Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Bell-Boeing team tests Osprey's ability to refuel other aircraft

10/10/2013

The medium-lift Osprey, proven in combat as a troop and equipment transport, could soon get a new mission: refueling other aircraft. A series of tests in August and September has given aviation officials hope that the Osprey could be used to extend the range of other platforms, including helicopters and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

CAE Awarded $140 Million In Military Contracts – U.S. And German Air Forces Among The Customers

10/10/2013

CAE today announced that it was awarded approximately $140 million in military contracts, including approximately $85 million to CAE USA alone. The US contracts also include options valued at an additional $50 million over the next five years. The contracts are part of CAE’s second quarter order intake and are in addition to contracts already announced.

Ministry row latest blow to defence modernisation

10/10/2013

A plan to attract private Indian firms to help build military aircraft could be delayed after Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel said the proposal was unfair to state-run companies. India has emerged as the world's biggest arms importer as it tries to update archaic weapons systems to keep up with neighbours China and Pakistan in a $100 billion modernisation drive.

Antony for relook at 'private sector only' aircraft contract

10/10/2013

Praful Patel, minister of heavy industries and public enterprises, on Monday wrote to Defence Minister A K Antony, demanding that the defence ministry (MoD) tender to build 56 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) be opened to public sector undertakings (PSUs), and not just to the private sector. On Wednesday, Antony asked MoD officials to “examine the issues raised by Shri Patel.”

First F-35 For Australia Takes Shape In Fort Worth

10/10/2013

Lockheed Martin and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated the beginnings of the first F-35 Lightning II for Australia yesterday. The aircraft, designated as AU-1, officially began the mate process, where major components of the aircraft are joined together to form the aircraft’s structure. AU-1 will then make its way down the assembly line and roll out of the factory for delivery to the RAAF in the summer of 2014.

F-35 Lightning II Program Surpasses 10,000 Flight Hours

10/10/2013

The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II program continues its operational maturation, surpassing 10,000 flight hours in September. More than half of the total hours were accumulated in just the past 11 months. Through September, F-35s flew 6,492 times for a total of 10,077 flight hours. The new milestone effectively doubles the safe flight operations of the F-35 in a year, compared to reaching 5,000 flight hours in six years.

Russian Defense Ministry to Order 32 Shipborne Helicopters in 2014 – Official

10/10/2013

Russia’s Defense Ministry is planning to buy 32 shipborne helicopters from Russian Helicopters’ Progress Arsenyev division, a Deputy Defense Minister said Wednesday during a visit to the factory. “These helicopters are to undergo final testing in 2014. If all goes well, we are ready to order them,” Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said during a visit to the producer in Russia’s Far East, without specifying the type in question.

Defense Minister Shoigu to Push Russian Arms Sales in Brazil, Peru

10/10/2013

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will depart next week on a four-day trip to Brazil and Peru to promote the sales of Russian weaponry to these countries, the Kommersant daily reported Wednesday. The success of Shoigu’s talks with Brazilian and Peruvian counterparts will significantly boost Russia’s chances to sell military equipment worth at least $1.7 billion, the paper said citing a source in the Russian General Staff.

What Boeing Must Do To Maintain Its Lead In Defense

10/09/2013

September was not a good month for The Boeing Company’s defense operations. On September 15, Defense News reported that Air Force planners were considering retirement of all 59 Boeing KC-10 tankers, even though they are the newest aerial refuelers in the fleet. On September 18, the company announced it would close the California plant assembling its highly-regarded C-17 airlifter in 2015 due to low overseas demand.

Syrian fighter jets bomb rebel-held areas

10/09/2013

Syrian government warplanes bombed rebel positions near a strategic northern city on Tuesday, activists said, as international inspectors toured production and storage sites of the country's chemical weapons arsenal. The rebels captured Maaret al-Numan a year ago, after systematically seizing the army's outposts in the city, along astride a major supply route linking the capital, Damascus with the contested Idlib region and Syria's largest city, Aleppo.

SD County asks for military planes: Air Force plans to turn over C27 aircraft to U.S. Forest Service

10/09/2013

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors called on the U.S. Department of Defense Tuesday to transfer as many as seven excess aircraft to the U.S. Forest Service for aerial firefighting in the region. Air Force officials plan to retire some C27 aircraft this fall and make the twin-engine, turboprop-driven cargo planes available to the Forest Service, which, according to Supervisors Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob, has a shortage of firefighting planes.

Brand new military planes headed for 'boneyard'

10/09/2013

Five brand new military cargo airplanes slated for delivery to the U.S. armed services early next year will go directly to an Arizona “boneyard” set aside for equipment no longer in use, according to Military.com. The report, citing the Dayton Daily News, said about a dozen of the new C-27J Spartan equipment haulers already have been taken out of service and sent to Tucson, where the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base stores unused equipment and airplanes.

Meet The Army’s Tricked-Out, Super-Fast Stealth Copters of 2030

10/09/2013

In the not-so-distant future, U.S. special operators, like those who used scuba gear boats and SUVs to go after terrorists this weekend, may be carried into combat by quiet, ultra-fast helicopters that bear only a passing resemblance to today's models.

Taiwan Expects “Invasion By China” By 2020 – Report

10/09/2013

By stockpiling weapons, China will be able to take Taiwan by force by the end of the year 2020, even if Taiwan gets help “from outside”, says Taiwan’s military report. Western military analysts say that China targeted the island with at least 1,600 ballistic missiles.

European Defense Firms’ Drone Push Remains Elusive

10/09/2013

Circling around this air force base in southern France, an orange helicopter earlier this year completed a test flight—without a pilot. Made by Eurocopter, a unit of Franco-German aerospace giant European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., the military chopper was controlled by technicians in a distant control room.

Boeing Delivers 5th Canadian CH-147F Chinook Helicopter

10/09/2013

Boeing has delivered the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) fifth CH-147F Chinook helicopter one month ahead of schedule and only three months after the arrival of the first in June, expanding Canada’s military cargo capability while continuing the Chinook program’s history of excellence.

Instant Persistence Anywhere Within 48 Hours

10/08/2013

U.S. SOCOM’s (Special Operations Command) Air Force Special Operations Command has come up with a quicker way to get Special Forces troops high quality reconnaissance no matter where these operators are in the world. This is done by partially breaking down two MQ-1 Predator UAVs and flying them where needed in a C-17.

Turkey scrambled F-16s to stop Syrian air operations near border

10/08/2013

Turkey has been preparing for an air war with Syria. The Turkish military said four U.S.-origin F-16 multi-role fighters were sent to the Syrian border on Oct 5. The military said the F-16s were deployed to stop the approach of Syrian Air Force warplanes.

China military preparing capability to control Taiwan by 2020: MND

10/08/2013

China plans to enhance its combat capabilities to a level sufficient to mount a full attack against Taiwan by 2020, showing that its military threat to Taiwan has not diminished, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has concluded in a report.

Mirage 2000: The backbone of IAF to get a USD 2.4 bln makeover

10/08/2013

Mirage 2000s has been the backbone of Indian Air Force since decades. The French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by French-based Company Dassault Aviation was inducted in Indian Air Force in 1980s.

Military targets waste and inefficiency in redeploying funds

10/08/2013

In 2005 the enemy was the Taliban, but now the Canadian Armed Forces have slapped a target on a fresh adversary: waste and inefficiency. The military will squeeze up to $1.2-billion in annual savings from existing spending and redirect it to higher priority areas in an effort to keep soldiers, sailors and air force personnel in a higher state of readiness, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson announced Monday. The goal, in military parlance, is “more teeth and less tail.”

Scorpion—Bold Idea, But Where’s The Market?

10/08/2013

Textron, in partnership with Airland Enterprises, recently unveiled the Scorpion, a largely clean-sheet light combat/ISR jet that is being prepared for a first flight this month. New military aircraft are so scarce that any new prototype is bound to garner attention, including an Aviation Week cover story, and it's good to see innovation make an appearance in the aerospace and defense industry.

Su-35S overtakes F-22 in terms of ‘intellect’

10/08/2013

Practically the entire fifth generation fighter ideology has come to fruition in the shape of the Su-35S. This gives Russia the potential to set about creating a sixth generation combat aircraft ahead of all the other nations.

Stuck at the basics of aircraft design

10/08/2013

The Indian Air Force needs to take a call on how it is to acquire a new set of trainer aircraft, balancing indigenisation concerns with practical considerations. There is a considerable degree of conceptual confusion here. It took over a decade to decide on and acquire the Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT). The British Hawk Mk 132 finally entered service in the IAF in early 2008 for advanced jet training.

Russian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Portugal, Spain

10/08/2013

Russian military inspectors will begin monitoring flights over Portugal and France starting on Monday under the international Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. Experts from Russia will be conducting flights on board of a Tu-154M Lk-1 aircraft between October 7 and 11 taking off from Lisbon Airport in Portugal and Getafe Air Base in Spain.