Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Current arms deficit crisis looms large over Indian forces

04/04/2013

The country's defence forces do not have enough arms to take on the enemy as a large number of weapons, fighter jets, ships and submarines in service near retirement and replacements look years away from arriving, delayed by a multi-layered arms acquisition process.

First Aust fighter aircraft in production

04/04/2013

AUSTRALIA'S first two F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft are progressing down the US production line and approaching the stage where they will be recognisably aircraft rather than a collection of components. David Scott, Lockheed Martin's director of F-35 international customer engagement, said the two, designated AU-1 and AU-2, were on schedule for delivery in the US in 2014.

Davis-Monthan AFB Receives HC-130J Combat King II

04/04/2013

U.S. Air Force crews ferried a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] HC-130J Combat King II to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., today. Aircraft number 5719 is the ninth of 15 HC-130Js to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin since initial contract award in 2008 and the seventh HC-130J to be stationed at Davis-Monthan.

N. Korea 'Approves Nuclear Strike' on US - Report

04/04/2013

The North Korean army said Wednesday that it had received approval to launch a “merciless” attack on the United States, including possible nuclear strikes. The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army said in a statement Wednesday that it was formally informing the United States that American threats would be “smashed … by cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strikes,” AFP cited Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency as saying.

Russia Must Back Arms Sales With More Loans - Putin

04/04/2013

Russia should offer loans more often to help finance its global arms exports, but should lend money on the basis of market conditions and not ideology, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. “This must surely not be the type of loans that the Soviet Union used to provide, based on ideology and not on market values, in which it never saw the loans again," Putin said at a session of the State Commission For Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign States.

Saab pledges Swiss production as eyes fighter jet deal

04/03/2013

Defence group Saab on Tuesday pledged to find Swiss suppliers for major components of its Gripen jet as it sought to sweeten a potential deal to sell the fighter to Switzerland. Sweden's Saab said it would find Swiss companies to develop, produce and assemble components including the rear fuselage, tail cone and weapons pylons of the aircraft, business that in total was worth about 200 million Swiss francs ($211 million).

Saudi Arabia buying South African armed drone

04/03/2013

Saudi Arabia is buying an armed drone from South Africa after the Obama administration declined to sell the oil-rich kingdom U.S. Predator or Reaper missile-firing unmanned aircraft. The state-owned South African company Denel Dynamics is working covertly with the Saudis to develop the Seeker 400 drone into an armed combat system for the Saudi military, the Paris-based newsletter Intelligence Online reported March 27.

Israel Military Industries Develop New Type Of Flare To Protect Helicopters In Combat Zones

04/03/2013

srael Military Industries (IMI) have developed a new spectral flare increasing the survivability of combat helicopters in danger zones. The new flare is smaller and lighter than the currently used ones and enables the helicopter to carry a larger number which allows a longer safe flight in the danger zone. IMI was ready to say that the new spectral flare weighs almost half of the currently used one and is smaller, but was reluctant to give more details.

900 Members of the Canadian Forces To Take Part in Exercise Joint Warrior

04/03/2013

More than 900 Canadian sailors, airmen and airwomen of the Canadian Forces left Tuesday to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior, a joint multinational NATO exercise taking place in the United Kingdom from April 15 to 25, according to a news release from the Canadian military. Exercise Joint Warrior is the largest military tactical exercise in Europe and is designed to prepare NATO military forces to work together in a variety of missions.

IN FOCUS: Brazil defence growth opens new doors for Embraer

04/03/2013

Two years can seem like a long time in the revitalised Brazilian defence market. While the lengthy delay to the air force's FX-2 fighter contract award receives most of the attention, the Brazilian military and the national defence industry have moved forward aggressively in key areas, revealing a new appreciation for taking national and regional security obligations more seriously.

Drone Pilots: No Worse Off Than Those Who Actually Fly

04/03/2013

A new Pentagon study contrasting the mental-health concerns of pilots who actually climb into the cockpit – as opposed to military drone drivers who sit at desks – shows that land-based pilots suffer 60% more mental-health maladies than their flying counterparts.

UN agrees international treaty to combat arms trade

04/03/2013

A TREATY to regulate the global arms trade has been agreed by the United Nations’ General Assembly for the first time. The historic agreement was passed by 154 votes to three with 23 absentions, a result which was met by cheers when flashed up on the electronic board in the assembly chamber in New York.

Third F-35B For United Kingdom Makes First Flight

04/03/2013

Monday, the third United Kingdom Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] F-35 Lightning II sped down the runway at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base embarking on its first flight. The aircraft, known as ZM137, departed at 10:16 a.m. with Lockheed Martin F-35 Chief Test Pilot Alan Norman at the controls. ZM137 will complete a series of company and government checkout flights prior to its acceptance by the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

Boeing to Feature Innovative Maritime Capabilities at Navy League Expo

04/03/2013

At this year's Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Boeing will showcase an array of proven maritime capabilities and innovative technologies, including advances in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, that help U.S. maritime services accomplish their missions. The exposition is April 8-10 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

Boeing Delivers 7th Production P-8A Poseidon Aircraft to US Navy

04/03/2013

Boeing handed over the seventh production P-8A Poseidon to the U.S. Navy on schedule March 29, marking the first delivery from the second low-rate initial production contract awarded in November 2011. The maritime patrol aircraft departed Boeing Field in Seattle for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., where it joined six P-8As currently being used to train Navy crews.

New Web Site Offers Century Of Military Aviation History At Selfridge

04/02/2013

ttention, aviation buffs and history fans: a new Web site offers detailed information on the nearly 100 years of military aviation history at what is now known as Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The page, produced by the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, tracks the history of both the base and the wing, which operates as a component of the Michigan Air National Guard, serving both state and nation.

Solicitation released for TERN program to operate long-endurance UAVs from small ships

04/02/2013

Military researchers have released a formal solicitation for an effort to develop a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for long-term maritime surveillance that can launch and recover from relatively small ships to provide airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike mobile targets anywhere, around the clock.

Op clearance for LCA soon

04/02/2013

The last aircraft in the Limited Series Production programme of Light Combat Aircraft LCA-Tejas (LSP-08) took off on its maiden flight from HAL airport on Sunday. Piloted by Air Cmdr K.A. Muthana, Programme director (Flight Test), the aircraft flew at supersonic speed and at an angle of attack of 20 degrees which is the current maximum limit cleared by design. With this, the Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) for the aircraft can be expected soon, said sources.

The V-22 Osprey May Have Climbed out of Controversy

04/02/2013

"Osprey" has been considered a dirty word in some circles. News headlines demonstrate the aircraft's proven ability to move troops in and out of current combat zones, yet a string of crashes and fatal mishaps over the last two decades still dogs the multi-billion dollar program.

U.S. positions warship, South Korea vows fast response

04/02/2013

South Korea's new president vowed on Monday to strike back quickly if North Korea stages any attack, but the United States said it has seen no worrisome mobilization of armed forces by the North Koreans despite their bellicose rhetoric. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," South Korean President Park Geun-hye told the defense minister and senior officials at a meeting on Monday.

N.Korea calls back fired reformist PM

04/02/2013

North Korea on Monday shifted, at least temporarily, away from weeks of warlike rhetoric, appointing a new premier seen as an economic reformer after a high-level declaration that nuclear bomb building and a stronger economy are the nation’s top priorities. The US, meanwhile, announced its latest conspicuous display of firepower, sending F-22 stealth fighter jets to participate in annual US-South Korean war games that Pyongyang calls preparation for invasion.

S. Korean president orders military to respond strongly to DPRK provocations

04/02/2013

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday instructed the military to strongly respond to possible provocation by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without any political considerations. "If any provocation is made against our people and the country, (the military) should strongly respond (to the provocation) in an early stage without any other political considerations," Yonhap News Agency quoted Park as saying at the annual policy briefing by the Defense Ministry.

HAL 2012-13 revenues up 2.25%

04/02/2013

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) reported a marginal rise of 2.25 per cent in turnover for 2012-13 compared with the previous year. The turnover rose to Rs 14,316 crore for the year ended March 31, 2013 (provisional). Meanwhile, the profit before tax for FY 2012-13 stands at Rs 3,471 crore, a growth of 8.4 per cent compared with to Rs 3,200 crore in the previous year.

Embarrassment for PLA as photos of fatal military air crash emerge on Weibo

04/02/2013

China’s military on Monday confirmed two pilots had died in a military plane crash over the weekend – but only after pictures and a video appeared on the internet. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) said a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter plane crashed on mudflats in Rongcheng city, Shandong province, during a drill, on Sunday afternoon, according to Xinhua.

Russia Not Obliged to Notify West of War Games - Ministry

04/02/2013

Russia was not obligated to notify Western countries beforehand of its recent snap military exercises, a top Russian Defense Ministry official said Monday. “The mechanism of checks today is such that we only need to notify Western countries when we hold planned events,” Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of the ministry’s treaty implementation department, told journalists.