Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Shaping the UK's Helicopter Force Post-Afghanistan

08/07/2013

One of the criticisms of the early years of British military operations in Afghanistan from the summer of 2006 was that there were not enough soldiers – or helicopters – to support the challenge of the mission. Early on, accepted policy in Helmand Province dictated the support of regional seats of government, which effectively tied the British Army into “platoon houses” soon after, which significantly hampered its ability to conduct proactive, deliberate operations.

It looks like an aircraft carrier, it sounds like an aircraft carrier... but the Japanese are adamant their biggest ship since WW2 is a 'flat-topped destroyer'

08/07/2013

Japan has been accused of ignoring its policy of self-defence after launching its largest warship since the end of the Second World War as the government faces down China over a disputed chain of islands. The new ship is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters at once - but Japanese officials insist it is not an aircraft carrier and will not be used to launch military jets.

Guidance and control for bunker-busting munitions

08/07/2013

As explosive ordnance and the means to deliver it against enemy fortifications have evolved through the centuries, government and military leaders throughout history have sought increasingly strong facilities in which to establish secure command and control.

Chinese fighter-bombers practice reconnaissance in anti-terror drills in Russia

08/07/2013

Five Chinese JH-7A fighter-bombers carried out their first reconnaissance mission in China-Russia joint military drills in Chelyabinsk Tuesday. The flight lasted for more than an hour and focused on getting familiar with the environment, unaided eye reconnaissance and searching for combat targets, said Wang Xiaoliang, one of the pilots.

Yemen again at forefront of fight against terror

08/07/2013

Yemen was thrust back into the forefront of the international fight against terrorism Tuesday when the U.S. and Britain evacuated embassy staff due to a threatened attack, a suspected U.S. drone killed four alleged members of al-Qaida, and militants shot down a Yemeni army helicopter.

Highlights of the 2013 Report to the US Congress on China's Military

08/07/2013

China continues to modernize its nuclear forces by enhancing its silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and adding more survivable mobile delivery systems. In recent years, the road-mobile, solid-propellant CSS-10 Mod 1 and CSS-10 Mod 2 (DF-31 and DF-31A) intercontinentalrange ballistic missiles have entered service.

Ready For Sea Trials; F-35B Completes 500th Vertical Landing

08/07/2013

The Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft completed its 500th vertical landing August 3. BF-1, the aircraft which completed this achievement, also accomplished the variant’s first vertical landing in March 2010 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Russian Air Force to Get First T-50 Fighter Jet This Year

08/07/2013

The Russian Air Force will take delivery of its first fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet "in the third quarter of this year" for final state test flights starting in the fourth quarter, the service's commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Tuesday. In late April, President Vladimir Putin said the T-50 would enter service with the country’s armed forces in 2016, and not 2015 as had been previously announced.

The Army Retools Its Recon Planes For The Pacific Era

08/06/2013

If you know anything at all about Army aviation, then you know that soldiers fly helicopters. When the Army and the Air Force became separate services after World War Two, the Air Force got almost all of the fixed-wing planes and the Army got almost all the rotorcraft. However, there are a handful of exceptions to this general rule — areas where the type of aircraft each service typically flies isn’t well suited to a mission it must perform.

US military helicopter crashes in Okinawa

08/06/2013

A U.S. military helicopter crashed at an American base on the southern island of Okinawa, Japanese and U.S. officials said Monday. A HH-60 rescue helicopter crashed in a training area at Camp Hansen with four crew members on board, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. The status of the crew members is unknown, it said.

TCI Asks EADS to Sell its Stake in Dassault

08/06/2013

Activist hedge fund TCI has said the European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company (EADS) should sell its stake in Dassault Aviation as the holding was "a poor use of capital." TCI wrote to EADS's chief executive officer, Tom Enders, demanding that the aerospace company sell its holding, worth €4bn ($5.3bn, £3.5bn), and give the earnings to the shareholders.

New units to manufacture missiles, aircraft soon

08/06/2013

While missile maker Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, is setting up three new production units, Bangalore-based aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has asked the defence estates department to locate 1,000 acres of land for setting up a new division for helicopters, Defence Minister A K Antony said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Why China is Building More Aircraft Carriers

08/06/2013

Grainy photos of what appears to be a slice of the PLA Navy's first indigenously built aircraft carrier have been flying around the Internet the past few days. Of their veracity I have little doubt. China's leadership has openly proclaimed its plans to put a modest fleet of flattops to sea in the coming years. Chinese shipyards have adopted the Western practice of modular construction, meaning that they build the hull in sections, including many of the systems that make an inert hulk a living, f

India Expects Tejas Induction by Late 2013, Early 2014

08/06/2013

India’s defense minister says his country’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program should be inducted into the Indian Air Force by the end of this year or early next year. The program is 15 years behind schedule.

Lockheed Martin to Offer Universal Mission Equipment Package for U.S. Army Helicopters

08/06/2013

Lockheed Martin will offer a universal, highly adaptable and affordable mission equipment package (MEP) to meet requirements for the Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift (JMR/FVL) rotary wing program, with potential applications for other customers and platforms.

US, Norwegian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Russia

08/06/2013

Military inspectors from the United States and Norway will fly over Russia’s territory starting from Monday as part of the international Open Skies Treaty, a Russian Defense Ministry official said. “In the period between August 5 and 10, a joint mission of US and Norwegian experts will make a surveillance flight above the territory of Russia on board of US Boeing OC-135B observation aircraft,” Sergei Ryzhkov, the head of the ministry’s National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, said.

Airbus Military delivers third A330 MRTT to UAE

08/06/2013

The handover of the aircraft means that 17 examples of the type are now in service with four customers – Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United Kingdom. Converted from an Airbus A330 commercial passenger jet by Airbus Military at Getafe near Madrid, the aircraft will serve with the UAE Air Force and Air Defense at Al-Ain airbase.

Engine run up for first Turkish A400M

08/06/2013

The first Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter for the Turkish Air Force has begun final tests towards its delivery. Airbus reported this morning that the four engines on the aircraft were successfully run simultaneously for the first time on 29th July at the Airbus Military facility in Seville, Spain. The aircraft will be transferred to the Airbus Military delivery centre in September.

China-Russia drill enters battle planning phase

08/05/2013

The China-Russia joint drill, code-named Peace Mission-2013, enters the phase of battle planning Saturday as China's last troops arrived at the designated area. Peace Mission-2013, which takes place in Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountainous region from July 27 to August 15, has three phases - troop deployment, battle planning and simulated combat.

B-52: A reboot for the Digital Age

08/05/2013

One thing is certain: it's not your father's B-52. The B-52 Stratofortress has been the Air Force's star long-range strategic heavy bomber and premier standoff weapon for more than 50 years. For generations, the B-52 has successfully executed missions all over the globe. But in the 21st century, the pace of things has accelerated beyond the wildest dreams of the original designers who first put plans for the aircraft on the drawing board more than 60 years ago.

A US Navy With Only 8 Carriers?

08/05/2013

At first, the statement is shocking. “Reduce the number of carrier strike groups from 11 to 8 or 9, draw down the Marine Corps from 182,000 to between 150,000 and 175,000.” But those words July 31 from US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel brought into the open some of the behind-the-scenes discussions that have been going on at the Pentagon for months.

Jet fighter threat to the Falkland Islands

08/05/2013

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner approved the deal, which will give Argentina the capability to attack the Falklands with laser-guided bombs. The 20 aircraft sold to the Argentine military are at Spain’s Albacete air base and will be shipped to Tandil air base south of Buenos Aires.

HAL delays over training aircraft leads to war with IAF

08/05/2013

A dog fight has broken out between Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and MD R K Tyagi over who should supply the Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA). The spat started after HAL said it was presented with unrealistic requirements over HTT-40s, while the IAF later diluted the same for the Pilatus it bought.

First indigenous aircraft carrier ready for launch

08/05/2013

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), built by Cochin Shipyard in the southern state of Kerala, is all set for a launch. Elizabeth Antony, wife of Federal Defence Minister A.K Antony will formally hand over the 260-metre warship, weighing over 40,000 tonne, to the naval authorities at a function at the shipyard on August 12.

NATO Exercise Tests Cassidian's IFF Systems

08/04/2013

Equipment from Cassidian's entire IFF "action chain" was deployed for the German forces during the exercise, with MSSR200001 interrogators on ground stations and LTR400 transponders on a German Luftwaffe C160 mission aircraft.