Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

S. Korean fighter jets make nonstop flight to Alaska for drills

08/10/2013

South Korean F-15K combat jets have flown nonstop to Alaska, using in-flight refueling to take part in an upcoming U.S.-led multinational exercise known as "Red Flag," South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday. The flight to Alaska "has become the first time for our fighter aircraft to fly non-stop by aerial refueling to participate in a joint drill overseas," spokesman Wi Yong Seop told a news briefing.

Plane Crash Kills 4 In Somalia: Ethiopian Craft Carried Ammunition To Battle Al-Shabab

08/10/2013

A plane crash-landed in the Somali capital city of Mogadishu Friday, killing four people when the aircraft burst into flames on the tarmac of Aden Adde International Airport. All six onboard were crew members; the two survivors are being treated at an African Union hospital in the city.

Russian Air Force to Get 60 Mi-28UB Helicopters by 2020

08/10/2013

The Russian Defense Ministry will procure up to 60 Mi-28UB helicopters to improve the training of pilots for Mi-28N gunships, the Air Force commander said. The Mi-28UB is a combat training variant of the Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter that can be operated both from the pilot's cockpit and the flight instructor's cockpit as it is equipped with a dual hydromechanical flight control system.

Putin Aide Denies Anti-Assad Deal With Saudi Arabia

08/10/2013

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed “philosophical” matters, not an arms deal, with Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief during a recent meeting in Moscow, a presidential aide said Friday. Western media reported after the meeting that Saudi Arabia had offered to buy Russian arms worth $15 billion if Moscow agreed to stop backing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The story was credited to anonymous sources and was never confirmed by Russian or Saudi officials.

India, China Interested in Ukraine’s Carrier Pilot Training Site - Minister

08/10/2013

India and China are interested in using Ukraine’s carrier-deck pilot training site in Crimea, a senior defense official said Friday. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti in mid-July that Moscow had officially informed Kiev that it will not use the Nitka site in 2013. “There are other countries that are showing some interest in using Nitka. These are India, China and others,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Mozharovskiy said.

No Russian S-300 Systems for Syria Until 2014 – Paper

08/10/2013

Russia has postponed the delivery of a batch of S-300 missile defense systems to Syria, despite having received advance payment, a prominent Russian newspaper reported Friday. The delivery, originally scheduled for spring 2013, has been pushed back to June 2014, Vedomosti business daily said, citing an annual report by the Moscow-based company Avangard, which manufactures rockets for S-300 systems.

Operation Northern Strike prepares soldiers at Camp Grayling

08/09/2013

Camp Grayling is hosting National Guard soldiers from all over the country this week for the annual combat training exercises known as Northern Strike. Each year, hundreds of soldiers participate in live fire exercises to practice defending American soil. Northern Strike is a two week program that brings 24 National Guard units from 12 different states to Grayling.

No to War As an Entitlement in Syria - or Anywhere Else

08/09/2013

Obama administration policy toward Syria is a slow train wreck. Unremitting pressure from war-minded elites is pushing President Barack Obama closer to military intervention in the bloody civil war. Yet getting involved would be a fool's errand. Nevertheless, America's putative allies appear to believe that they are entitled to U.S. support. The president should disabuse them of this dangerous notion.

U.S. helicopter crash puts Team Abe on spot

08/09/2013

The crash of a U.S. Air Force helicopter inside an Okinawa military installation Monday amid local opposition to the deployment of tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey aircraft at a U.S. Marine Corps base on the main island has put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government on the spot. Despite the central government’s swift request that helicopters of the type involved in the accident, in which one of the four-member crew was believed killed, be grounded until the cause of the crash is identified.

Busy autumn ahead for NATO Response Force training

08/09/2013

NATO will conduct a series of dynamic and demanding exercises this autumn that will put both troops and commanders from the NATO Response Force (NRF) to the test. The Alliance has ambitious plans to increase training activity over the next few years to maintain readiness and interoperability. This will include more ambitious and frequent exercises, a broader range of scenarios and a comprehensive training plan to cover the full range of Alliance missions.

Japan arrives for first 2013 RED FLAG-Alaska 13-3

08/09/2013

Japan Air Self Defense Force F-15J Eagles landed here Aug. 4 to participate in this calendar year's first RED FLAG-Alaska. The F-15Js form part of the JASDF fighter-interceptor aircraft inventory used to engage hostile aircraft. The F-15J was brought to RF-A 13-3 to help JASDF members improve their tactical flying skills and their ability to generate aircraft in a simulated combat environment.

CF-18 Hornet demo team roars in for Abbotsford International Airshow

08/09/2013

Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet demonstration pilot Capt. Patrick "Flocho" Pollen is ready and raring to go for the Abbotsford International Airshow this weekend - literally. "I'm strapped into the cockpit as we speak," said the fighter pilot during an interview over the phone with the Times on Wednesday. "I'm making a quick stop in Cold Lake this afternoon . . . then zipping down to Abbotsford right after.

The Trouble With India’s MIG-21 Fighter Jets

08/09/2013

On July 15, a Russian-made MIG-21 Bison fighter jet, operated by the Indian Air Force, crashed while attempting to land at the Uttarlai air base in the Barmer district of Rajasthan. This was the second MIG-21 crash, at the very same air base, in two months. However, unlike in the previous accident, which had no casualties, this time the pilot was killed. The crash has been attributed to pilot error.

U.S. Army and Lockheed Martin Celebrate One Million Flight Hours for the Apache Targeting and Pilotage Sensor

08/09/2013

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Army celebrated one million flight hours for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) during ceremonies held today at Lockheed Martin’s Orlando, Fla., facility.

Boeing, US Navy Demo New Targeting and Data Systems on EA-18G

08/09/2013

The U.S. Navy recently flew Boeing EA-18G Growler aircraft with sensor system upgrades and its newest data network, demonstrating how the enhanced technologies would allow aircrews to locate threats more quickly and accurately.

Air Force Plans 2-week Red Flag Exercise at Eielson

08/08/2013

Airmen from South Korea and Japan will join U.S counterparts for military combat training this week at Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Red Flag Alaska training exercise begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 23. The Air Force says at least six types of aircraft will be involved, including F-16s, F-15s, A-10s, KC-135s, KC-130s and F-18s.

US Army, US Air Force intercept cruise missile for first time with JLENS-guided AMRAAM

08/08/2013

The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force intercepted for the first time an anti-ship cruise missile surrogate using Raytheon Company's Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) cued by JLENS. An affordable, elevated, persistent over-the-horizon sensor system, JLENS uses a powerful integrated radar system to detect, track and target a variety of threats.

Red Devils prove combat readiness with rapid embarkation training

08/08/2013

More than 160 Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 "Red Devils" participated in rapid embarkation training aboard Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, July 22 through Aug 2. "The purpose of this training was to conduct a rapid deployment into an unknown area in which we embark the entire squadron in a short amount of time," said Gunnery Sgt. Willie Dennis, the aviation ordinance staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge with VMFA-232 and a Syracuse, N.Y., native.

Iraq May Buy $2.4 Billion Air Defense System

08/08/2013

The U.S. Defense Department has alerted Congress to a possible sale to Iraq of a $2.4 billion integrated air defense system. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the Iraqi government has requested the equipment, including 40 truck-mounted Avenger fire units made by Boeing Co., 681 Stinger surface-to-air missiles made by Raytheon Co. and 216 medium-range Hawk missiles also made Raytheon, among other products.

PAF must prepare for a two-front situation in war on terror: Air Chief

08/08/2013

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Tahir Rafiq Butt says that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) must prepare for a two-front situation in view of its combat role in the anti- terrorism campaign, which has evolved since the 9/11 attacks on the US, and in addition to its traditional adversarial role as India’s neighbour.

PAF to attain capability to keep fighting force airborne for long haul: CAS

08/08/2013

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is all set to attain the capability of keeping its indigenously developed fighter aircraft JF 17 Thunder airborne for a longer haul, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt said on Wednesday. “The ground tests have been very successful and I am satisfied. The air-to-air refuelling test will be done successfully by end of this summer,” Air Chief Marshal Butt said in an interview with Defence Jane’s Weekly.

F-35s take next step

08/08/2013

The F-35s soaring through the sky are continuing to ramp up their training operations and have started to simulate some combat-type missions. For the first time last month, the Joint Strike Fighter was controlled by an air battle management squadron on the ground at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Russian, UK Inspectors to Conduct ‘Open Skies’ Mission Over Sweden

08/08/2013

Military inspectors from Russia and the United Kingdom will on Wednesday carry out an inspection flight over Swedish territory as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, a Russian nuclear security official said. The flight will be carried out by a Russian Antonov An-30B plane from Sweden’s Uppsala airport along an agreed flight route with the maximum range of 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles), said Sergei Ryzhkov, head of the National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center.

Military Plane Makes Emergency Landing Outside Moscow

08/08/2013

An Antonov An-26 plane that made an emergency landing Wednesday outside Moscow belongs to the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet, the Defense Ministry said. The An-26 plane made an emergency landing Wednesday morning at the Ostafyevo military airbase about 30 km (19 miles) south of the center of Moscow.

Northrop Grumman Selected for F-16 Radar Upgrade

08/07/2013

Northrop Grumman will provide the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) for U.S. Air Force and Taiwan F-16 fighter jets, after winning a competition by Lockheed Martin looking to prolong the life of F-16 legacy aircraft with a radar upgrade program.