Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Six US soldiers killed in Afghan helicopter crash

03/11/2014

Six US troops in Afghanistan were killed and one wounded in a helicopter crash Tuesday, but it was unclear if Taliban fire caused any of the casualties after the chopper went down. Military officials said insurgents did not shoot down the UH-60 Blackhawk, but they were investigating whether any of the US troops were killed by gunfire from Taliban militants after the crash.

Job cuts at Joint Base Charleston if Congress approves Air Force's proposal

03/11/2014

Joint Base Charleston could see some job cuts in 2015. According to its public affairs office, the base could lose one of its four flying squadrons. Those cuts would come if Congress approves the Air Force's proposal laid out in President Obama's 2015 budget.

Guard units to get new aircraft to replace A-10s

03/11/2014

The Air Force plans to replace all National Guard A-10 units with new flying missions to make sure their states and bases will not lose positions, according to budget documents obtained by Air Force Times. The Air Force plans to cut the entire A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet, which includes 107 Warthogs assigned to the National Guard at four bases: Gowen Field Air National Guard Base, Idaho; Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich.; Martin State Airport. Md.; and Fort Wayne International Airport, Ind.

Davis-Monthan base, A-10 are essential to defense

03/11/2014

Your editorial assumes that the A-10 Thunderbolt is headed for retirement — just because that has been proposed. You then take a huge leap, writing: “The proposal to decommission the A-10 could easily lead to a decision to close Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the training site for A-10 pilots.”

Now, Keesler's C-130Js seem destined for Little Rock

03/11/2014

The 10 C-130J aircraft the Air Force Reserve seems determined to move from Keesler Air Force Base have yet another potential new home. President Barack Obama's 2015 budget request has spurred the Air Force Reserve Command to plan to move the 10 transport planes from Keesler's 815th Tactical Airlift Squadron -- also known as the Flying Jennies - to the newly reactivated 913th Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base.

AFSOC: Changes to aircraft at Hurlburt don't mean drawdown

03/11/2014

The number of aircraft and personnel at Hurlburt Field should not significantly change because of planned shifts in aircraft inventory, including the elimination of two types of planes based there, according to Air Force Special Operations Command. The U-28 and MC-130P Combat Shadow will be eliminated in the next couple years, but new aircraft will be introduced, according to the Department of Defense’s most recent budget proposal.

Crucial air power decisions coming soon

03/11/2014

Decisions made in the next few months on buying additional Joint Strike Fighter aircraft could give the RAAF a huge advantage over any adversary. Air Force chief Air Marshal Geoff Brown says that given the long lead times on complex weapons systems like fighter aircraft, the force Australia will field in 2025 and beyond is "pretty much" decided by decisions to be made in the next few months.

US sending 12 F-16 jets and 300 servicemembers to Poland

03/11/2014

Polish government officials said Monday that the U.S. military was sending 12 F-16 fighter jets and about 300 servicemembers to their country in response to the situation in Ukraine. Some U.S. aircraft and servicemembers had already arrived in Poland on Monday, with the remainder expected later in the week, a spokeswoman for Poland’s Defense Ministry said.

Lockheed Martin Receives $14 Million Contract for Upgrades to The Apache’s Targeting and Pilotage System

03/11/2014

Lockheed Martin received a $14 million contract in 2013 from the U.S. Army to design, integrate and qualify a High Reliability Turret for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) on the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

Dissecting a dogfight: Sukhoi vs USAF at Red Flag 2008

03/10/2014

It was the first time the legendary Russian Sukhoi-30 Flankers flew in American airspace, and it kicked up a controversy. In August 2008 India sent its top of the line Su-30MKI fighter to participate in Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Known for its complex war gaming, Red Flag involves simulated air combat and coordination between friendly air forces. In 2008 the participants included the French and South Korean air forces.

Refueling the fight

03/10/2014

NASCAR is a sport where a few seconds could mean the difference between celebrating a victory or going home disappointed. The crew works as fast as possible to change the tires and refuel the vehicle to keep it out of the pit, and get it back on the track. Much like NASCAR's need for less time, aircraft depend on time to keep watch over forces on the ground and transport wounded warriors who need immediate care. And like the race engines on the vehicles, aircraft need fuel to keep them going. Bu

US Navy Budget Plan: Major Questions Abound

03/10/2014

The carrier is out. The carrier is in. The carrier is in, but only if money goes up. More planes are back in — well, sort of, but we’ll have to see. The new buying plan for littoral combat ships is — not yet decided on. The plan for laying up and modernizing half the fleet’s cruisers is almost ready but — not quite yet. New rules for counting the battle force are — not quite there, either.

DoD issues new threat report on North Korea

03/10/2014

North Korea has the fourth largest military in the world when it comes to manpower, with as many as 1.2 million people serving on active duty. But in terms of modernization there is — thankfully — much room for improvement. Despite the country’s economic limitations, it remains “one of the United States’ most critical security challenges,” according to the Defense Department’s new report to Congress on the military developments in North Korea.

Deputy PM Says Russia Should Re-Arm Amid US, NATO ‘Threats’

03/10/2014

The Russian deputy prime minister in charge of defense said “overt threats” by the United States and NATO demonstrate the necessity of equipping the Russian army with modern weapons. “A hope that after the overt threats by the US and NATO nobody will doubt the necessity of rearming our army and fleet and of reviving our defense industry and military science,” Dmitry Rogozin wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday.

Lakenheath fighters headed to Baltics to beef up air space patrolling as Ukraine crisis continues

03/09/2014

Six F-15C Eagles and more than 60 U.S. airmen from RAF Lakenheath, England, were en route Thursday to Lithuania to bolster NATO’s air policing mission over the Baltics region amid the crisis in nearby Ukraine. The Associated Press later reported that the fighter jets had arrived at Siauliai air base, Lithuania.

Procurement: India Weakened By The Enemies Within

03/09/2014

India imports most of its warplanes. Efforts to develop an Indian capability to develop and manufacture these aircraft has so far failed. Worse, the most numerous type of combat aircraft, the MiG-21, is being retired because of old age and the fact that even when new the MiG-21 was dangerous to fly. India had planned to buy 126 “light fighters” to replace the MiGs but that effort has come undone by several factors.

Are America and Russia Creeping Toward a Confrontation Over Ukraine?

03/09/2014

In what looked for all the world like a game of geopolitical chess, with multimillion-dollar pieces of military hardware serving as the pawns, the United States made several military moves to contain the Russian incursion into Crimea this past week. If not necessarily designed to force a military confrontation, these at least seemed to prepare for such an eventuality.

RAF announces Air Tattoo high-flyers

03/09/2014

Legendary aircraft such as the Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota will be joined by the RAF’s state of the art multi-role combat aircraft, the Typhoon and the basic trainer aircraft, the Tucano on Saturday July 12 and Sunday July 13. The Typhoon and Tucano will also be flying on Friday, July 11, as part of the special Red Arrows Pit Day.

Russia Mulls Banning US Nuclear Arms Inspections – Source

03/09/2014

Russia’s Defense Ministry is considering a ban on US inspections of Russian nuclear weapons under the New START deal over the standoff in Ukraine, a ministry source told RIA Novosti on Saturday. The ban would be a reaction to the US decision to suspend military cooperation with Russia over Ukraine, said the source, who requested anonymity.

Warning Shots Fired As OSCE Mission Denied Entry to Crimea

03/09/2014

A mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was denied entry to Ukraine’s breakaway region of Crimea on Saturday. Warning shots were fired after the military assessment team from OSCE states neared the checkpoint in the city of Armyansk, according to OSCE’s official Twitter account.

U.S. general’s comment further clouds viability of F-35 fighter for the RCAF

03/09/2014

The suitability of the controversial F-35 jet fighter as a replacement for the Royal Canadian Air Force's aging CF-18s is getting even murkier, if that's possible. The fighter-replacement program has been thrown into limbo already over cost issues and development delays, with Ottawa considering whether to abandon the U.S.-sourced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and reboot the search for another candidate.

Sikorsky awarded $15 billion Air Force contract for combat rescue helicopter

03/08/2014

Sikorsky Aircraft will build the next-generation Combat Rescue Helicopter for the U.S. Air Force under a contract that could be worth as much as $15 billion. The Air Force is rearranging its budget to get the program started, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said.

U.S. military presence in Africa growing in small ways

03/08/2014

Amid a surge of Islamic militancy in North Africa, a team of fewer than 50 U.S. special operations troops with a single helicopter arrived at a remote base in western Tunisia last month. Their mission: train Tunisian troops in counter-terrorism tactics. The operation was one of dozens of U.S. military deployments in Africa over the last year, often to tiny and temporary outposts. The goal is to leverage American military expertise against an arc of growing instability in North Africa and many su

Israel scrambles F-16s as Syrian jets near border

03/08/2014

Israeli air force fighters have been scrambled four times on 7 March so far, when Syrian combat aircraft approached the border with Israel on the Golan Heights. Syrian opposition sources reported that the Syrian air force bombed the village of Rdir El - Bustan using so-called "bomb barrels", and approached the Israeli border on their way to and from their targets.

Pilot completes UK's first vertical landing in an F-35

03/08/2014

Royal Air Force pilots are currently undergoing training on the UK's next generation stealth combat aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols is the first UK instructor pilot to perform a vertical landing in the F-35B Lightning II - the UK’s next generation stealth combat aircraft.