Military Aviation News Archive
11/19/2013
Japan placed its air force on alert after two Russian bombers flew near its airspace, a local news agency reported Monday, citing Japan’s Defense Ministry. The pair of Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers was spotted off Tokyo over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, Kyodo news agency reported.
Read More...
11/18/2013
If sequester remains in effect, the US Air Force’s combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission is in danger of disappearing, according to multiple defense sources. Funds for new CSAR helicopters are not included in the service’s fiscal 2015 budget proposal that includes sequestration spending cuts, the defense sources said. Moreover, funds to extend the lives of about 90 battle-worn Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters is not part of the sequester budget.
Read More...
11/18/2013
Raytheon Company received the 1,000th AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-To-Air Missile (AMRAAM®) rocket motor from Nammo Group, a leading propulsion products company based in Raufoss, Norway. The motor is scheduled to be installed in a production AIM-120C7 missile later this month.
Read More...
11/18/2013
Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, attended the inaugural ceremony of Dubai Air Show 2013 inaugurated in Dubai on Sunday. A large number of delegations from different countries including Air Chiefs of a number of Air Forces were also present at the occasion, says a press release issued by the PAF. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of UAE, inaugurated the Air Show.
Read More...
11/18/2013
A Navy guided missile cruiser hit by a malfunctioning drone during a training exercise returned to San Diego, where investigators will assess the damage and determine what went wrong, a Navy official said Sunday. Two sailors were treated for minor burns after the USS Chancellorsville was struck by the unmanned aircraft during radar testing Saturday afternoon, off Point Mugu in Southern California.
Read More...
11/18/2013
Last week Iraq took delivery of the first batch of Mil helicopters from the Rostvertol factory. Four Mi-35Ms were delivered to Iraq, their arrival being announced by Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki. Iraqi managers, crews and technicians have been training at the Russian army’s Torzhok center, with the first group completing its course in late September.
Read More...
11/18/2013
f all you know about the U-2 spy plane is that pilot Gary Francis Powers was shot down in one in 1960, then you're in for a surprise when you find out that new versions of the Lockheed Martin U-2 are still in service and are expected to be until 2040.
Read More...
11/18/2013
As soon as Navy pilot Matthew Stafford puts his helicopter down in the village of Borongan, he is rushed by dozens of local men who form a line to unload the supplies and water he has flown in from the mothership, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. Children swarm him as he breaks out a box of sweets.
Read More...
11/18/2013
Coming soon near you it's The Terminator. Yes, folks the fully autonomous weapon is firmly on the horizon. Whether on the battlefield or targeted on the streets, these weapons should have no place in warfare or policing. But a future where the decision on whether you live or die could soon be made by a Killer Robot. It sounds like science fiction, but the reality is moving ever closer.
Read More...
11/18/2013
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has yet to choose a supplier for its next fighter jets, a deal closely contested by Britain and France, a Gulf source familiar with the arms market said on Sunday after a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron. French firm Dassault's Rafale jets and the BAE Systems -backed Eurofighter Typhoon are in a tight race to win the deal for at least 60 new aircraft to replace the UAE's Mirage fleet.
Read More...
11/17/2013
The commercial outfit that will provide the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) with air-to-air refueling service for the next 22 years says that it will meet the forecast in-service date. By May 2014, AirTanker will have nine Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs) ready on the ramp at RAF Brize Norton. It has already trained 18 aircrews, received six aircraft and begun operational flying.
Read More...
11/17/2013
There will be 150 assorted aircraft on display including 50 business jets at the 13th edition of Dubai Air Show which is the third largest in the world and commences at a new venue at Dubai World Central on Sunday. Event organisers F&E Aerospace disclosed this year’s show will be the biggest in the biennial event’s 26-year history at its new purpose-built permanent site, which is double the size of the previous venue at the traditional Airport Expo near Dubai International Airport.
Read More...
11/17/2013
The expiring week was, without exaggeration, exceptional in the sense of Moscow's foreign political activity. The results of foreign visits of the first persons of Russia allow to say that at least in the sphere of the military-technical cooperation the country is returning its old positions.
Read More...
11/17/2013
The U.S. Air Force began using its large (Predator first, then Reaper) UAVs in the 1990s. It took 16 years for this growing UAV fleet to achieve a million hours in the air. But it took less than three years to achieve the second million flight hours. This is causing problems, as the air force is finding it easier to obtain new UAVs (and keep them operating) than it is to recruit, train, and retain the operators needed to keep the UAVs in operation.
Read More...
11/17/2013
Defense Minister AK Antony said that INS Vikramaditya would significantly enhance the reach and capability of the Indian Navy. "India's economic development is dependent on the seas and safeguarding the nation's maritime interests is central to our national policy. Aircraft carriers have been part of the Indian Navy's force structure since our independence and have effectively served the country over the past five decades or so,' he said at the induction ceremony at the Sevmash Shipyard.
Read More...
11/17/2013
When super typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, devastating the city of Tacloban and leaving a huge storm surge and widespread flooding in its wake, the U.S. military was ready to help.
Read More...
11/17/2013
Despite the pinch on Western defense spending, Middle Eastern nations are continuing to invest in new weapons and capabilities, particularly combat and transport aircraft, missile defenses and cyber warfare technology. And US defense companies see the diverse fleets operated by Middle Eastern air forces as a way to keep production lines open, particularly after major customers, like the Pentagon, complete purchases.
Read More...
11/16/2013
Defence Minister AK Antony reached Russia last night for the commissioning of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya today at the Sevmash Shipyard, Russia’s nuclear submarine building centre.Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and senior government and naval officials of the two countries are also scheduled to attend the ceremony for handing over the aircraft carrier that may be a game changer for India’s naval aspirations.
Read More...
11/16/2013
Boeing delivered the second P-8I aircraft to India today, doubling that country’s long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Boeing is building eight P-8I aircraft for India and delivered the first in-country in May. Based on the company’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the U.S. Navy.
Read More...
11/16/2013
The number of military helicopters Russia exports is set to rise by 20 percent in 2013, while air defense systems will see a leap in exports of 30 percent, the state arms exporter said Friday. Rosoboronexport is expected to export more than 130 combat and military transport helicopters this year, marking a tenfold increase in sales over the past 12 years.
Read More...
11/16/2013
Russia is offering Egypt combat helicopters and air defense systems, as well as repairs and overhauls of military hardware previously supplied to the troubled Middle Eastern nation. The two countries agreed Thursday to start drafting documents to lay the foundation for close cooperation in the defense sector, paving the way for future purchases and licensed production of Russian-made weapons in Egypt.
Read More...
11/16/2013
Jordan is interested in locally assembling Russian-designed helicopters and anti-tank missile systems, an official from Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Friday. “Our Jordanian colleagues have shown interest in setting up domestic assembly of portable Kornet anti-tank missile systems and several types of helicopters,” said Mikhail Zavaly, head of the Rosoboronexport delegation at the Dubai Air Show 2013.
Read More...
11/15/2013
Sino-Russian military cooperation is about to reach its highest point since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, according to an article in the Military-Industrial Courier, a weekly illustrated newspaper based in Moscow, on Nov. 12.
Read More...
11/15/2013
Two hawk jets collided in mid-air near Kauhava, a city in western Finland, reported the national broadcasting company in Finland. According to information from various media outlets, the 2 hawk jets involved in the incident were combat training aircraft belonging to the Air Force school in Kauhava. A Nov. 13 report from MSN confirmed that one pilot was killed in the accident.
Read More...
11/15/2013
The Air Force now trains more unmanned aerial systems pilots than bomber and fighter pilots combined, signaling a deepening dependence on the capabilities those machines provide the military. Unmanned aircraft are becoming just as ubiquitous in other services, with hundreds of soldiers, sailors and Marines learning to fly them each year.
Read More...