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Military Aviation News Archive

Iran warns off foreign planes during naval drill: report

01/02/2013

Iran has warned off foreign surveillance planes that have tried to approach its forces during naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesman said on Tuesday. The drills, which began on Friday, are aimed at showcasing Iran's military capability in the shipping route through which 40 percent of the world's sea-borne oil exports pass.

Taiwan to complete 1st upgrades to locally made fighters in 2013

01/01/2013

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Taiwan is set to complete the first stage of a plan to upgrade locally built indigenous defense fighters (IDFs) by the end of 2013 in an effort to counter the military threat from China, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The ministry said in a report sent to the Legislature recently that the upgraded aircraft will be equipped with enhanced radar, avionics and electronic warfare capabilities, as well the locally developed Wan Chien cluster bomb.

The IDF Wants More Hermes 900 Drones

01/01/2013

The Israel Ministry of Defense has placed a second order for a number Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The announcement by Elbit Systems did not specify the quantity of UAVs to be delivered under this contract but said the drones will be delivered over a period of three years.

BELL-BOEING LANDS $1.4B MILITARY CONTRACT FOR ADDITIONAL V-22S

01/01/2013

The Naval Air Systems Command has ordered an additional 22 V-22s from Bell-Boeing for over $1.4 billion. The order is a $1,405,744,559 modification to a previous contract for 17 MV-22 aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and four CV-22 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force in fiscal 2013.

Afghans Seek More Military Hardware

01/01/2013

Afghanistan's military leaders are preparing a weaponry wish list ahead of the withdrawal of most international troops, amid concerns about the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead on the country's security. At the top of the list: more and better aircraft. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Air Force recently scrapped plans to equip Afghanistan with a fleet of refurbished transport planes.

Training expansion on hold for B-1, B-52 bombers

12/31/2012

An Air Force plan to more than triple the area that can be used in training exercises for the Dakotas-based B-1 and B-52 bombers is still undergoing an environmental review nearly a year after the final report was expected. Officials at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D., are in the process of holding phone meetings with Native American tribes throughout the area to talk about sensitive cultural, historic and religious properties on tribal lands.

Defense Ministry studies Osprey use by Self-Defense Forces

12/31/2012

The Defense Ministry has started studies on equipping the Self-Defense Forces with the V-22 Osprey, the U.S. military transport aircraft whose safety record has sparked huge protests in Okinawa Prefecture, sources said. The ministry is expected to demand millions of yen for research and studies on the aircraft in the fiscal 2013 budget plan.

Elbit Systems Awarded Israel Ministry of Defense Contracts to Supply Various Systems for a Total Amount of Approximately $315 Million

12/31/2012

The new contracts relate to a variety of the Company's fields of activity and include Unmanned Systems, Electronic Warfare, Electro-Optic Systems, Avionics and Land Systems.

Navy issues hurry-up order to equip MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned helicopter with maritime surveillance radar

12/30/2012

U.S. Navy officials have issued an urgent order to equip the service's MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter with the Telephonics Corp. RDR-1700 maritime-surveillance radar system. The Northrop Grumman Corp. MQ-8 Fire Scout is a rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) deployed on Navy frigates, littoral combat ships, and other surface combatants for reconnaissance, situational awareness, and precision targeting.

U.S. Army near decision on holding helicopter competition

12/30/2012

The U.S. Army is nearing a decision on whether to open a competition for a new scout helicopter to supplant the current fleet of Kiowa Warriors made by Bell Helicopter. Military officials have been testing different choppers this year, including models from Boeing and EADS, in a "skyoff" acquisition strategy as it weighs whether to move forward with planned upgrades to the Vietnam-era Kiowa or seek a new model.

Lockheed gets $4.9bn F-35 funding

12/30/2012

Lockheed Martin Corp was awarded up to $4.9bn in additional funding for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, the Pentagon announced yesterday, providing a significant end-of-year boost in orders for the largest US defense contractor. The US Defence Department said it had reached agreement with Lockheed on a preliminary contract valued at up to $3.68bn for 31 F-35s in a sixth batch of planes to be built for the US military, with details to be finalised the coming year.

Fiscal cliff: Industries serving military would lose jobs

12/30/2012

With its heavy concentration of military facilities and defense companies, San Diego could be one of the hardest hit regions in the country by the fiscal cliff. The process called sequestration calls for automatic spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over 10 years, split equally between military and domestic programs.

Syrian Air Force lost 41 planes, helicopters in 2012: survey

12/30/2012

The Syrian opposition destroyed 19 Mig fighting jets and 22 helicopters belonging to the regime's air force in 2012, according to survey by the Union of the Syrian Revolution Local Coordination Committees. Eleven planes were destroyed on the ground in opposition raids on various air bases across the country and 30 were shot down in action. A sizeable number, 43, of aircrafts destroyed was registered in the province of Idlib, where the first Mig fighter jet was shot down.

Kazakhstan needs aviation regiment

12/30/2012

Former Kazakhstan Vice-Minister of Defense, Major General Amirbek Togussov supports the suggestion of the Majilis (Lower Chamber of Kazakhstan Parliament) to transfer of the whole military aviation fleet under the jurisdiction of one authority.

This Air Force Is Replacing All Of This Unit's Jets With Unmanned Drones

12/30/2012

The end of the fighter pilot, and nearly a century of military fighter planes, is an idea that garners a lot of attention lately and this report out of Nebraska is a prime example why. Andrew Nelson at the World-Herald writes that all 21 F-16s at the Iowa National Guard's 132nd Fighter Wing will be replaced with an unnamed type of pilotless drone.

Wedgetail No Longer A Project Of Concern For Australia

12/29/2012

Australia has removed the Wedgetail Boeing 737-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program from its Projects of Concern list following delivery of all six aircraft and achievement in November of initial operational capability (IOC). The A$3.2 billion ($3.3 billion) Wedgetail program was added to the Projects of Concern list in January 2008 because of schedule delays and system performance issues. A remediation plan was agreed with Boeing in 2011, resetting IOC for 2012.

Russia to enlarge output of Sukhoi Su-34 bombers in 2013

12/29/2012

The Novosibirsk aircraft plant of the Sukhoi Holding (NAPO) will increase the output of Sukhoi Su-34 multirole bombers in 2013, a source in the defense sector told Interfax-AVN on Saturday. "In 2013 the Su-34 production at NAPO will be larger than in 2012," the source said. "While setting off batch production of Su-34, NAPO is constantly enlarging their output," he said.

2013 Forecast: Commercial Up, Defense Down

12/29/2012

Commercial production rising. Defense budgets falling. Economic uncertainties and regional instabilities that could affect both. That is the world the aerospace and defense industry faces entering 2013, and which is examined in detail in the pages that follow. But if there is one theme that recurs frequently through this latest edition of Aviation Week's annual forecast issue, it is China and its growing financial, industrial, political and military influence on aerospace and defense globally.

Fresno-based F-16s on "safety stand down" after crash

12/29/2012

The California Air National Guard in Fresno is not flying its F-16 fighter jets after a pilot crashed during a routine training exercise Thursday night. The F-16 military jet went down in Owens Valley in Inyo County. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft. Pilots at the 144th Fighter Wing are on what's called a "safety stand down" day, meaning all flights are grounded as part of standard procedure following a crash.

US Scraps Afghan Cargo Plane Fleet

12/29/2012

The U.S. military is scrapping the Afghan Air Force's entire fleet of Italian-made cargo planes, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. U.S. and Afghan officials told the paper that the Afghan military isn't expected to have an independent and fully functioning air force until around 2017, well after the withdrawal of most U.S. and international troops.

Russia Delivers Four MiG-29K Fighters to India in Dec.

12/29/2012

Russian aircraft maker MiG delivered in December a batch of four MiG-29K/KUB shipborne fighters to the Indian Navy under a contract concluded in 2010, the company said. With the delivery, MiG "has fulfilled all its obligations for 2012 stipulated in the 2010 contract with the Indian Defense Ministry,” the company said in a statement. In March 2010, Russia and India signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supply of 29 additional MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets to New Delhi.

Russian Air Force Gets First Six Su-35S Fighter Jets

12/29/2012

The Sukhoi aircraft maker delivered on Friday the first six Su-35S fighter jets to the Russian Air Force, the company said. The acceptance documents were signed by Defense Ministry officials at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft manufacturing plant in Russia’s Far East. “The Sukhoi holding has fulfilled its obligations on the delivery of this type of aircraft under the 2012 state defense order,” the company said in a statement.

Afghanistan female air force pilots left grounded

12/28/2012

Unlike most women in Afghanistan, Sourya Saleh knows how to drive — but she's taken the wheel only with her brother beside her, out of respect for tradition. Her friend Masooma Hussaini is still learning. Both young women, though, are experts in a more demanding mode of travel: They've flown 204 hours each as pilots of military helicopters. The first female chopper pilots in Afghanistan since the Soviets trained a woman as a pilot in the 1980s.

Dassault chief steps back from controls

12/28/2012

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email protected] to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4a54f404-4df5-11e2-a0fc-00144feab49a.html#ixzz2GLDFERw8 At Istres on France’s south coast last week Dassault Aviation carried out the first public flight of its prototype unmanned fighter jet, the Neuron. As a crowd of c

PAF commissions newly refurbished assets

12/28/2012

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Friday commissioned newly-refurbished ground and air assets including the first ever C-130 cargo plane repaired completely by Filipino airmen. Commissioned during simple ceremonies in Villamor Airbase in Pasay were the C-130 cargo plane, one Cessna LC-210 weather aircraft, a UH-1H helicopter and 12 M-3 trucks. The maintenance and repair of all these assets cost P579.4 million.