Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

India, France Agree On Rafale Work Share

03/04/2014

India has finally sealed a work share agreement with the French-firm Dassault Aviation for building 70 per cent of the Rafale fighters domestically, according to New Delhi Television. India will acquire 18 of the 126 Rafale fighter jets it is buying from France in "fly away" condition, and the rest will be manufactured by the local firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Uganda moving combat aircraft out of Entebbe

03/04/2014

The Uganda People’s Defence Force Air Wing (UPDF-AW) is moving its combat aircraft from Entebbe to Nakasongola Air Base to alleviate congestion. Entebbe International Airport is the main base for UPDF-AW aircraft but it has becoming increasingly congested, which could pose a problem for future operations and increase the risk of collisions.

EU Condemns Russia "Aggression" in Crimea

03/04/2014

The European Union accused Russia of “acts of aggression” and a “clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty” in a strongly-worded statement Monday that condemned the movement of troops into Crimea. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels demanded an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops to the areas of their bases in Crimea under international agreements reached with Ukraine.

Russia Conducts Live Fire Exercises in Baltic

03/04/2014

Russian naval warships and coastal troops conducted live fire exercises Monday in the country’s western Kaliningrad and Leningrad Regions, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said. The exercises, part of a combat readiness test ordered by President Vladimir Putin last week, come amid a growing international crisis as evidence mounts that Russian troops have been deployed across Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula.

Pakistani jets bomb militant hideout a day after Taliban ceasefire plan

03/03/2014

Pakistani warplanes bombed the hideout of a militant leader, killing five insurgents, the military said on Sunday, only a day after the Pakistani Taliban declared a one-month ceasefire to pursue stalled peace talks with the government. The target of the attack, Mullah Tamanchey, directed a deadly assault against a convoy carrying a polio vaccination team and security forces on Saturday in which 12 people were killed, the military said.

Work well underway on China's two new aircraft carriers: Military Parade

03/03/2014

The Moscow-based Military Parade has revealed more details on China's mysterious indigenous aircraft carriers currently under construction in Dalian and Shanghai. In an report on Feb. 28, the Russian website said that the first vessel — known as 001A and designed by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation — is being built in Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province and will be equipped with a steam catapult.

China's Stealth Chengdu J-20 Jet Fighter Rivals American F-22

03/03/2014

A new Chinese fighter jet with stealth capabilities, the Chengdu J-20, was observed conducting a successful test flight Saturday at noon. Photos and video of the flight were leaked on military forums like Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. But this is not some big secret, NATO and western nations are familiar with the new plane, however they don't necessarily like having their F-22 Raptor, which reportedly costs as much as $361 million per aircraft to build.

Navy jet crashes during training flight in Nevada

03/03/2014

The search for the pilot of a jet that crashed near a U.S. Navy range in Nevada continued Sunday, the Navy said in a press release. The pilot's name is being withheld until family is notified. The crash of the U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C happened at about noon ET Saturday at Naval Air Station Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno. The aircraft appears to be a "total loss," the Navy said.

Jet Engine Technology at The Heart of DoD's Drive To Preserve At-Risk Sectors

03/03/2014

The Pentagon for years has said it would intervene to protect vulnerable areas of the industrial base during a period of declining defense spending. Now it’s acting on that policy. Senior US defense officials last week said the Pentagon’s fiscal 2015 budget proposal, which is being sent to Congress on March 4, would put money toward preserving at-risk sectors of the industrial base to protect technological know-how.

Hill Air Force Base trying to maintain F-35, lower costs

03/03/2014

Hill Air Force Base will celebrate a milestone in the coming days when the first F-35 stealth fighter jet rolls out of its maintenance hangars, powers up its engines and flies back into service. How quickly — and at what cost — more F-35s leave Hill and return to home bases around the world will be a key issue for the weapon that is expected to cost more than a trillion dollars over its life span.

Boeing may slow F/A-18 plane output to keep line going longer

03/03/2014

Boeing Co is considering a slower build rate and other options to keep production of its EA-18G electronic attack planes running into 2017, and give Congress time to add more orders, a top company executive told Reuters in an interview. The St. Louis production line for Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers is slated to shut down after 2016 unless the Pentagon's No. 2 supplier wins additional U.S. or foreign orders for the planes soon.

Ukraine Closes Airspace to Military Aircraft

03/03/2014

Ukraine has closed its airspace to military aircraft. Acting president Oleksandr Turchynov announced Sunday that Ukraine had closed its airspace to non-civilian aircraft. Ukraine's acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of "declaring war", citing the decision for Russian forces to surround military bases in Crimea.

Ukrainian Troops in Crimea Side with Pro-Russia Forces

03/03/2014

Ukrainian servicemen stationed in Crimea are leaving en masse their military units and handing over weaponry and arsenals to local pro-Russia authorities and militia, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Sunday. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry immediately denied the report, which was also circulated by other Russian media, calling it “a provocation.”

US transit hub in Romania fully operational

03/02/2014

A temporary U.S. base in Romania that will serve as the primary hub for American forces leaving Afghanistan officially reached its full operating capacity Friday. Since Feb. 2, some 6,000 American servicemembers have transited through the center at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, located about 25 miles northwest of the Black Sea city of Constanta and about 2,500 miles northwest of Afghanistan.

Goodbye AC-130H

03/02/2014

The U.S. Air Force is mothballing its last eight AC-130H gunships. Only 47 AC-130 gunships have been built, the first of them, the AC-130A, entering service in 1968. Some were upgraded to AC-130Es. Eleven were upgraded to AC-130H in 1972 and the eight surviving aircraft of that group are now being retired, not scrapped.

End may be near for F/A-18 Super Hornet

03/02/2014

Workers at Northrop Grumman's 1-million-square-foot facility in El Segundo have been cranking out fuselage sections for the Navy's F/A-18 fighter jet for decades. But now, the end may be near. Since entering service in 1983, the lithe twin-engine fighter-bomber has been a symbol of U.S. military might, catapulting from aircraft carrier decks and obliterating targets in the sky and on the ground.

Is a Light Carrier in Singapore's Future?

03/02/2014

For years, Singapore’s ST Engineering Marine has been parading a ship model of a landing helicopter dock (LHD) vessel that could handle the jump-jet variant of the F-35 joint strike fighter. The model was most recently on display at last month’s Singapore Airshow. And while Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) won’t confirm that it has plans to build such a vessel, it’s also not denying it.

As Poland Pursues Stealth Jets, Eurofighter Flies Into Picture

03/02/2014

Poland is scrapping previous plans to buy F-16 fighter jets in five years, but what it will buy instead is up in the air. The Defense Ministry wants to wait and buy fifth-generation jets, which experts say could be F-35 joint strike fighters. The deal would enable a technological leap for the Polish military by replacing its Soviet-designed aircraft with high-end fighters.

Putin Tells Obama Russia Will Act In Case of Ukraine Violence

03/02/2014

Russian leader Vladimir Putin told US President Barack Obama in a telephone conversation Sunday that Moscow reserved the right to protect its own interests and those of Russian speakers in the event of violence breaking out in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.

Ukraine Appeals to NATO for Assistance

03/02/2014

Ukraine appealed for assistance from NATO on Saturday, asking it to use all possible measures to ensure its territorial integrity and protect its people. The call came hours after Russia’s parliament approved the deployment of military forces in Ukraine, in response to what Moscow claims is the threat being leveled against its servicemen and Russian citizens in the southern Crimea Peninsula.

Obama Warns Russia Against Crimea Incursion

03/02/2014

US President Barack Obama signaled his administration’s alarm Friday at indications of military movements by Russian troops inside Ukraine’s region of Crimea and warned Moscow that there would be costs for any armed intervention. International media earlier in the day reported Russian troops entering Crimea, and soldiers identified as being with the Russian armed forces stationed on the peninsula blockaded at least one airport, which nonetheless appeared to still be operating.

Airbus and Turkey dispute over A400M military aircraft

03/01/2014

Turkey continues to be embroiled in a dispute with aircraft manufacturer Airbus over an order of A400M airlifter military transport planes. Turkey's Undersecretary for Defense implied that the conditions of the contract had not been met; the aircraft received for acceptance tests by Turkey's defense did not reportedly meet the agreed criteria.

THE AUSSIE WEDGETAIL AND AIR BATTLE MANAGEMENT IN RED FLAG 2014

03/01/2014

Second Line of Defense is currently visiting the Pacific and soon will visit the Wedgetail squadron, which currently operates from RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle, New South Wales. During the exercise AWACS and Wedgetail played the core command and control role and F-22s in Alaska (which includes one flown by an Aussie exchange pilot) worked effectively with Wedgetail.

Will Russia invade Ukraine?

03/01/2014

Could Russia intervene militarily in Crimea to safeguard its strategic interests? Or, to put the question a different way, has Russia already intervened? Nobody yet knows the identities of the armed men who seized control of Simferopol airport. But their equipment, their vehicles and their behaviour all signal that this is a trained military unit, not a rag-tag group of pro-Russian loyalists.

Ukraine Crisis: Russia Bolsters ongoing Military Drill with 80 Combat Helicopters amid Crimea Tensions

03/01/2014

Russia is bolstering the ongoing army drill in the Western Military district which began after a surprise order by President Vladimir Putin with 80 more combat helicopters amid rising tensions in Ukraine's Crimea region. Mil Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters are being redeployed from their bases to the emergency airfields, flying up to 500kms.