Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Congress’s Chance to Fix Aircraft Carrier Drones

05/05/2014

Given the chaotic defense budgetary environment, one could be forgiven for overlooking the fact that some truly strategic issues are at play in the defense authorization bill markup taking place in Congress this week. One key issue involves how Congress deals with the Navy’s poor choices in the development of a future carrier-based drone, or in Pentagon-speak, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike, or UCLASS, program.

Astra missile debuts from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter

05/05/2014

A fighter aircraft's lethality in air-to-air combat is governed by the air-to-air missile that it carries. Since the Independence, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has mounted French, Russian and British missiles on its fighters. On Sunday, an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fighter conducted the first test launch of the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile, which the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) is developing at its missile cluster in Hyderabad.

Air Force aircraft are 'smallest, oldest ever'

05/05/2014

An April-released study by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments paints grim pictures for America's combat-aviation forces. Air Force aircraft are the "smallest and oldest the service has ever fielded." Enemy technology risks also apply to Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

Hainan to be base for China's first domestic aircraft carrier

05/04/2014

Designed based on the Liaoning carrier purchased from Ukraine, China's first domestically built aircraft carrier is likely to enter service with the People's Liberation Army Navy in 2024, according to Kanwa Defense Weekly operated by Andrei Chang, also known as Pinkov, a military analyst from Canada.

Sidewinder Evolves To Survive

05/04/2014

South Korea recently ordered over 76 AIM-9X Block 2 Sidewinder air-to-air heat seeking missiles and 24 CATM-9X-2 Captive Air Training Missiles and various other accessories all for about $98 million. The CATM look like the actual missile but cannot launch and are carried on aircraft for training purposes and can do everything but launch.

Missing MH370: Deleted data not fully recovered

05/04/2014

The deleted data on the flight simulator of missing MH370 pilot Capt Zaharie Ahmad Shah has yet to be fully recovered, said the Inspector-General of Police. Retrieving the data, said Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, was a difficult process even with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Ukrainian forces free Slovyansk

05/04/2014

An operation to free the town has begun this morning. At 4:00 local time, the troops began to take control over checkpoints around Slovyansk. The terrorists, who seized the town, report that Ukrainian troops have resumed the anti-terrorist operation. Two servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed and several others were injured when two Mil Mi-24 helicopters came under fire outside of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said in a press release.

Air Force puts temporary delay on moving C-130J’s from Keesler

05/04/2014

Tuesday night, Biloxi City Councilman Kenny Glavan will present a resolution urging lawmakers to keep ten C-130J airplanes at Keesler Air force Base. Saturday, we learned from Rep. Steven Palazzo that the measure to move the planes to Arkansas has been temporarily delayed.

Passport to war?

05/04/2014

A Canadian “six-pack” has landed in the Ukraine crisis. This is the slang used at Ottawa’s defence headquarters for the half-dozen CF-18 combat aircraft sent in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty. With the jets’ arrival in nearby Romania, it’s important to understand the direction in which Russian aggression is heading, and a technique Moscow uses in its expansionist strategy: the playing of the Russian ethnic “card.”

Britain's 'invisible' stealth fighter that has cost the taxpayer £1.3billion and can't hide from enemy radar

05/04/2014

The so-called stealth jet costing the MoD billions of pounds can, in fact, be seen by the radar of potential enemies, it has been revealed. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been designed at huge expense to fly unnoticed through enemy airspace and attack targets without being detected. Taxpayers have already spent £1.3?billion developing the jet, while the MoD plans to buy 48 of them at a cost of up to £100?million each.

China steps up as exporter of military aircraft

05/04/2014

China has yet to complete tests on its J-31 stealth fighter but already ranks third in the world for export contracts for multi-role fighters for 2010 to 2017, behind the United States and Russia. This shows the country has become a major exporter of military aircraft without relying on fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.

Abducted OSCE observers freed

05/03/2014

Seven international military observers taken captive in eastern Ukraine a week ago have been released. Five Ukrainian officers captured with the observers, who are linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, were also freed.

Cope India: when India’s Russian jets achieved a surprising 9:1 kill ratio against U.S. F-15's

05/03/2014

Held at the Gwalior Indian Air Force range from Feb. 15 to 27, 2004, Cope India 04 exercise gained the headlines not only because it marked the beginning of a new chapter in bilateral relations between India and US, but also because Indian pilots were able to win more than 90 percent of the mock air engagements conducted against U.S. Air Force F-15C jets from 3rd Wing based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

'Maddening' mission: Keeping NATO's interoperability on track

05/03/2014

Just a year after standing up its new Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey, NATO learned last fall that the Turkish government was planning to purchase a new missile defense system — from China. That was problematic, because the Chinese manufacturer was under U.S. sanctions for supplying missiles to Iran and Syria. Even worse from NATO’s perspective were the cyber-security concerns raised by the new system.

Australian air force makes home at Luke

05/03/2014

The buildup of F-35 operations at Luke Air Force Base has begun, and the Royal Australian air force will soon be Luke's first international partner to train here on the F-35A Lightning II. The 61st Fighter Squadron and 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit will house the RAAF personnel. The goal is to build a cohesive, working understanding of the F-35A program with Luke's international partners for increased success in joint operations.

Helicopters shot down in Ukraine, 2 pilots dead

05/03/2014

Two pilots were killed, one briefly abducted, and several wounded -- including an emergency responder - during an attack early Friday in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Four men suspected of using MANPADS in the attack have been detained.

NATO Is Getting Distress Calls From Eastern Europe. How Should It Reply?

05/03/2014

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has ranged as far abroad as Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years. Now the crisis in Ukraine is pulling it back to the mission that led to its creation 65 years ago: defending Europe’s eastern rim against Kremlin expansionism. The U.S., Britain, and some other NATO members began deploying troops and fighter jets to Poland and the Baltics last month.

BAE Systems continues Tornado GR4 support services

05/03/2014

The Royal Air Force’s fighter fleet of Tornado GR4 aircraft will receive support services from BAE Systems until retirement in 2019. Under the Availability Transformation: Tornado Aircraft Contract, or ATTAC, from Britain’s Ministry of Defense BAE Systems will provide on and off maintenance of the fighters and also provide capability enhancements.

New tests ahead for X-47B unmanned combat air vehicle

05/03/2014

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat air system is to undergo ramped-up testing in preparation for new sea trials, the U.S. Navy reports. The X-47B is an unmanned aerial vehicle, which will enter service with the Navy in 2020, is the size of a normal combat jet and is designed for launch and recovery from an aircraft carrier.

Ukrainian Troops Strike Rebel-Held City as Fighting Spreads to Black Sea Port

05/03/2014

Two days after Ukraine’s interim government declared itself all but helpless to control events in the eastern part of the country, Ukrainian military and police forces on Friday resumed their effort to retake this rebel-controlled city, forcing armed separatists from the city’s outskirts with armored vehicles, helicopters and ground troops — and seemingly pushing ever closer to a confrontation with Moscow.

Boeing Delivers 2nd Peace Eagle Aircraft to Turkey

05/03/2014

Boeing this week delivered, on schedule, the second Peace Eagle Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Turkish Armed Forces, further improving the country's self-defense capabilities. The AEW&C aircraft arrived at Konya Air Base, the fleet's main operating base.

Ukraine crisis: Sloviansk rebels down army helicopters

05/02/2014

Pro-Russian rebels have shot down two of Ukraine's army helicopters during an "anti-terror" operation in the eastern city of Sloviansk, Kiev has said. It said a pilot and serviceman had been killed, four suspected separatists held and nine rebel checkpoints seized.

NATO allies take over Baltic mission from Air Force

05/02/2014

Three NATO nations assumed control on Thursday of a strengthened Baltic air policing mission from the U.S. Air Force amid the worsening crisis in neighboring Ukraine. Separately, Canada is sending six interceptors to Romania as a sign of allied solidarity with its east European members bordering Ukraine and Russia.

ANGEL THUNDER to bring increased flying in Arizona

05/02/2014

Air operations will increase in Arizona from May 4-17 due to the 7th annual ANGEL THUNDER Personnel Recovery exercise. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base says there will be 23 additional aircraft flying into D-M and aircrews will follow standard D-M flight procedures throughout the exercise.

Airbus: US Army's Extra Lakota Helicopter Buy Boosts Foreign Sale Potential

05/02/2014

The US Army’s decision to purchase 100 additional Airbus UH-72 Lakota helicopters for pilot training increases the potential for international sales of the aircraft, according to company officials.