Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Dire sequestration warnings set off debate

03/12/2013

he United States’ top military officers have warned that sequestration would be “ruinous” for national security. They warned of an era of scant training and little maintenance on aging combat systems. And they warned that a new national defense strategy would be unworkable. To hear the top generals and admirals tell it, the U.S. military would be reduced to regional-power status.

RAF puts Typhoon upgrade through paces during Red Flag

03/12/2013

The UK Royal Air Force is using a new upgrade to its Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft during exercise Red Flag 13-3 in the USA, with the enhancement to also soon be embodied with all its early production examples of the type. BAE Systems, which developed the enhancements package, says the activity "provides capability upgrades to a wide range of Typhoon avionic systems, covering the displays and controls, attack and identification, defensive aids and communication subsystems".

Confronted with scams in defence deals, Antony asks armed forces to shed overdependence on foreign vendors for buying military hardware

03/12/2013

The taint of corruption in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal has brought focus on the need to shed overdependence on foreign vendors for military hardware, but the status of indigenous defence programmes tells a story of cost overruns and delays.

Kits extend bomb range for combat aircraft

03/12/2013

Boeing has chosen Brisbane firm Ferra Engineering to make wing kits to extend the range of GPS-guided bombs carried by US and Australian combat aircraft. Defence Materiel Minister Mike Kelly says the JDAM-ER (joint direct attack munition extended range) is an Australian initiative to increase the range of existing JDAM bombs through use of bolt-on wings.

Setting the Rules for Japan

03/12/2013

The Japanese government ultimately decided against publishing the so-called "related evidence" collected by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces regarding Chinese ships using fire control radar (FCR) against its warships. A Chinese proverb says that he who makes the initial offense always files the suit first—which may also describe the fuss recently made by Japan. However, Japan's attempt to hype the FCR incident also brings to the forefront issues that should be considered.

Concerns about Joint Strike Fighter ignored

03/12/2013

The former Howard government and Air Force chiefs ignored advice from defence officials in 2002 against rushing into the Joint Strike Fighter project amid concerns that too little was known about the aircraft's cost and capabilities. Documents released under Freedom of Information reveal that officials explicitly advised against signing up to the ''system development and demonstration'' phase of the JSF, which has since been beset by delays, technical problems and cost blowouts.

Pentagon needs $12.6 billion per year through 2037 for F-35: report

03/12/2013

The Pentagon needs to budget $12.6 billion each year through 2037 to finish developing and paying for all the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighters it plans to buy, according to a report released by a congressional watchdog agency on Monday. This amounts to $2 billion more in projected annual funding needs than the Government Accountability Office (GAO) had included in a draft report obtained and published by Reuters on Saturday.

Want to Export an F-16 Fighter Jet?

03/12/2013

The United States rarely conducts military operations alone, so it is in America's interests to ensure that its allies and partners are well-equipped, well-trained and able to operate effectively with U.S. forces. Key to achieving this objective—and to helping other nations keep their neighborhoods peaceful in the first place—is this country's ability to export weapons technologies.

Three crew members presumed dead after military aircraft crashes in eastern Washington State

03/12/2013

The EA-6B Prowler took off from Whidbey Island, a Naval Air Station on Puget Sound in Washington. The craft crashed Monday morning in Eastern Washington, near the town of Harrington. Images of the crash site show much of the plane disintegrated on impact.

Lockheed Martin to Provide Virtual Training Technologies in Support of Saudi Arabia’s F-15SA Modernization Program

03/12/2013

Lockheed Martin received a $253 million contract agreement to begin work on F-15SA pilot and maintenance training systems for the Royal Saudi Air Force. The technologies will provide a comprehensive ground-based training environment for Saudi Arabia’s F-15SA modernization program.

Beale squadron is oldest flying unit in US military

03/11/2013

It's 8 a.m. as U-2 instructor pilots Maj. Chris and Lt. Col. Scott arrive on the flight line to start their preflight inspection of a T-38 Talon before making a training flight. Instructors with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, the two pilots, whose last names are not provided for safety and security reasons, are among those training the next generation of pilots and sensor operators for the U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk.

The drone future

03/11/2013

They're small, inexpensive and capable of feats that once belonged to the realm of science fiction — and they're here to stay. The advent of drones is one of the most significant technological advances of our time. These pilotless, remote-controlled aircraft have been a boon to the war against terrorist enemies in South Asia.

Lockheed Martin awarded billions as budget talks continue

03/11/2013

Even after the federal budget cuts known as sequestration kicked in March 1, Lockheed Martin was able to garner more than $1 billion in federal military contracts during the first seven days of the month. And going back a week before sequestration, with military furloughs, layoffs and cuts slated for implementation over the next month, Lockheed Martin was awarded more than $8 billion in military contracts from Feb. 20 to Thursday.

N. Korea threatens all-out war ahead of S. Korea-U.S. military drill

03/11/2013

North Korea drummed up threats of an all-out nuclear war with South Korea and the U.S. on Sunday, one day ahead of the two allies' planned joint military drill which the communist country denounces as targeting the North.

Sequester forces military to withdraw from air show

03/11/2013

The hi-tech military aircraft that's been a part of the Thunder in the Valley Air Show for years will be a no show this year. Sequestration is forcing the military to withdraw from the spectacular acrobatic event that has drawn thousands to Columbus for 16 years.

Military aircraft delivered to Kaohsiung for inspection

03/11/2013

Two upgraded E-2K airborne early-warning aircraft that were sent to the US for upgrades were delivered to Kaohsiung International Airport Station on Saturday for follow-up tests and inspections.

Russian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Spain

03/11/2013

Russian military inspectors will make a surveillance flight over the territory of Spain under the international Open Skies Treaty within a period starting Sunday, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. Russian experts will conduct the inspection flight on board an Antonov An-30B (Clank) aircraft between March 10 and 16, the spokesman said.

Furlough days for Macomb County defense employees?

03/10/2013

Nearly 10,000 Defense Department employees in Macomb County could face once-weekly unpaid furlough days — a 20 percent pay reduction — as a result of the so-called sequester cuts that Congress allowed to take effect on March 1. At the Tank-Automotive Command in Warren, most or all of 8,000 civilian employees each face a four-day workweek from late April to Sept. 30.

Pakistan, Guest Navies Conclude Aman-13 Exercise

03/10/2013

Pakistan on Friday concluded a four-day multinational exercise and seminar aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region. The Aman-13 /Peace-13 exercise brought together ships from 13 countries including the U.S. and China and observers from 20 others.

U.S. States Mull Restricting Use Of Drones By Police

03/10/2013

Worries that drones could be deployed to spy on citizens without warrants have prompted lawmakers in Idaho and more than a dozen other states to push measures restricting their use by police and just about everyone else. Bills moving through legislatures in states such as Idaho, Montana and Arizona would outlaw the use of pilotless aircraft to gather evidence about suspected criminal activity unless police have obtained warrants.

Russian Air Force to receive 5 generation fighter in 2015-2016 - Rogozin

03/10/2013

"We have flying prototypes, which can so far be called the first-generation PAK FA. There was a long-range flight from Komsomolsk-on-Amur to Zhukovsky outside Moscow recently. This is already reality," Rogozin said. The fighter will acquire "special superiority qualities when a new engine is launched," he said. "The main work is concentrated now on the engine and weapons. We expect supplies to start in 2015-2016," Rogozin said.

Accusations fly over troubled Joint Strike Fighter program

03/10/2013

Australia plans to buy up to 100 of the combat jets for $16 billion, but delays and technical concerns have the government and Defence deeply worried. The government is set to announce soon that it will purchase another 24 Boeing Super Hornet fighters from the US Navy to plug a possible "capability gap" as early model Hornet fighters retire and delays in the JSF program increase.

Farewell to foreign arms?

03/10/2013

Recovering from the initial embarrassment of the revelations, the government seems to have finally accepted that the long-term solution to rampant corruption is an urgent and immediate turn towards aggressive indigenisation in military manufacturing. And indications emerging from the Ministry of Defence are that such a new course of action is under preparation, and could soon be unveiled.

F-35’s ability to evade budget cuts illustrates challenge of paring defense spending

03/10/2013

With an ear-ringing roar, the matte-gray fighter jet streaked down Runway 12 and sliced into a cloudless afternoon sky over the Florida Panhandle. To those watching on the ground, the sleek, bat-winged fuselage soon shrank into a speck, and then nothing at all, as Marine Capt. Brendan Walsh arced northward in America’s newest warplane, the F-35 Lightning II.

From astronauts to snipers, sky's the limit for China's female soldiers

03/09/2013

When Major Liu Yang, China's first woman in space, returned to earth safely after a mission to the Tiangong-1 space station in late June, it reminded all Chinese people of an old saying proclaimed by Mao Zedong six decades ago: "Women hold up half the sky". Liu, a People's Liberation Army representative at the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress, celebrated International Women's Day with other NPC deputies in Beijing yesterday.