Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Naval shipbuilding takes a giant leap with the launch of INS Vikrant

08/20/2013

What would it take to build a self-reliant city from scratch? For starters, you would have to find a location and chalk out a plan for the organised development of settlements, roads, high-rises, open spaces and transportation facilities. Then you start making provisions for exigencies¯setbacks like power failure or adverse weather. And, after a blueprint is in place, you obtain the raw material to start construction. All this, before you even lay the foundation stone.

Marines, Navy test the F-35B aboard the USS Wasp

08/20/2013

Two F-35B Lightning II jets (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Aug. 12, kicking off a second round of testing of the new aircraft. The second of three test phases (DT-II) includes the first night operation at sea as well as the first launch and recovery of the F-35B at sea by a U.K. test pilot.

Air Force hosts allies for training exercises in Alaska

08/20/2013

Japan and South Korea air forces are participating with U.S. counterparts in military combat training at Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks. The two-week exercises in the Delta Junction area run through Friday. It's the first time Japanese and South Korea air forces have jointly trained in Alaska or anywhere, according to Lt. Col. Tom Pagano, commander of the 353rd Combat Training Squadron that plans the Red Flag Alaska training exercise.

South Korea Stumble Threatens Lockheed's 'Super Jet'

08/20/2013

Despite recent reports to the contrary, it has been a rough patch for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, now known as the "Lightning II." Under current plans, the Air Force's "plane of the future" is slated to cost at least $1.5 trillion over its lifetime, which, Pentagon analyst Winslow Wheeler has pointed out, is the equivalent of the Gross Domestic Product of Spain.

Upgrades aim to extend B-52 bombers' already long lives

08/20/2013

For Air Force Capt. Daniel "Swoop" Welch, flying a B-52 bomber has become the family business. His father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs with the aircraft during the height of the Cold War. His grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.

US, Russia to Discuss Syria Conference in Hague – Source

08/20/2013

US and Russian diplomats will meet in The Hague at the end of August to discuss preparations for the long-delayed Syria peace conference, a Russian diplomatic source told RIA Novosti on Monday. “The meeting will be held at the end of August in The Hague,” the source said, adding that the exact date is yet to be determined.

EADS dropped from $7.3 bn South Korea jet fighter bid

08/19/2013

European aerospace consortium EADS has been eliminated from a bid to provide fighter jets worth $7.3 billion to South Korea due to a failure to meet some requirements, a report said Sunday. The Eurofighter was dropped from the bid also sought by US company Boeing after the South's military found that the EADS proposal did not meet its key demands, Yonhap news agency said.

Ospreys head to Mildenhall; lawmakers try to block funding

08/19/2013

The first CV-22 Ospreys have touched down at RAF Mildenhall, England, beginning a new phase for Air Force special operators in Europe. But the fleet might face an uncertain budget future. The first of the 10 tilt-rotor aircraft made the flight across the ocean and touched down at RAF Mildenhall, England, earlier this summer, with the rest expected to arrive through the end of 2014.

Testing F-35B Lightning II Aircraft Aboard USS Wasp

08/19/2013

Two F-35B Lightning II jets (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Monday, August. 12th, kicking off a week of Development Testing II (DT-II) where Wasp Sailors and Integrated Test Force (ITF) team members are testing and further validating the F-35B.

US firms get funding for combat drone

08/19/2013

The Pentagon has awarded contracts to a Who’s Who of US defence companies to develop a lethal long-range combat drone that will be based at sea. Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems all received $15 million (£9.6 million) preliminary contracts to design for the US Navy’s planned Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike.

Boeing's F-15SE reportedly chosen as final candidate for S. Korea's next fighter plane

08/19/2013

The Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) has reportedly been eliminated from South Korea's multibillion-dollar fighter jet project, leaving Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle as the sole final candidate, government sources said Sunday.

South Africa Loses Use Of Its new Gripens

08/19/2013

Four months after admitting that 12 of its 26 Gripen jet fighters had been placed in storage because they were too expensive to operate and there were not enough qualified pilots to fly them, South African officials admitted that the maintenance contracts for all the Gripens had expired in April. That made long term use of the Gripens dangerous.

Op-Ed: Russia and Iran argue over the S-300 air defense system contrac

08/19/2013

Iran plans to withdraw its four billion dollar claim if Russia fails to honor its S-300 contract. Russia proposes new S-300 air defense system replacement to Iran. The S-300 system could become Iran's most advanced air defense system.

First home-grown light combat aircraft to be delivered to Air Force

08/19/2013

South Korea's first home-grown light combat fighter, named the FA-50, will be delivered to the Air Force this week, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Sunday. The FA-50 is a light combat aircraft that was developed based on the T-50, a supersonic advanced trainer, in order to replace the military's superannuated fighters, like the F-5E/Fs and A-37s.

UN Chemical Weapons Inspectors Arrive in Damascus

08/19/2013

A group of UN experts arrived in Syria on Sunday to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war there, media reports said. The 20-member team, headed by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, checked into a hotel in central Damascus on Sunday refusing to speak to reporters on Sunday, Reuters reported.

It’s Time to Hold Our Nose and Back Egypt’s Military

08/18/2013

Let’s get real and tamp down the moral posturing about democracy in Egypt. Freely elected President Morsi and his now-deposed Muslim Brotherhood government weren’t practicing democracy. They were co-opting the laws and slowly destroying all possible opposition. Besides, they were aligning with America’s jihadist enemies in Syria, Gaza, and elsewhere.

Latin America Condemns US Espionage at United Nations Security Council

08/18/2013

Throughout the day, on August 6, President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner of Argentina chaired a historic United Nations Security Council meeting that revealed a seismic shift in geopolitical consciousness and incipient strength. The agenda of Security Council meeting 7015 was: “Cooperation Between the United Nations and Regional and Sub-regional Organizations in Maintaining International Peace and Security.”

New, Improved MQ-1C

08/18/2013

There’s a new version of the U.S. Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV. The IGE (Improved Gray Eagle) began flight testing in July. The new version has a better engine, fifty percent more fuel capacity, over 75 percent more endurance (from 30 to 53 hours), and its payload increased by 50 percent from 372 kg (798 pounds) to 558 kg (1,227 pounds).

18 year £1.2billion MoD "cock up"

08/18/2013

The Chinooks have been parked in a hangar at RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire since 1995. The scandal was exposed in 2008, forcing the MoD to deliver a quick fix to get the aircraft flying by 2010. But someone failed to order the correct computer codes for pilots to fly them. Tory MP Edward Leigh described the saga as a “gold standard procurement cock-up”, leaving special forces in Afghanistan short of air support.

GA-ASI demonstrates Predator B electronic attack capabilities

08/18/2013

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), maker of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, demonstrated the Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle’s (UAV’s) electronic attack capability.

Missile Launchers, Vessels, UAVs Unveiled at TADTE

08/18/2013

Visitors of the 12th Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) last week fought heat, humidity and a crowd of more than 90,000 teenagers waiting to buy their favorite Japanese Manga comic books, toys and posters. The biannual TADTE, held at the World Trade Center, was forced to share half the floor space with the 14th Comic Book Exhibition due to a lack of interest in Taiwan’s defense industry.

Russian Defense Ministry Delays Deal on MiG-35 Jets – Report

08/18/2013

The Russian Defense Ministry has postponed the purchase of 37 MiG-35 fighter jets until 2016, Kommersant daily reported Saturday. The ministry was originally due to sign the purchase agreement with MiG in June, but last month the aircraft corporation's general director Sergei Korotkov told RIA Novosti that the contract had still not been signed.

RCAF says it sets the rules for drone flights over Canada

08/17/2013

Canada’s air force has determined that unlike its counterparts in the U.S. and Europe, it does not need approval from civilian aviation agencies to fly drones in domestic airspace and it will operate those unmanned planes as it sees fit, according to newly released Department of National Defence documents.

The Second Chinese Carrier Reveals Itself

08/17/2013

Recent photos from a Chinese shipyard appear to show a section of a new Chinese aircraft carrier under construction. This appears to be a carrier similar to the American Nimitz class ships (100,000 ton vessels using a catapult rather than a ski jump flight deck for launching aircraft). Large ships, including warships, are often built in sections, then the sections are welded and bolted together.

Guard unit at Whiteman can drop the Bomb

08/17/2013

Citizen airmen, they’re called. Members of the Air National Guard. Some have day jobs as airline pilots, police officers or construction workers. Those with the 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base made history this month. They’re the first citizen airmen certified to drop nuclear bombs. Don’t panic: Nothing’s been ordered, and the U.S. Air Force is still around to do the heavy lifting in a doomsday scenario.