Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Force Chief Says 70% of ALL Combat Aircraft 'Non Combat Capable By July'

02/22/2013

Imagine if someone told you 70 percent of all American combat aircraft would not be ready to fly in time of war by July. That's just what Air Force Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told some 600 people attending the Air Force Associations's annual winter conference this morning will happen should the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration occur.

The Rise of the Drones: From secretive surveillance weapon to controversial killers ...the unmanned planes which could soon be deployed in YOUR town

02/22/2013

Little more than ten years ago, they were barely known and barely used. The only people who really knew of their existence were military experts who used them for secretive surveillance missions. But following a decade of conflict fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, drones have become an essential and controversial tool for the U.S. military.

New military course for America

02/22/2013

Despite a decade of costly and indecisive warfare and mounting fiscal pressures, the long-standing consensus among American policymakers about United States grand strategy has remained remarkably intact. As the presidential campaign made clear, Republicans and Democrats may quibble over foreign policy at the margins, but they agree on the big picture: that the US should dominate the world militarily, economically, and politically.

BAE plots £1bn buyback but warns 3,500 US jobs at risk

02/22/2013

British defence giant BAE Systems plans to buy back £1bn of shares over the next three years, but has warned that 3,500 US jobs are threatened by spending cuts. FTSE 100 listed BAE said that had started a three-year buyback programme of up to £1bn, the full implementation of which is subject to a "satisfactory resolution" of its negotiations over its contract to supply Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudia Arabia.

Yemeni Air Force upset with government, US after two military plane crashes

02/22/2013

For the second time in less than three months, residents of the Yemeni capital were startled to hear that a military plane had fallen from the sky. The pilot of the transport plane that crashed in November was able to steer it towards an empty area before it was brought down by a technical problem, killing all 10 aboard. But yesterday’s crash proved more tragic, as a Yemeni fighter jet crashed directly into a residential neighborhood, killing 12, including two children.

UAE likely to buy 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets

02/22/2013

The UAE is likely to purchase 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets as a UAE military team had started negotiations with British company since December 2012 on “certain specifications to meet the requirements of the UAE Armed Forces”, a senior official said. “The UAE Armed Forces are in talks with us for a purchase of 60 Typhoon fighters,” Joe Parker, Eurofighter Director of Export, told the Gulf News in an interview.

Flawed F-35 Fighter Too Big to Kill as Lockheed Hooks 45 States

02/22/2013

The Pentagon envisioned the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as an affordable, state-of-the-art stealth jet serving three military branches and U.S. allies. Instead, the Lockheed Martin Corp. aircraft has been plagued by a costly redesign, bulkhead cracks, too much weight, and delays to essential software that have helped put it seven years behind schedule and 70 percent over its initial cost estimate. At almost $400 billion, it’s the most expensive weapons system in U.S. history.

Libyan Weapons Arming Al Qaeda Militias Across North Africa, Officials Say

02/21/2013

An unchecked flood of weapons out of Libya, including thousands of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, is providing new firepower to al Qaeda-linked jihadist militias across northern Africa, according to Defense Department officials, accelerating conflict and raising new risks for U.S. and western interests.

Indian fighter jet tender might be annulled

02/21/2013

Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) does not rule out the possibility that India might annul the results of a tender to buy 126 combat aircraft. "The tender for the purchase of combat planes that our MiG-35 participated in has still not gone into effect, despite the fact that it was announced the winner. It's possible that the results of the tender might be annulled and a new one will be announced.

Global Insider: Japanese Air Force Struggling to Keep Up With Regional Rivals

02/21/2013

Earlier this month, the Japanese Defense Ministry said two Russian fighter jets had violated its airspace, roughly a month after Japan announced a similar violation by China. In an email interview, Richard Bitzinger, an expert in Asia-Pacific military modernization at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, discussed the state of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces and Japan’s response to regional tensions.

Navy to Cut Air Wings, Deployments, Jets

02/21/2013

A little more than a week before the first wave of federal budget cuts would take effect, the Navy on Tuesday released an updated list of savings, including canceling the Bataan amphibious ready group's deployment, buying four fewer F-35 fighter jets and nearly halving training programs for midshipmen, flight officers and new pilots.

Taiwan To Receive New Aircraft To Repel China

02/21/2013

New military aircraft will soon begin filling Taiwan’s skies as it takes delivery of new fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft along with attack and utility helicopters. All told, $7.6 billion worth of new equipment and aircraft designed to keep China’s hands off the island will begin filling the arsenals of Taiwan’s military this year.

Homeland Security Considers Replacing Military Aircraft with Commercial Planes

02/21/2013

The Department of Homeland Security may soon replace cheaper commercial planes with military aircraft to absorb 8.2% in budget cuts in March, Popular Science reports. The department was exploring buying used aircraft from the military but discovered that it’s more inexpensive to use commercial planes, Popular Science wrote.

Boeing, Istanbul Technical University Launch Collaboration in Aerospace Technology Research

02/21/2013

Boeing and Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Turkey’s leading aerospace engineering and technology institution, today announced a new collaboration in aerospace research to benefit the flying public. Boeing Turkey President Bernard Dunn and ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karaca held a signing ceremony at the university campus to celebrate an agreement to launch joint research and development programs.

Boeing Receives US Air Force Contract for Integrated C4ISR Targeting Solution

02/21/2013

Boeing will provide the U.S. Air Force with a lightweight, compact laser targeting system designed to improve the effectiveness of battlefield airmen on Close Air Support missions. The $3 million contract award includes design, development, delivery, training and sustainment for the Line of Sight – Short (LOS-S) integrated targeting system, as well as priced options for production systems. With all options exercised, the contract has a potential total value of more than $100 million.

Russian Military to Develop Anti-Meteorite Defenses

02/21/2013

The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces will develop a series of measures aimed at protecting the Russian soil from falling meteorites and other dangerous space objects, commander of the western military district’s aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday. “The Aerospace Defense Forces have been ordered to handle this issue and come up with a plan to protect Russia from these ‘space travelers,’” Makushev said.

Russian Military Plans to Buy New Aerial Tankers – Source

02/21/2013

The Defense Ministry and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) are close to signing a deal for new Ilyushin Il-78 Midas aerial refuelling tankers for the Russian Air Force, a UAC source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. “The contract for the delivery of Il-78 planes is at the signing stage,” the source said without specifying the number of aircraft.

Pilots eject safely as Su-30 combat jet crashes on drill in Rajasthan

02/20/2013

A SU-30 MKI combat jet belonging to the IAF crashed in the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan on Tuesday evening during a firepower demonstration drill. The aircraft, flown by Squadron Leaders JPS Chauhan and A.R. Tamta, was carrying out a night-flying mission when it crashed. The pilots managed to eject. There was no loss of life or damage to property on the ground, defence spokesperson S.D. Goswami said.

Smaller version of BrahMos missile being developed for IAF

02/20/2013

A smaller variant of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is being developed for arming IAF's fighter aircraft. A new version of the missile is to be fitted on the frontline aircraft of Air Force including Su-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and the future inductions such as the 126 multirole combat aircraft, BrahMos officials said today.

Procurement norms bent to favour Agusta

02/20/2013

A rare exception was made in the technical trial of AgustaWestland VVIP helicopters. All flight tests were held in the UK, in violation of all norms of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) that makes it mandatory for all trials to be held in India. The DPP, which lays down the process for buying a weapon system for India, stipulates that the vendors bring their systems here for extensive trials in all types of terrain and weather conditions.

Gulf states buying up military hardware

02/20/2013

Fears of Iran and unrest around the Middle East have prompted a shopping spree by Gulf countries for military hardware, ranging from anti-missile systems to unmanned surveillance drones. At the Middle East’s biggest arms fair in the United Arab Emirates this week, leading companies are wooing Arabian Peninsula states for deals on weapons ranging from warplanes to the technology that could underpin a future regional missile defence shield.

Stephen Harper struggles to regain control over military projects

02/20/2013

Canada could soon have a Department of Military Procurement, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper struggles to regain control over much-delayed and increasingly expensive projects — like the effort to replace CF-18 fighter jets with F-35s. Yet the plan for a new department misses the point. In the style of the classic BBC show, politicians have long been “Yes Ministered” by the Department of National Defence.

The Trials and Tribulations of India’s Armed Forces

02/20/2013

While spending billions of dollars on defense equipment, India's military faces a number of challenges in its quest to enter the 21st century. The old saying that a developing country is at a crossroads, whether it’s India or Indonesia, is especially tempting when it comes to India’s armed forces. Decades of underinvestment, corruption, bureaucratic ineptitude and hazy strategic thinking have left the country with a decidedly mixed bag of military capabilities.

Are we losing out on the Indian market?

02/20/2013

Moscow showcased its state-of-the-art export models of aircraft engineering and air defence facilities at the Aero India 2013 show, which was held in Bangalore from 6 to 10 February 2013. There is a popular belief that Russia is losing the Indian market for combat aviation to the West but is this true?

Yemeni fighter plane crashes in Sanaa

02/20/2013

A Yemeni fighter plane has crashed in a residential area of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killing several people, reports Reuters. The Ministry of Defense said in a text message that the plane had been on a training flight when it came down in a western residential district. A military official said the aircraft was a Russian SU-22 fighter/ground attack aircraft.