Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Ayotte Warns US Air Force May Violate Law on A-10

01/28/2014

New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte is warning the Air Force that any attempt to cut the A-10 in 2014 may violate the law, a clear warning shot at the service as it prepares to release its 2015 budget. Ayotte and her allies inserted language into the 2014 National Defense Authorization act (NDAA) stating the service “may not retire, prepare to retire, or place in storage” any A-10 aircraft during the entirety of calendar year 2014.

Confidence Grows in Australian F-35A Program

01/28/2014

Australia’s program to replace its F/A-18A/B Hornet fleet with F-35A joint strike fighters will achieve a significant milestone in July when the first aircraft rolls off the assembly line, followed by the second four weeks later. On Dec. 13, that first aircraft transitioned from the Electronic Mate and Assembly System to the final assembly line at Fort Worth. It marked the first time the aircraft had stood on its own wheels.

U.S. to sell, lease Apache attack helicopters to Iraqi forces

01/28/2014

Iraq’s embattled government will be allowed to buy and lease Apache attack helicopters to help fight a renewed insurgency after a U.S. lawmaker lifted his long-running objections to the deal, the Pentagon said Monday. The agreement allows Iraq to lease as many as six Apaches this year and purchase another two dozen for delivery over the next three years, officials said.

India has Immense Potential in Aerospace Industry: DRDO

01/28/2014

India has immense potential to become a leader in aerospace industry as the sector is growing at a "faster pace", a senior scientist of Defence Research and Development Organisation said today. "India has achieved quite a lot in the field of aerospace technologies and there are ample opportunities to become a leader in the field so we have a great future as well," Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems), DRDO, V G Sekaran said here.

Northrop Grumman's Hunter Unmanned Aircraft System Surpasses 100,000 Combat Flight Hours

01/28/2014

Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), in use with the U.S. Army since 1996, recently surpassed 100,000 combat flight hours in service. The MQ-5B Hunter, which is currently deployed supporting contingency operations across the globe, provides warfighters with state-of-the-art reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition (RSTA), communications relay and weapons delivery.

London universities’ £7.4m stake in the arms industry

01/28/2014

London universities have millions of pounds invested in the arms industry, a London Student investigation has found. Ten of the city’s institutions have holdings in defence companies, which critics argue “profit from death”. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act suggest their combined stake in the controversial industry exceeds £7.4m.

Russian Arms Exporter Sold $13.2Bln in 2013

01/28/2014

Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport sold $13.2 billion in weapons and military equipment to foreign buyers last year but expects no short-term growth, its director said in an interview published Monday. “For the next two to three years our main task will be to maintain arms exports at $13 billion, which I do not think we will exceed, since the new types of technology potential buyers are interested in should first be adopted by the Russian army, and only then be exported.”

Jordan military aircraft crashes

01/27/2014

A Jordanian air force plane crashed on Sunday while it was on a training flight due to technical failure, an official army source said. "At 12:20 pm (local time), a Royal Jordanian Air Force plane crashed after encountering a technical problem," the military source told the state-run Jordanian News Agency (PETRA).

Russia releases Defence and Security Report for Q1

01/27/2014

Russia released its Defence and Security Report for 2014’s first quarter on Thursday and said it would continue to acquire new military equipment and professionalize its army. Russia said it would purchase hundreds of warplanes, special mission aircraft and freighters during the next 10 years. Modernization of the country’s air force is expected to be complete by 2020.

Global Hawk Wins in 2015 Request, Sources Say

01/27/2014

The Global Hawk UAV looks to be a big winner in the US Air Force’s fiscal 2015 budget submission, an impressive turn of events for a program the service has spent years attempting to kill. The Global Hawk Block 30 will be funded when President Barack Obama’s budget arrives March 4, said two sources with knowledge of budget discussions.

Afghanistan Exit Is Seen as Peril to Drone Mission

01/27/2014

The risk that President Obama may be forced to pull all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year has set off concerns inside the American intelligence agencies that they could lose their air bases used for drone strikes against Al Qaeda in Pakistan and for responding to a nuclear crisis in the region.

N. Korea slams U.S. for 'military buildup in Asia'

01/27/2014

North Korea blasted the United States Monday for dialing up tension in the Asia-Pacific region with "a military buildup," about a month before the start of an annual Seoul-Washington joint military drill that Pyongyang has railed against as being a war rehearsal against it.

Navy n-submarine, IAF’s C-17 steal the show on Rajpath

01/27/2014

With record attendance and most of the stands brimming with spectators, India on Sunday displayed its military and cultural might at the 65th Republic Day parade on Rajpath. One of the highlights of the 8-kilometre-long march past was the Navy’s nuclear submarines as well as a display that referred to the impending induction of a submarine launched nuclear missile into the strategic forces.

Indonesian firm wins PAF aircraft supply deal

01/27/2014

The Air Force is acquiring two new light lift aircraft from Indonesia to boost the delivery of supplies and personnel to remote areas. Indonesian firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia has won the bidding for the light lift fixed-wing aircraft acquisition project, worth P814 million. The STAR learned that the defense department issued the notice of award for the project early this month.

New Defence Toys Steal the Show at Delhi Parade

01/27/2014

The country’s military prowess and cultural richness was visible in all its splendour in the contingents marching the eight-km stretch from Raisina Hill to Red Fort as India celebrated her 65th Republic Day on Sunday. Thousands of proud spectators braved the winter fog and chill in Delhi to cheer the contingents.

Militants Down Egyptian Helicopter, Killing 5 Soldiers

01/27/2014

Islamist militants shot down an Egyptian military helicopter in the Sinai Peninsula with a surface-to-air missile over the weekend, raising new alarms about the terrorist insurgency that developed there in response to the military takeover last summer.

Braveheart IAF pilot is awarded Shaurya Chakra

01/26/2014

An IAF FIGHTER pilot who brought a stricken Mig-21 Bison back to the base after his aircraft's systems failed by holding a torch in his mouth was awarded Shaurya Chakra on the eve of Republic Day. He also managed to avoid another possible crash after his combat jet was hit by a bird in a separate incident.

DRDO launches high performance computing system 'Dhruva-3'

01/26/2014

India's high performance computing system 'Dhruva-3', designed for solving mission defence research and development critical applications, was launched here today. Avinash Chander, Secretary of Department of Defence Research and Development and Director General of DRDO inaugurated the system at Advanced Numerical Research and Analysis Group (ANURAG) here, a statement from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

US Military Refocus on Pacific a Work in Progress

01/26/2014

One of the main features of the global defense strategy laid out by President Barack Obama two years ago, shifting the U.S. military's focus from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific region, is meeting significant challenges from China and its rapidly developing military power. But U.S. military officials say American dominance of the Asia Pacific is not diminishing.

Experts Wary Over News Of China's 2nd Carrier

01/26/2014

Experts on China’s Navy are sounding cautionary tones after news surfaced last week that China is reportedly constructing a second aircraft carrier. The Chinese-language report from Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao, known as a veteran pro-Beijing newspaper, stated that Wang Min, a Communist Party secretary of China’s northeastern province of Liaoning, has confirmed the construction of the ship, which unlike its first carrier, is homegrown.

Congress gives fighter jet a reprieve

01/26/2014

Congress has given Boeing's Super Hornet fighter jet a lifeline, at least for now. The omnibus federal spending measure contains a down payment of $75 million for 22 of the fighters that the Navy didn't request. The funding, signed into law on Jan. 17, will prod Navy officials to decide this year whether to spend as much as $2 billion for the unplanned planes as a hedge against delays of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

100% price escalation on Rafale fighter aircraft to Rs 1.75 lakh crore likely to dent IAF's strike capability

01/26/2014

India’s biggest deal of procuring 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for $18 billion (Rs90,000 crore) has hit rough weather. Two years after French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation bagged the deal for its Rafale fighter jets on account of being the lowest bidder, its cost has now shot up by 100 per cent.

Faults on stealth fighter – Pentagon

01/25/2014

A new US Defence Department report warns that ongoing software, maintenance and reliability problems with Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 stealth fighter could delay the Marine Corps’ plans to start using its F-35 jets by mid-2015. The latest report by the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester, Michael Gilmore, provides a detailed critique of the F-35’s technical challenges, and focuses heavily on what it calls the “unacceptable” performance of the plane’s software.

DRDO to test fire Astra BVR missile in coming weeks

01/25/2014

After the successful launch of Agni IV ballistic missile, Indian defence scientists are preparing to test long delayed indigenous beyond visual range air-to-air missile Astra in the coming weeks. Astra, meant for the IAF's combat jets, will be test fired within a month, officials said. The missile has already been fitted on Sukhoi-30 MKIs at selected IAF bases and trial runs were going on. The Astra will soon be fired from DRDO's test facility Chandipur-on-sea.

Congress cuts U.S. military and development aid for Afghanistan

01/25/2014

With no perceptible opposition from the Obama administration, Congress has quietly downscaled Washington’s ambitions for the final year of the Afghan war, substantially curtailing development aid and military assistance plans ahead of the U.S. troop pullout.