Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Hill’s F-16s take first flights alongside F-35s

05/02/2014

F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Hill Air Force Base’s 419th and 388th Fighter Wings took to the skies the morning of April 24 for their first training missions alongside the F-35A Lightning II, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft. Hill’s F-16s flew air-to-air combat training missions with F-35As assigned to Eglin’s 33rd Fighter Wing.

Harris Corp. awarded $19M contract by Boeing

05/02/2014

Harris Corp. received a two-year, $19 million contract from Boeing to provide key avionics components for the U.S. Navy’s Super Hornet fighter aircraft. The combat-proven Super Hornet provides precision strike capability. The EA-18G Growler, derived from the Super Hornet, is the U.S's newest and most advanced airborne electronic attack platform.

Obama’s inaction invites challenges to the U.S.

05/02/2014

In the Philippines this week, President Obama took a cheap shot at critics of his foreign policy. “Why is it,” the president pondered at a news conference, “that everybody is so eager to use military force after we’ve just gone through a decade of war at enormous costs to our troops and to our budget?”

Sweden opens airspace to NATO AWACS aircraft

05/02/2014

Sweden is to open up its airspace to Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft operated by NATO as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine continues, national media disclosed on 30 April.

New Zealand Ministry of Defence Awards Upgrade Program to Lockheed Martin Canada

05/02/2014

Building on its 30-year legacy as a naval combat systems integrator, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Canada today announced the signing of a contract with the Government of New Zealand for the upgrade of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s two ANZAC Class frigates at a signing ceremony in Wellington on April 29, 2014.

Boeing Flies Production Configuration AH-6i Light Helicopter for the 1st Time

05/02/2014

Boeing's AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter has flown for the first time in its production configuration, moving the program another step closer to full-scale production while continuing to prove the helicopter's close air support and attack capabilities.

Congress Should Not Cut Critical Defense Capabilities and Readiness

05/01/2014

A month after the fiscal year (FY) 2015 defense budget was submitted to Congress, the Department of Defense (DOD) released the report Estimated Impacts of Sequestration-Level Funding. The report highlights areas where additional cuts will be made in order to comply with sequestration-level funding. While it dutifully tabulates the affects on procurement programs, services, and budget accounts, explanations of the implications of these decisions are lacking.

EU arms and technology sold to China's armed forces

05/01/2014

European Union countries export a range of technology to China's military, according to public documents, research institutes and military analysts. Below is a selection of the weapons and dual-use goods that have flowed from EU countries to China in the past five years.

US-Philippine defense deal revolves around China

05/01/2014

Although President Barack Obama went to great pains to state that a new defense agreement with the Philippines wasn’t about countering China, it’s unclear if he was able to pull off the balancing act. Obama encouraged China’s “peaceful rise” and emphasized partnership with Beijing while speaking Monday in Manila during the introduction of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Israel's fighter jets spying on enemy targets without having to leave country

05/01/2014

The Israel Air Force shed some light on its fighter jet reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, revealing on Tuesday that one of its F-15 squadrons frequently uses advanced, long-range cameras to photograph enemy targets without leaving Israeli air space. The Double Tail Knights Squadron, which flies out of Tel Nof Air Base, south of Rehovot, dedicates a significant amount of its operations to aerial intelligence gathering, senior members of the squadron said.

Push for Growler jets points to military growth despite spending cap

05/01/2014

It wasn't looking good for the Growlers. The Boeing-made fighter jets, used to jam enemy radar, were left out of the Pentagon's budget for next year. And with spending strictly limited by a budget cap, the plane seemed headed for extinction. But in reality, the Growlers aren't dead yet. Like dozens of other programs, the EA-18G Airborne Electric Attack Aircraft, as they're officially known, have ended up on something called the "unfunded priorities list."

IAF gets new deputy chief amid declining fighter strength

05/01/2014

Even as the IAF awaits the induction of new fighters to retain its eroding combat edge, Air Marshal SBP Sinha took over as the new deputy chief of the force on Wednesday. An ace fighter pilot commissioned in June 1980, Air Marshal Sinha will have to steer all IAF modernization projects in his new assignment.

What is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft?

05/01/2014

Any conversation about Australia's commitment to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter refers to it as a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. But what exactly is a fifth-generation aircraft, and why is it important? Both the Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Defence Minister David Johnston spoke of the JSF's "fifth-generation" capability as Australia now plans to buy a further 58 aircraft.

Russia Starts Combat Helicopter Training Flights on Baltic Border

05/01/2014

A newly formed Russian army helicopter brigade has begun training flights in the northwest of the country near the borders with the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, a spokesman for the Western Military District said Wednesday. “Helicopters of the army aviation brigade of the Western Military District, based in the Pskov region, have begun regular training flights in the skies over northwestern Russia,” Col. Oleg Kochetkov said.

French Warship Deliveries to Russia Not Affected by Sanctions

05/01/2014

The delivery of two French warships to Russia will not be affected by the current EU sanctions imposed in light of the situation in Ukraine, French Permanent Representative to the UN Gerard Araud told RIA Novosti Wednesday. "At the moment they are not affected by the sanctions," he said, adding that the sanctions are only target individuals.

Israel Air Force pilots practice shooting down enemy drones in massive drill

04/30/2014

The Israel Air Force held a large exercise for fighter jets and combat helicopters in recent days to practice shooting down hostile drones. The drill is part of a series of training exercises designed to prepare pilots for the growing threat of the drones that Hezbollah and Hamas have.

23 nations heading to Hawaii for RIMPAC as exercise details emerge

04/30/2014

Twenty-three nations, about 40 ships, six submarines, hundreds of aircraft and 25,000 people are participating in this year's Rim of the Pacific war games in and around Hawaii June 26 to Aug. 1, the Navy said. Details until now have been few, but Navy officials released some of the specifics of this summer's iteration of the world's largest international maritime exercise.

F-35 is Liaoning's worst nightmare, says Global Times

04/30/2014

The US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is capable of combating China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, reports Huanqiu, the website of China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid. In a hypothetical aircraft carrier battle between China and the United States, the main fighter jets would include the United States' F-35C fifth-generation multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin and China's J-15 carrier-based jet developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.

Air Force, lawmakers clash over future of A-10 again

04/30/2014

The fate of the A-10 close-air support platform has been the most contentious issue between the Air Force and Congress over the last six months. If comments made Tuesday are any indication, it’s a fight that isn’t going away. At a hearing called to discuss the future force mixture among active, Guard and Reserve components, Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh ran into an A-10 themed assault in the form of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain.

Video: US Navy F-18 Squadron Gets the GoPro Treatment

04/30/2014

There are no shortage of GoPro aviation videos online, but very few of them are of active combat squadrons in the US Navy. The VFA-27 Royal Maces, a squad of Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter aircraft, recently took to the skies with some cameras on-board. The video is of training exercises (not live combat), but it should give you an idea of how fighter pilots view the world strapped into a fourth-generation fighter jet.

Czech, Slovak Militaries Launch Joint Air Patrols, Eye Arms Procurement

04/30/2014

Under an agreement signed by the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the countries’ air forces will launch joint air patrols in January. The initiative has been debated for several years, but was recently accelerated by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and related security concerns of the two governments, reported daily Gazeta Wyborcza.

French Rafale jets deploy to Poland (without the markings of the unit which fought alongside Soviets in WWII)

04/30/2014

Four French Air Force Rafales have deployed to Poland. The aircraft don’t sport the traditional tail markings and the reason may be their unit fough alongside the Soviets in WWII. At 09.40 GMT, four French Air Force Rafale “omnirole” jets landed at Malbork airbase in Poland, where they have been deployed to reinforce NATO and its allies presence around Ukraine.

Stealthy F-35 Jets to Take Center Stage at British Air Shows

04/30/2014

This summer, two separate British air shows will host the overseas debut of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a next-generation fighter jet that is being billed as the most advanced warplane of its type yet developed. Two or three F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, which are capable of taking off on a short runway and landing vertically, will make their first trans-Atlantic flights — from the United States to the United Kingdom — in July, officials from the U.K. Ministry of Defence said.

ROMANIAN MILITARY UNITS MOVING TOWARDS UKRAINIAN BORDER

04/29/2014

According to information available, in Romania military units are moving towards the eastern borders – a military echelon loaded with anti-aircraft guns, trucks and ground -to- air missile systems has moved via Bucharest towards the Black Sea port of Constanta. The military units are needed for conducting joint military exercises with the participation of the US servicemen and four American F-16 fighter jets, according to the Romanian Defense Ministry officials told newsmen.

US Pacific Command Plans Responses for Unilateral Chinese Coercion

04/29/2014

The United States has a vested interest in maintaining the strategic status quo in the Asia-Pacific given that its position as a power in the region could be undermined should China succeed in changing the regional security landscape. As anxiety has grown about China’s intentions following an increase in tensions over the Senkaku/Dioayu dispute between it and Japan, and a host of territorial disputes in the South China Sea.