Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Airbus Begins A400M Deliveries, Hopes for Exports

10/13/2013

Airbus Military, the multinational consortium that builds the A400M, will soon deliver the first airlifter to the Turkish military, consortium and Turkish officials said. The first Turkish A400M will operate at an air base in Kayseri in central Turkey. “The first aircraft for the Turkish military will be delivered in the coming weeks,” Tom Enders, CEO of EADS, Airbus’ parent company, said at a Sept. 30 ceremony here for the delivery of the first A400M for the French Air Force.

Mothballed military aircraft: Taxpayer bucks going to waste

10/13/2013

According to information first published by the Dayton Daily News, a dozen transport planes valued at approximately $50 million a pop are going from the assembly line to the graveyard. That's on top of the $567 million the Air Force has spent on the Italian-made C-27J aircraft since 2007. Sequestration is being cited as the reason for the planes not being used.

HSC-25 Rescues Tinian Plane Crash Victims

10/13/2013

Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 helped rescue four people whose plane went missing on a flight from Tinian to Saipan of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Oct. 6.

Air Force: Sequester, shutdown imperil crews and missions

10/13/2013

The Air Force is telling Congress that the double whammy of sequestration budget cuts and the partial government shutdown “endangers the safety of our airmen” and “unnecessarily adds risks” to everyday missions. In a memo to Capitol Hill Friday night, Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon said it has been forced to “take extraordinary actions” to make do with less money.

Portable missiles stoke fears in Syria

10/13/2013

The Syrian government’s shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and launchers could imperil civil aviation if they fall into the hands of terrorist groups, according to an independent report examining the global proliferation of portable missiles.

Report: Sequestration, Military Budget Cuts Hurting National Security

10/12/2013

A combination of budget cuts and escalating compensation costs will reduce the U.S. military’s fighting forces by at least 50 percent by 2021 and threaten national security, according to a report released Friday. The report by the Bipartisan Policy Center also said that the nearly $1 trillion in defense funding reductions over the next decade, known as the sequester, would cripple the readiness and modernization of military forces.

Chemring Drops as Shutdown Adds to Pound Hurting Earnings

10/12/2013

Chemring Group Plc, a U.K. supplier of countermeasures for combat jets, fell the most in 16 years after saying global political turmoil, currency shifts and production snags will reduce earnings this year and next. Chemring plunged 23 percent, the biggest drop since April 1997, to 220 pence, the lowest price since November. The stock has fallen 4.2 percent this year, reversing gains that reached as high as 40 percent in July.

A Warning to Egypt’s Generals

10/12/2013

President Obama’s decision to reduce but not terminate military aid to Egypt is a measured attempt to protect American interests in a tumultuous region while affirming the president’s support for democracy. One message is that the relationship between the two countries remains crucial to regional stability.

Impounded fighter jets bound for North Korea were in sound condition

10/12/2013

Two Cuban fighter jets seized from a North Korean ship in July were in perfect condition to operate and the 15 plane engines that were found along with them were relatively new and could be used as replacements, a Panamanian official said Friday. The comments by Belsio Gonzalez, director of Panama's National Aeronautics and Ocean Administration, appear to contradict the explanation of the cargo given by Cuban authorities.

U.S. patience with Afghanistan grows thin

10/12/2013

During a testy video conference in June, President Barack Obama drew a line in the sand for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. If there was no agreement by Oct. 31 on the terms for keeping a residual U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Obama warned him, the United States would withdraw all of its troops at the end of 2014.

Exclusive: Rooivalk is going to DRC

10/12/2013

Three of the South African Air Force’s Rooivalk combat support helicopters will be in the DRC before year-end to boost MONUSCO and its Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in executing its offensive mandate in the aircraft’s first ever combat deployment. Captain (SAN) Zamo Sithole, SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Joint Operations media liaison officer, confirmed to defenceWeb that three of 16 Squadron’s 11 combat helicopters would join up with the aviation unit of the UN Mission in the DRC.

Acquisition Chief’s Death Delays Indian Purchases

10/12/2013

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has expressed concern that major aviation-related defense procurements will be delayed following the sudden death of Arun Kumar Bal, Ministry of Defense chief negotiator for air acquisitions. “It will take around three months for his replacement. This is a setback for anything the IAF is acquiring,” Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne told AIN.

PRC’s Avic Plans To Expand Export Markets

10/12/2013

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) state-owned and -operated Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) presented a full line of its products and plans for further expansion of its export markets at last month’s Aviation Expo China exhibition, which was held in the Chinese capital, Beijing. The centerpiece of the Avic display was a line-up of models of those military aircraft programs that the conglomerate has been permitted to make public.

Report warns of threat posed by anti-aircraft missiles taken from Syrian military arsenals

10/12/2013

The Syrian government's shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and launchers could imperil civil aviation if they fall into the hands of terror groups, according to an independent report examining the global proliferation of portable missiles.

Embraer selects Thales IFF systems for military aircraft upgrades

10/11/2013

A total of 48 aircraft in the Brazilian Air Force will be retrofitted with the new IFF transponders. Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has awarded Thales a contract to supply IFF (identification friend or foe) transponders for the upgrade of A1M fighters and E-99 AEW surveillance aircraft in service with the Brazilian Air Force. A total of 48 aircraft will be retrofitted with the new IFF transponders.

Are America’s Stealth Bombers Ready for Action?

10/11/2013

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber can avoid most modern adversaries’ defenses, but it is currently facing a different threat: defense budget cuts. Of the 20 B-2s in existence, only 16 are operational at any given time due to maintenance schedules; a recent report claims there may only be nine available. In addition, a handful of B-2s are constantly used for training, so the availability of combat-ready Spirits actually declines further.

Civilian Aerial Refueling Thrives

10/11/2013

While the U.S. Navy often depends on U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial tankers to refuel its aircraft, it has sometimes also found it more convenient to use a civilian firm, Omega Air, to provide aerial refueling service in the United States. The air force controls all the large tankers (the navy can use some smaller aircraft, even fighters, for refueling in a pinch) and makes them available to the navy and other foreigners only when the air force has taken care of its own needs.

F-35s of the 7th Production Lot will Receive Improved Helmet Displays

10/11/2013

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) today informed Lockheed Martin that it has decided to halt the development of the alternate F-35 helmet and focus exclusively on maturing the Vision Systems (VSI) 2nd Generation helmet currently used in training and testing. As a result, the program will recoup approximately $45 million in funds it had originally allocated for the development of the alternate helmet. Beginning with aircraft in Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lot 7.

Testing Finds Minor Cracks in Marine F-35 Bulkheads

10/11/2013

Ground testing of the most complex version of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 jet has uncovered two small cracks the Pentagon describes as minor, according to a statement to congressional staff. The cracks were discovered in late August during an inspection of the U.S. Marine Corps’ short-takeoff and vertical landing model that’s used in ground testing to evaluate an airframe’s long-term durability. The airframes are designed to last through 8,000 flight hours. They are tested on the ground to the eq

Pentagon to focus on Rockwell-Elbit helmet for F-35 jet

10/11/2013

The Pentagon said on Thursday it would halt work on a second pilot helmet being developed for the F-35 fighter jet by Britain's BAE Systems Plc, and focus exclusively on the main helmet built by Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd. The Pentagon's F-35 program office said the move followed improvements to the Rockwell-Elbit helmet, including a better night vision camera, and would save about $45 million in funding that would have been needed to finish the BAE helmet.

For Syrians, a no-fly zone of their own

10/11/2013

For two years, the rebels in Al Qusayr held out against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Then in April the regime, supported by fresh fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, renewed its attack on the mountain town overlooking the Lebanon border.

Israel Air Force holds long-range drill over Mediterranean

10/11/2013

Israeli Air Force fighter squadrons have carried out exercises testing their capability to conduct missions at long ranges from base, the Israeli military said Thursday. The drills included air-to-air refueling and dogfights against foreign combat planes.

F-35 Program Halts Development Of Alternate Helmet

10/11/2013

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) today informed Lockheed Martin that it decided to halt development of the alternate F-35 helmet and focus exclusively on maturing the Rockwell Collins Elbit Systems of America Vision Systems Generation 2 (Gen 2) helmet currently used in training and testing. The program will recoup approximately $45 million in funds it had originally allocated for the development of the alternate helmet.

Pakistan Deal for Chinese J-10 Fighters Uncertain

10/10/2013

Tough International Monetary Fund conditions on Pakistan and concerns about untested technology likely will delay Islamabad’s plan to buy 36 J-10B Vigorous Dragon multirole fighters from China under a $1.4 billion deal signed in 2009, analysts said. Current economic conditions “preclude any possibility of acquiring new weapon systems in the next two to three years, at least,” said retired Pakistani Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail.

Afghans Take Delivery of US Transport Planes

10/10/2013

Afghanistan took delivery on Wednesday of two C-130 transport aircraft from the United States, part of an effort to give the country's military the ability to better fight insurgents around the country. Afghanistan will get another two of the airplanes, a mainstay of many militaries around the world, by the end of next year. The plane gives the nascent Afghan air force the ability to quickly ferry forces around the country along with their equipment and supplies.