Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Pakistan, China conclude joint air exercises

09/24/2013

The Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising combat Pilots and ground technical crew landed back at an operational Air Base in China on Monday after successful culmination of the joint Air Exercise “Shaheen-II”. Earlier the closing ceremony was hosted by Lt Gen Zheng Qun Liang, Deputy Commander PLA Air Force. It was attended by Air Marshal Sohail Aman, Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) and a team of high ranking PAF officials.

Sikorsky S-97 Raider nears final assembly

09/24/2013

Sikorsky is set to begin assembly of its S-97 Raider light attack helicopter this week and an announcement from the manufacturer is expected soon. A Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. spokesperson confirmed the schedule, which marks the imminent entry of Sikorsky in a market likely to give the manufacturer an edge, at least for now, over competition in the tactical attack area.

A FORECAST OF HEAT AND TURBULENCE IN THE AIR

09/24/2013

The news item was nothing new. It was a virtual repeat of the age-old and familiar story — “India shops for 6 Chinook choppers” — a routine defence ministry initiative to upgrade and modernize the inventory of the Indian Air Force with the latest imported technology that always is an ‘ongoing process’.

Search ended for 2 in Navy crash

09/24/2013

The U.S. Navy has suspended the search for two San Diego-based helicopter pilots who went down in the Red Sea on Sunday. Navy officials have concluded that it’s “extremely unlikely” that the two people are still alive more than a day after their MH-60S Knighthawk went into the water.

Boeing Favored to Win $7.7 Billion South Korean Jet Fighter Deal

09/24/2013

Boeing Co. is favored to win an 8.3 trillion-won ($7.7 billion) fighter-jet deal from South Korea, sustaining its F-15 production line and handing a setback to Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) in the world’s biggest combat aircraft tender this year.

Building the iPhone 5C of fighter jets

09/24/2013

There used to be one way to build a brand new, state-of-the-art fighter jet from scratch. Backed by millions (if not billions) of taxpayer dollars, a military would debate the potential jets' cutting-edge technology requirements, entertain bids from various aerospace contractors, perform multiple design reviews, award a development contract.

Lockheed Martin Receives $18 Million Contract to Transition the Long Range Land Attack Projectile to Production

09/24/2013

Lockheed Martin received an $18 million contract from the National Warhead and Energetic Consortium to transition the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) to production. The contract includes developing production line tooling, test equipment and manufacturing process plans for initial production of the advanced projectile. The guidance and control unit will be assembled at Lockheed Martin’s Ocala, Fla., facility. Final assembly of LRLAP will be performed at the company’s Troy, Ala., facili

Boeing QF-16 Aerial Target Completes 1st Pilotless Flight

09/24/2013

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force have completed the first unmanned QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target flight, demonstrating the next generation of combat training and testing. Two U.S. Air Force test pilots in a ground control station remotely flew the QF-16, which is a retired F-16 jet modified to be an aerial target. The QF-16 mission profile included auto takeoff, a series of simulated maneuvers, supersonic flight, and an auto land, all without a pilot in the cockpit.

Su-25 Attack Aircraft Crashes in Russia, Pilot Ejects Safely

09/24/2013

A Soviet-era Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft crashed during a routine training flight in Russia’s Krasnodar region on Monday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The statement said contact with the pilot was lost at 8:17 p.m. Moscow time (16:17 GMT). The plane crashed 49 kilometers from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield.

Crossing the first island chain, Chinese bombers' maximum radius of operation tested

09/23/2013

On the morning of Sept. 8, two H-6 bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy made training flights across the sea area between the main Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako-Jima, and on to the West Pacific. Fighters of Japan Air Self Defense Force were scrambled urgently in response.

Surviving In The Shadow Of China

09/23/2013

There are believed to be several thousand Russian Moslems (most from the Caucasus, particularly Chechnya) fighting for the rebels in Syria. While effective fighters, the Russians don’t get along well with some of the Islamic terrorists groups or even the more numerous secular rebel organizations. Some Islamic radical rebels have openly suggested that the Russians go home and do their fighting and arguing with allies there.

India ups ante, flies sorties along LAC

09/23/2013

The Indian Air Force is pressing ahead with a plan to intensify its operations in the sensitive Ladakh sector, with special-mission planes being landed every week at the world’s highest military airstrip located at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), despite resistance from China.

How the B-52 became immortal

09/23/2013

If and when the U.S. attack on Syria takes place, it will be different in some ways from any previous intervention. But it will have one thing in common with every war the United States has fought in the past 50 years: B-52s will be available for the fight.

US Combat Air Forces in the 2020s

09/23/2013

I'm privileged to serve with more than 140 thousand active duty, civilian, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen who provide dominant combat airpower around the world, ensuring our Nation's security. They are our greatest treasure — extraordinarily innovative and skilled — without question they are the source of our combat capability, providing effective airpower anytime, anywhere, in support of our national security strategy.

Three found alive in Navy crash

09/23/2013

Three crew members are accounted for and stable. Search efforts continue for the two remaining. Six Navy ships are assisting in the search and rescue, as well as the rest of the HSC-6 squadron, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75 and one P-3 Orion aircraft from Patrol Squadron 47.

Drop in Numbers of F-35s Being Ordered Could Mean Increased Costs For a Canadian F-35

09/23/2013

There was some relief last week in the F-35 camp, when news came that the Netherlands was committing to the purchase of 37 of the stealth fighters. The plan sets a budget of 4.5 billion euros, or $6 billion, for the aircraft and a further 270 million euros a year for maintenance and operating costs — equivalent to the annual operating costs of the current F-16 fleet, the New York Times has reported.

Turkey Could Face Huge Fighter Bill

09/23/2013

Turkish ambitions to develop and build the first ever made-in-Turkey fighter aircraft and at the same time buy a new generation, multinational combat jet may go beyond Turkey’s financing capacity, industry sources and experts said. They said Turkey could face a US $50 billion bill in the next few decades if it decides to go ahead with now maturing plans to build an indigenous fighter jet and order scores of the US-led, multinational F-35 joint strike fighter in a parallel move.

Norwegian Military Inspectors to Fly Over Russia, Belarus

09/23/2013

Norwegian military inspectors are set to fly above Russia and Belarus starting from Monday under the international Open Skies Treaty, a Russian Defense Ministry official has said. “Within the framework of the international Open Skies Treaty, Norwegian specialists flying Romania’s An-30 aircraft will perform a surveillance flight above the territories of Russia and Belarus in the period between September 23 and 27”.

Vietnam Stocks Up On More Su-30s

09/22/2013

Vietnam has bought another twelve Russian Su-30MK2 jet fighters, for over $46 million each. This will make 36 of this type of aircraft Vietnam has bought in the last eight years. The MK2 version of the Su-30 has electronics that enable the use of anti-ship missiles. This latest order will take until 2015 to be delivered. Vietnam also has ten of the similar Su-27 fighters.

F-35 Lightning II modifications start at Hill Air Force Base

09/22/2013

Hill Air Force Base received an F-35 Lightning II last week that will be modified in Utah. The modifications will help the F-35 stay the "most lethal weapon ever built." The Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Navy are all counting on the fighter jet for the bulk of their tactical airpower.

Holloman loses F-22s to fleet consolidation

09/22/2013

The 7th Fighter Squadron, which flies Holloman's 24 F-22 Raptors, was supposed to move its hundreds of F-22 support personnel and aircraft to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., in the spring of 2013 to comply with the Air Force's F-22 fleet consolidation plan, but that never happened. Congress enacted a freeze on U.S. Air Force structure changes, including aircraft transfers.

Hacking U.S. Secrets, China Pushes for Drones

09/22/2013

For almost two years, hackers based in Shanghai went after one foreign defense contractor after another, at least 20 in all. Their target, according to an American cybersecurity company that monitored the attacks, was the technology behind the United States’ clear lead in military drones.

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's a reusable, hypersonic military space plane

09/21/2013

The U.S. military's future satellite operations could include a reusable vehicle that can fly like an airplane, go faster than Mach 10 and be launched multiple times in a short time frame. That's the goal of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's new XS-1 project which aims to reduce costs associated with traditional satellite launches. DARPA will hear proposals on the new hypersonic space plane on Oct. 7.

Hair-Raising Video Shows What It's Like To Fly In An F-16

09/21/2013

This video is particularly interesting because it not only gives an idea of what flying in the backseat of an F-16 looks like, but let’s you hear some pilots talk: for instance, at a certain point you can hear the formation leader’s say to the rest of the flight to switch on “discrete freq” 138.150 MHz.

Boeing selects L-3 Display Systems remote interface unit for F-15C/D Eagle military aircraft

09/21/2013

The Boeing Company engineers needed a Remote Interface Unit (RIU) for the F-15C/D Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II aircraft. They found their solution at L-3 Display Systems. The RIU is a redundant, programmable input/output processing system that collects and manages heads-up display (HUD), hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS), and other F-15C/D analog and digital signals for distribution using the aircraft’s digital bus interfaces.