Russian-Indian Brahmos supersonic cruise missile from a warship in salvo mode took place earlier this year and was successful, a Brahmos Aerospace spokesman said Thursday. Two missiles were launched within an interval of several seconds, the spokesman told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the DefExpo-2014 exhibition in New Delhi.

VIDEO: See The Taranis, A Top Secret Unmanned British Combat Jet, Take To Australian Skies

02/07/2014

Taranis, a top secret unmanned British aircraft, has successfully made its maiden flight at an undisclosed test range believed to be in Australia. The flight was in August last year but the Ministry of Defence has only just made the fact public. The video released of the flight suggests it took place over Australia’s red centre.

AF to replace aviator locator beacons

02/07/2014

he Air Force will replace thousands of unreliable aircraft personnel locator beacons across the fleet, a service official said Jan. 16, here. Locator beacons are an automated method used to locate an aviator should he or she eject or egress in peacetime flights, said Col. Aaron Clark, the Global Power Programs Directorate deputy director for Air Force acquisitions.

Astra air-to-air missile to be launched in March-April

02/07/2014

In what will equip India with missile power comparable to only a few in the world, Hyderabad-based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is finalising plans to launch Astra, the Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, in March or at the most April this year. If Astra is successfully fired from a Su-30 aircraft, India would join the elite group of nations including USA, France, Russia and Israel possessing such missiles.