Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

A year on, deal with Dasault not in sight

01/06/2013

Contrary to expectations of an early push towards finalising the contract for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force, the deal will not be signed before the current financial year comes to an end in March this year. The IAF is keen that the negotiations are concluded and the way is paved to finalise the multi-billion dollar deal with the French manufacturer Dasault Aviation for its Rafale ominrole fighter plane.

Japan set to boost defense: media

01/06/2013

Japan’s government is likely to increase defense spending for the first time in 11 years, Japanese media reported yesterday, as newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges a sterner response to a territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai Islands with China. The government is considering increasing defense spending by about 2 percent to more than 4.7 trillion (US$53.4 billion) in the fiscal year starting in April, the Mainichi newspaper reported. It gave no source for its information.

Satellites Spot China’s Mysterious New Warplane

01/05/2013

A week after the publication of blurry photographs depicting what appears to be China’s first long-range jet transport, Danger Room has obtained satellite imagery of the new plane at an airfield in central China.

U.S. to continue helicopter purchase with only 1 bidder

01/05/2013

The U.S. Air Force on Friday declined to confirm that it had received only one bid for a $6.8 billion helicopter competition, but said it had procedures in place that would allow the acquisition to continue regardless of the number of bidders.

Iraq seen as major arms buyer by 2020

01/05/2013

The Iraqi government is spending billions of dollars to restore the country's military power but analysts say arms purchases won't peak until 2020. And Baghdad, angry about the slow delivery of U.S. weapons systems, may well switch the emphasis of its procurement program to Russia, the Czech Republic and possibly even China, to speed up amassing firepower for its military forces.

How Good Is The World's Most Expensive Fighter Jet?

01/05/2013

After years on the drawing boards and in testing labs, a new fighter plane is entering the U.S. arsenal. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is supposed to help the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines replace their fleet of aging aircraft. But this plane has become the most expensive military procurement program in history. While critics continue to carp about the cost, the plane is now in the skies, and the military says it's the lynchpin for future defense strategies.

Eglin becomes ‘center of the universe’ for F-35 training

01/05/2013

2012 was the year the F-35 finally took off at Eglin Air Force Base. Not only did the military’s newest fighter jet soar into the sky over Eglin for the first and then the 700th time, but the 33rd Fighter Wing continued to ramp up its training center to become the hub for everyone learning to fly or maintain the plane.

HAL building more Su-30 MKI fighters

01/05/2013

India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is building 42 more Russian Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft for the Indian military. The deal between HAL, the Ministry of Defense and Russia's Rosoboronexport was signed just ahead of a visit to India by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "HAL's total responsibility for this supersonic multirole aircraft has now gone up to 222," said HAL Chairman R. K. Tyagi.

NASA, Pentagon sponsor $35 million high-tech zeppelin that could be key aircraft of the future

01/05/2013

Worldwide Aeros’ Aeroscraft is a 230-foot long zeppelin that will be able to carry 66 tons of cargo, take off vertically and allow pilots to maneuver it on land without a ground crew. The Aeroscraft is being built under a contract of around $35 million from the Pentagon and NASA. That's a tall order for Worldwide Aeros, a company of about 100 employees.

$455 in contracts given to support Israel

01/05/2013

bout $455 million in contracts has been given for the supply of warfare systems and logistical support to the Israeli military. Elbit Systems Ltd., an Israeli company, won the lion's share of the contracts -- $315 million from the Ministry of Defense - for work in avionics, unmanned systems, electronic warfare, electro-optics and land systems.

Airbus Military tests C295 aircraft winglets

01/05/2013

Airbus Military has announced that it has begun one of a series of possible product developments for the C295 medium transport and surveillance aircraft. The company has begun flight testing of a modification to add winglets that have the potential to improve flight performance.

Spitfire WWII Fighter Planes In Myanmar: Excavation Team Heads To Yangon

01/05/2013

An airplane-obsessed farmer, a freelance archaeologist, and a team of excavators are heading from Britain to the Myanmar city of Yangon on Saturday to find a nearly forgotten stash of British fighter planes thought to be carefully buried beneath the former capital's airfield. The venture, backed with a million-dollar guarantee from a Belarusian videogame company, could uncover dozens of Spitfire aircraft locked underground by American engineers at the end of World War II.

Senate Confirms Clarke as Air National Guard Chief

01/04/2013

Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. "Sid" Clarke III, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next director of the Air National Guard. Clarke will replace Lt. Gen. Harry "Bud" Wyatt, who is retiring this month. Wyatt has led the Air National Guard since February 2009. Clarke said he is eager to take charge of an organization that comprises 106,000 people.

M-MRCA project: Govt firm on HAL as lead integrator, turns down Dassault Aviation's plea to play a bigger role

01/04/2013

The Defence Ministry has decided to remain firm on having HAL as the lead integrator for producing 108 multirole combat aircraft in the country, virtually turning down French firm Dassault Aviation's plea to play a bigger role in the multi-billion dollar project. The Ministry's stand in this regard has come after French firm Dassault, which has bagged the IAF deal for supplying 126 M-MRCA, asked it to define the role of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in the project.

DefenceMin goes global in search for Kaveri partner

01/04/2013

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will no longer ask French aircraft engine builder Snecma to help it in resurrecting the indigenous Kaveri jet engine, which has reached a dead end in development. Instead, major global aero engine manufacturers will compete in a global tender to partner the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) — the Bangalore-based DRDO engine laboratory — in refining the Kaveri engine to the level where it can power the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Military Drones Present And Future: Visual Tour

01/04/2013

The U.S. Air Force's X-37B aircraft took off on an Earth-orbiting mission on Dec. 11, a secretive project that will test the feasibility of long-duration military space flights. With no pilot on board, the X-37B, pictured above, is one of the latest and most sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Pentagon's expanding fleet. The "reusable space plane" was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an Atlas V rocket by the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office.

Some Good, Some Bad in National Defense Authorization Act

01/04/2013

Last month, The Heritage Foundation compared the Senate and House versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Heritage’s policy positions on national security and defense. Now that the final version of the NDAA is available, it is possible to analyze which of Heritage’s national security and defense interests appeared in the law.

Not a Blimp, Not a Plane: The Gigantic Aeroscraft Is Ready, and It’s Awesome

01/04/2013

This is a new type of rigid aircraft. It's not a blimp, and it's not an airplane, but this thing has the potential to alter the way we understand travel and completely change military transportation. You can see a video of its first move here. According to the company, "the final configuration and vehicle systems integration functionality testing has been completed as the Aeroscraft subscale demonstration vehicle reaches the finish line."

Turkish companies bid for country's first aircraft carrier

01/04/2013

A defense industry summit set to convene in Ankara under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday is expected to evaluate bids for Turkey's first aircraft carrier. According to a report in the Habertürk daily, the three candidates competing for the bid will be the group companies Koç, Kalkanoglu and Kalkavan.

Aircraft maker flight-tests plane it wants to sell to SA

01/04/2013

Airbus military has begun flight-testing the C295 medium transport and surveillance aircraft, which is being proposed as an essential multifunctional military aircraft for the South African Air Force, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. With some of the air force’s aircraft more than 50 years old, Airbus Military is pushing for the C295 light and medium airlifter to be used by South Africa’s defence ministry.

Video shows Burma military 'targeting Kachin rebels'

01/04/2013

Military aircraft have been targeting rebel areas in Burma's northern Kachin state over the last five days, video obtained by the BBC shows. The footage, shot by the humanitarian group Free Burma Rangers, shows attack helicopters firing on the ground and jets flying close to the trenches of the rebel Kachin Independence Army.

Y-20 heavy transport aircraft to boost military capabilities

01/04/2013

The development of the Y-20 heavy transport aircraft will benefit the military and civilian aviation industries if engine problems can be overcome, military experts said. Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun confirmed last week it is developing the Y-20 military transport aircraft as part of the People's Liberation Army's modernisation drive and for service in humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts.

Defence modernization funds cut by Rs 10,000 crore; Army operations may be hit

01/02/2013

The modernization budget of the armed forces has been slashed by around Rs 10,000 crore in a major jolt to them in the New Year. The cut is contrary to defence minister A K Antony's earlier promise of a hike in the defence budget to cater for the threat of the expansive China-Pakistan military nexus. The finance ministry conveyed the decision for the Rs 10,000 crore cut in the capital acquisitions for the Army, Navy and IAF to the defense ministry.

Tight budgets face Canada’s military this year

01/02/2013

As they shake off the dust of a decade’s service in Afghanistan, Canada’s fighting forces enter 2013 facing a new reality of budget cuts, restructuring and a continuing dogfight over the next fighter for the air force. Having eased out of a tough combat mission in Kandahar and into a lower profile role training Afghan troops, the Canadian Forces will be out of the country altogether by the spring of 2014.

Beijing confirms development of Y-20 strategic transport

01/02/2013

Beijing has officially confirmed that it is developing the Xian Y-20 strategic transport aircraft, following the emergence of images on Chinese defence sites during the last week of 2012. "We are developing large transport aircraft on our own to improve the capability of air transport," China's defence ministry said.