Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US Air Force Orders Additional Boeing Combat Survivor Evader Locators

02/04/2014

Boeing will deliver an additional 2,550 Combat Survivor Evader Locator radios – which are vital to the rescue of downed pilots and other warfighters in dangerous situations – under a new $24 million contract with the U.S. Air Force. A global emergency call system that enables the safe, fast and efficient recovery of warfighters in harm's way, CSEL is used by the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy for search and rescue operations.

Indian Aircraft Carrier Training Facility to Open Soon

02/04/2014

A training facility for naval pilots to practice aircraft carrier operations is set to open in India’s coastal Goa region later this month, the head of the Russian company overseeing the project said Monday. The site is based on a Russian facility under construction near the Black Sea town of Yeysk that was planned to open last year but has suffered undisclosed delays.

Russia May Build New Aircraft Carrier by 2023 – Designer

02/04/2014

The development and construction of a new aircraft carrier for the Russian navy could take about 10 years, a St. Petersburg-based ship design bureau said Monday. Sergei Vlasov, general director of the Nevskoye design bureau, said the overall cost of the ship could range between 100 and 250 billion rubles ($2.8-7.1 billion).

Russia to Deploy More Su-25 Combat Planes at Kyrgyz Airbase

02/04/2014

Russia will deploy four additional Su-25 ground attack aircraft at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, Russia’s Central Military District said Monday. “A unit of modernized Su-25SM Frogfoot fighter-bombers will be deployed this year at the Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan,” the district said in a statement.

Syrian aircraft pound rebel-held areas of Aleppo

02/03/2014

Syrian government aircraft unleashed a wave of airstrikes on more than a dozen rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, as President Bashar Assad's forces inched into areas controlled by opposition fighters for more than a year, activists said.

US and French navies complete combined strike group operations

02/03/2014

The U.S. and French navies completed five weeks of rare combined carrier strike group operations in the Middle East Sunday. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and French Navy Task Force 473 — which includes the French carrier FS Charles de Gaulle — began operating together in late December.

Unfunded F-16 Upgrades Put Jet's Combat Value in Doubt

02/03/2014

As officials in Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) were busying themselves for Chinese New Year celebrations last week, they received potentially devastating news for the Pacific nation’s air defense plans. The US Air Force plans to defund the combat avionics programmed extension suite (CAPES) program, as budget constraints could force the service to move remaining money from CAPES to the F-16 service-life extension program (SLEP), according to sources.

Procurement: Blowing Smoke For the F-35

02/03/2014

The U.S. Department of Defenseis being accused of deception for refusing to admit the true cost of the new F-35 in the face of growing cuts in the military budget. Despite these cuts the Department of Defense will not change the number of F-35s ordered nor the unit cost that should be increased becasue of these cuts. Something has to give. The U.S. Air Force still expects to get production models of its 31 ton F-35A in late 2016.

Air Combat Command's challenge: Buy new or modernize older aircraft

02/03/2014

After a tense budget battle last year, the Air Force is gearing up to defend what service officials have called a series of hard choices about what to keep and what to dump. With finances tight, the biggest fight is over whether to modernize older platforms or risk a capabilities gap while pushing that funding toward recapitalization programs.

The Russian Punishment Ship

02/02/2014

anuary Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetzov passed through the English Channel on its way to the Mediterranean. The carrier had five escort vessels and military pilots flying close by could not help but notice that there was a lot of rust on the deck of the carrier. This was not a good sign.

Hill F-16s flying crisis simulations in South Korea

02/02/2014

In early January, nearly 300 airmen and 12 F-16s from Hill Air Force Base left the friendly confines of Utah for one of the most unstable regions in the world - and after a month in Korea, the group has already become a stabilizing force. Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing are at Osan Air Base in South Korea, providing what Air Force officials call a "theater security package."

PLA seen seeking to limit US protection of Taiwan

02/02/2014

The US military believes that China is developing “growing confidence” that it can deal with or deter US intervention if Beijing attacks Taiwan. It was also revealed in testimony before a congressional commission that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears to have a “more mature viewpoint” on military operations against the US.

Chinese AEW&C aircraft effective for mission over E China Sea

02/02/2014

Since the establishment of the East China Sea air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) has constantly been a subject of public discussion. A recent report about the first PLA AEW&C aircraft fleet captured immediate attention from both at home and abroad after being published.

Russia to Give Kazakhstan Air Defense Systems Free-of-Charge

02/02/2014

Russia is set to supply fellow former Soviet nation Kazakhstan with S-300 air defense systems free-of-charge, a top Russian military official said Friday. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, who was part of a military delegation traveling to the Central Asian state, said five battalions of S-300PS systems would be supplied from the arsenals of the Russian army.

Lockheed Remains Top in Weapon-Sales Ranking Amid Russian Rise

02/01/2014

Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co. and BAE Systems Plc remained the top three global armsmakers even as suppliers from South Korea, Brazil and Russia made inroads in a market that contracted for a second year. Sales of weapons and services by the 100 largest suppliers fell 4.2 percent in real terms to $395 billion in 2012 after a 6.6 percent retreat in the previous year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a review that excludes Chinese manufacturers.

UK, France to Invest £120 million in a Joint UCAV Study

02/01/2014

The UK and France have agreed to strengthen defence cooperation following a Summit at RAF Brize Norton today. A communiqué signed by the Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande sets out plans for closer ties between the two countries. ”Britain and France are natural partners for Defence cooperation. We have made substantial progress since the Lancaster House Treaty was signed in 2010 and today we have committed ourselves to go further still.”

Green Flag East takes a new approach at training

02/01/2014

With U.S. forces pivoting to the Pacific, Air Combat Command's detachment on Barksdale, the 548th Combat Training Squadron, has for the first time, incorporated maritime training into a Green Flag exercise involving the F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 187th Fighter Wing from Montgomery, Ala. from Jan. 9 through 28.

Dassault Aviation salutes a major step forward for the Future Combat Air System

02/01/2014

Dassault Aviation is delighted by the decision announced today by the President of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, and the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, concerning the future combat air system. This decision led to the signing by the French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his counterpart, of a letter of intent which formalizes the launch of joint feasibility studies in the field of unmanned combat air systems (UCAS).

Asia's first 'Shore Based Test Facility' near Dabolim

02/01/2014

As the Indian Navy gears up for the exciting prospect of operating two aircraft carriers simultaneously-the ageing INS Viraat and the newer INS Vikramaditya that entered into service in 2013, the defence wing has commissioned Asia's first 'Shore Based Test Facility' (SBTF) at INS Hansa, the Naval aviation station near Dabolim, in South Goa. The SBTF is chiefly used for flight testing of Naval aircraft that operate from aircraft carriers.

Team Fairchild joins 65 units, U.S. allies to kick off Red Flag 14-1

02/01/2014

Team Fairchild joined 65 other units and U.S. allies to participate in Red Flag 14-1 here Jan. 27, 2014. The three-week long exercise is a realistic combat training exercise conducted by the 414th Combat Training Squadron three times a year over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

India Slows Action On Procurement Deals

02/01/2014

With general elections expected before May, corruption scandals over high-profile defense deals, and a deflated rupee, Defense Minister A.K. Antony, who has cultivated an image of integrity, has taken a go-slow approach on vitally needed equipment projects.

US hears conflicting accounts on Lockheed’s $400bn F-35 fighter

01/31/2014

It is either comfortably on track to forming the cornerstone of the western world’s militaries or a flop so unairworthy that lightning could down it. The US public has this week been presented with sharply contrasting takes on the world’s biggest-ever military procurement project.

India close to $1.65-bin military aircraft deal with Japan

01/31/2014

India is close to buying Japanese-made military aircraft in a $1.65-billion deal, becoming the first country since World War II to buy a military aircraft from Japan, helping the country wriggle out of a self-imposed ban of the sale of weapons.

Boeing, Air Force dispute report of tanker delay

01/31/2014

The Boeing Co. and the U.S. Air Force say development and delivery of a new aerial-refueling tanker is still on track, despite a Pentagon report released this week warning that the $52 billion program could be delayed six to 12 months during testing. However, the analysis in the U.S. Defense Department report was based on historical data from military development programs, whereas the KC-46A program schedule is based on Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ more aggressive approach to testing.

How A US Air Force F-15 Eagle Shot Down An Iraqi Mig-23 During Desert Storm

01/31/2014

Developed at the end of the 1960s to be the best air superiority fighter in the world, the F-15 proved to be a real MiG Killer during Operation Desert Storm scoring most of the allied aerial victories. During the Air War over Iraq the mighty Eagle proved also to be a very robust airframe, bringing back its pilots also after suffering serious damages.