Military Aviation News Archive

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.

AF removes RPA airstrike number from summary

03/09/2013

As scrutiny and debate over the use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) by the American military increased last month, the Air Force reversed a policy of sharing the number of airstrikes launched from RPAs in Afghanistan and quietly scrubbed those statistics from previous releases kept on their website.

House orders Pentagon to disclose domestic drone use

03/09/2013

The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to require the Defense Department to disclose whether military drones are being operated domestically to conduct surveillance on American citizens. A requirement buried in a lengthy appropriations bill calls on newly confirmed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to disclose to Congress what "policies and procedures" are in place "governing the use" of military drones or other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) domestically.

China’s J-20 Fighter Might Need Russian Engines

03/09/2013

As China reaches an agreement with Russia to buy Sukhoi Su-35 fighters, the domestic J-20 fighter program might have developed problems that China cannot solve on its own anytime soon. Seemingly prompted by the well publicized Su-35 deal, photos of the second J-20 prototype undergoing flight tests became easily available on Chinese websites recently, likely to assure the public that the J-20 program is proceeding well.

India to use Russian avionics for future fighter – UAC head

03/09/2013

India is to equip its Perspective Multirole Fighter (PMF) variant of the Russian T-50 fifth-generation combat aircraft with avionics similar to Russia’s version of the plane, United Aircraft Corporation President Mikhail Pogosyan said on Wednesday. “The future plane (PMF) will have not only the same airframe, but also an integrated system of onboard equipment,” Pogosyan said, stressing this was a requirement of the Indian Air Force.

First F-35 With Marietta-Built Center Wing Flown

03/09/2013

The first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II with a Center Wing Assembly (CWA) built at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Ga., was flown for the first time this week. The aircraft, known as BF-25, is an F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing variant that will be delivered to the U. S. Marine Corps at Yuma, Arizona.

Global-Hawk, Joint STARS Share Target Tracks on First Joint Mission

03/08/2013

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently completed a successful exchange of radar data during a flight test involving the U.S. Air Force’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) and the RQ-4B Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aircraft system equipped with MP-RTIP radar. The RQ-4B Block 40 first flew with MP-RTIP radar in November 2011.

Grounded: Blue Angels and Thunderbirds

03/08/2013

You knew that was coming, right? Just didn’t think the Navy and Air Force would have enough sense of humor about it to make it effective April 1. The Air Force Thunderbirds, here, are the precision flyboys who put their F-16s through amazing maneuvers and thrill aviation fans around the country each year. The Navy’s Blue Angels, here, do the same thing in their F-18s.

The technical hand holding in defence

03/08/2013

When your Aadhaar card details are verified by any of the government departments using a state-of-the-art biometric matching machine, there will be French technology working in those complex machines.

Okinawa families view Osprey aircraft

03/08/2013

Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 hosted an MV-22B Osprey family day for Okinawa community members March 3 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. Approximately 300 parents and children attended the event, aimed at familiarizing families with the Osprey and its capabilities.

UK MOD awards A400M Atlas training service contract to Thales and Airbus Military

03/08/2013

Thales UK and Airbus Military have signed an 18-year contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to supply training services for the A400M Atlas, the Royal Air Force’s next-generation military transport aircraft. The multi-million pound training services programme will be operated by A400M Training Services Ltd, a joint venture between Thales UK and Airbus Military.

An-70 passes strength tests for Ukrainian military

03/08/2013

A commission of the Defense Ministry examining the An-70 aircraft program has completed its work at the Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv), the enterprise's press service reported on Thursday. The enterprise has accomplished the full range of tests, calculations and strength tests that were envisaged by the program, including the static testing of wing devices, control surfaces, an engine installation, landing gear legs and doors, the radar dome and other units, the press service said.

Pilots find issues with F-35 jets

03/08/2013

It seems U.S. fighter pilots have lost that loving feeling for their new F-35 stealth jets. At least that's the impression given in a scathing Pentagon report leaked this week that identifies a huge number of problems facing the U.S. military's F-35 fleet - including fears it can easily be shot down.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets onto Nellis Air Force Base

03/08/2013

At least one F-35 jet landed at Nellis Air Force Base on Wednesday, though later than expected, after the Pentagon grounded the fleet of planes in February when one was found to have cracked engine blade. It is the first of four of the long-awaited stealth jets that Nellis is expected to take delivery on for an arrival ceremony on March 19.