Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Sierra Nevada awarded troubleshooting contract for Navy UCAS-D aircraft

04/15/2013

The U.S. Navy has awarded a sole source contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) to support troubleshooting, problem resolution, and anomaly investigation associated with the Precision Global Positioning System as part of the existing Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The Navy made the contract announcement on Friday through the Federal Business Opportunities website.

HAL's trainer pitted as Rs 4,500 cr cheaper than Swiss Pilatus trainer

04/15/2013

A looming test case will soon make clear how serious the defence ministry (MoD) is about its recently expressed intentions to end corruption in arms procurement by indigenising defence production. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Bangalore-based public sector aircraft builder, has challenged the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s plan to purchase more Pilatus trainer aircraft by building a basic trainer aircraft, using its own funding.

Russian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Poland

04/15/2013

Russian military inspectors will make surveillance flights over the territory of Poland under the international Open Skies Treaty within a period starting Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported. Russian experts will conduct the inspection flights on board an Antonov An-30B (Clank) aircraft between April 15 and 19, the ministry said in a statement.

Shifting to the Pacific: $527B Request Includes Less For Army, More for Air Force

04/14/2013

The Pentagon’s $527 billion fiscal 2014 budget request further deepens the Obama administration’s focus on the Asia-Pacific, better aligning funds with the military services expecting to play major roles in that region. It continues investments in advanced stealth aircraft, such as -35 joint strike fighters and new bombers. These planes play a key role in the Defense Department’s ability to operate in denied airspace.

Manila offers US its military bases in case of N Korea war

04/14/2013

The US would be allowed to station forces at military bases in the Philippines if it went to war with North Korea, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Saturday citing a treaty between the allies. “Our mutual defense treaty calls for joint action if either the Philippines or the United States is attacked,” del Rosario said in comments sent to AFP at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Tokyo tells planes to report to US military if near US base

04/14/2013

Japan has ordered aircraft to report to the US military first if they enter airspace near the main US military base in Okinawa, a report said early Saturday after fresh North Korean threats. The transport ministry notice issued late Friday was believed to be part of precautions against possible North Korean missile launches, Kyodo News agency reported. The order refers to airspace within 30 kilometres of the Kadena base where Patriot missiles have been deployed.

Bell Helicopter debuts Bell V-280 Valor military tiltrotor

04/14/2013

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, unveiled the Bell V-280 Valor at the 2013 Army Aviation Association of America’s (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition. Bell Helicopter’s third-generation tiltrotor marks the company’s offering for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi Role/Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Technology Demonstrator (JMR/TD).

BAE's superdrone Taranis to be tested at Woomera

04/14/2013

The most secretive piece of airspace in Australia - the RAAF-run Woomera flight test range in South Australia - will make history later this year when the world's first unmanned supersonic stealth combat aircraft makes its maiden test flight above the desert. Extreme secrecy surrounds the joint British-French project and the drone called Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder and built by a British/French consortium led by aerospace giant BAE Systems.

Government hopeful of $15 billion Rafale fighter jet deal going through

04/13/2013

Earlier this month, in a rather unusual move, the Indian Air Force (IAF) strongly refuted a report that it was working on a Plan B should its negotiations fail to buy 126 combat jets from Dassault Aviation. "The CNC (Contract negotiations committee) process for acquisition of 126 MMRCA (Medium, multi-role combat aircraft) is underway and there is no thought process for any procurement as a 'back up' as reported," the Air Force said.

Russia, India Forge Ahead on Fifth-Gen Fighter

04/13/2013

Sukhoi announced this week that the “design and development” (D&D) phase of the Russo-Indian prospective multifunctional fighter (PMF), also known as the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), has been completed. The aircraft is a joint development with India of the T-50 that Sukhoi has already designed and flown for the Russian Air Force. “The airplane has been shaped completely,” the manufacturer stated.

The Air Force Association’s View On the CF-18 Fighter Replacement

04/13/2013

The CF-18 fighter fleet has been projected to reach its estimated life expectancy in the 2017-2020 timeframe or potentially a few years later. There is every indication Canada will continue to require a robust manned fighter capability thereafter, for operations both domestic and abroad.

Selfridge Military Air Museum opens for 2013 season with new aircraft on display

04/13/2013

See the history of military aviation come alive as the Selfridge Air Museum is now open to the public for 2013. The museum, inside the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township, was established in 1979 to recover the history of Selfridge, one of the oldest continuously running military airfields in the United States. It houses historic aircraft from all military branches, both active and reserve units.

MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR DEALS FOR MILITARY AIRCRAFT REPAIRS AND RADAR UPGRADES

04/13/2013

The federal government will spend $225 million to maintain the avionics systems in the Canadian Forces' aging fleet of C-130H Hercules transport aircraft. Chris Alexander, parliamentary secretary to the defence minister, made the announcement here Thursday. The H models are used in search-and-rescue operations. Four of the serviceable aircraft are located at CFB Trenton with 424 Search and Rescue Squadron.

Lockheed Martin PAC-3 Missile Intercepts and Destroys Tactical Ballistic Missile in New Test

04/13/2013

Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 Missile successfully detected, tracked and intercepted a tactical ballistic missile (TBM) in a Lower Tier Project Office flight test today at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Two PAC-3 Missiles were ripple-fired in the test per current doctrine. The first interceptor destroyed the target and the second PAC-3 Missile self-destructed as planned.

Boeing X-48C Blended Wing Body Research Aircraft Completes Flight Testing

04/13/2013

The Boeing X-48C research aircraft flew for the 30th and final time April 9, marking the successful completion of an eight-month flight-test program to explore and further validate the aerodynamic characteristics of the Blended Wing Body design concept.

Ukraine Ready to Go Ahead With An-70 Project on Its Own - PM

04/13/2013

Ukraine will continue its project to build Antonov An-70 tactical transport aircraft even if Russia withdraws from it, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said on Friday. Dmytro Kyva, president of the Ukrainian state company Antonov, said during the LAAD international aerospace and defense exhibition in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday that his company had had to suspend An-70 trials as the project’s chief partner, the Russian Defense Ministry, had again cast doubt on its participation in the proje

Preliminary agenda announced for DIAC

04/13/2013

The Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) has announced the preliminary agenda for the 6th edition of the Dubai Air Chiefs Conference (DIAC). The conference, at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai on Saturday November 16, is an official event of the Dubai Air Show, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Sequester Grounds a Third of U.S. Air Force Combat Aircraft

04/12/2013

U.S. Air Force officials are grounding about one-third of active-duty combat aircraft as a result of the automatic federal budget cuts known as sequestration implemented in March. The spending cuts will reduce the Air Combat Command's (ACC) operations and maintenance accounts by about 45,000 flying hours, according to the Air Force News Service. The aircraft impacted by the cuts include those assigned to fighter, bomber, aggressor and airborne warning and control squadrons.

NELLIS AFB PILOTS FLY THEIR FIRST OPERATIONAL F-35 MISSION

04/12/2013

Two F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron here conducted the aircraft's first operational flights from Nellis AFB. These historic flights came less than a month after the March 19 arrival ceremony for the aircraft, but members of the 57th Maintenance Group's Lightning Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 422nd TES have prepared for years to make the transition of the F-35A to Nellis AFB a smooth one.

Bell Reveals V-280 3rd Generation Tiltrotor as Technology Demonstrator for JMR/FVL

04/12/2013

John Garrison, Bell Helicopter’s president and CEO, uncovered the Bell V-280 Valor 3rd generation tiltrotor at the start of the annual U.S. Army Aviation symposium, Quad-A. The V-280 is Bell’s offering for the Department of Defense’s Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift helicopter project, which could result in the production of more than 4,000 aircraft for the design eventually chosen. It will replace the U.S. Army’s medium helicopter fleet.

Logistics deal for Super Tucanos

04/12/2013

The Brazilian Air Force's fleet of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft will receive logistics support and services from the combat aircraft's manufacturer, Embraer. The logistics contract, signed Wednesday, is for five years and is worth about $197 million and includes unexpected services. The Brazilian Air Force operates 92 of the close support turboprop fighters, which can also be used as trainers.

Air Force budget would cut airmen, add planes

04/12/2013

The Air Force wants to shed 2,640 airmen next year, according to the service’s 2014 budget request laid out Wednesday at the Pentagon. The plan would cut 1,860 billets from the active-duty force, 480 from the Air Force Reserve and 300 from the National Guard. As with all budget requests, the plan must be approved by Congress, and that process frequently involves extensive changes.

In Russia Everything Is For Sale

04/12/2013

After more than a year of haggling over the details, Russia has agreed to sell China 24 Su-35 fighters. The big obstacle to this sale was the Chinese inability to assure Russia that the new Russian technology in these aircraft would not be stolen by Chinese aviation firms. Apparently a mutually agreeable compromise was worked out.

Brazil's Fair Shows the Latest in War Products from Around the World

04/12/2013

Delegations from 65 countries some of them including Defense ministers were in Rio, Brazil, for the opening of the International Defense and Security Fair, (LAAD), the largest show of military equipment in Latin America. The almost 30.000 visitors expected at the Riocentro convention center for the ninth edition of LAAD, among which 300 official delegates will be able to appreciate the latest products and systems at the stands representing 700 companies from 48 countries.

Elbit Showcases at AAAA

04/12/2013

Elbit Systems of America, LLC is presenting an array of cutting edge solutions designed to enhance the capabilities of the Aviation Soldier during the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) 2013 Annual Professional Forum and Exposition. The exhibition is taking place at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, April 10-12, 2013. Elbit Systems of America welcomes visitors to booth #1121 during exhibit hours.