Military Aviation News Archive
06/11/2013
The Russian Air Force has redeployed some 20 combat aircraft and helicopters from their home bases to forward airfields in western Russia as part of a new round of snap combat readiness check of the Russian military, the Defense Ministry said. The drills involve Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer fighter-bombers, Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets, Mi-8 combat transport helicopters and Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters based in the Western Military District.
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06/10/2013
Lebanese troops blocked streets in Beirut with tanks and barbed wire for several hours on Sunday after the killing of a protester outside the Iranian embassy raised factional tensions already inflamed by the war in Syria. The man died during a clash between rival groups of Shi'ite Muslims after militiamen from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement opened fire when protesters drew up at the embassy, the latest sign of Syria's violence spilling over to its neighbours.
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06/10/2013
Japanese troops will converge on California's southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country's amphibious attack abilities. U.S. and Japanese military officials said the unprecedented training, led by U.S. Marines and sailors, will help Japan's Self-Defense Force operate in stronger coordination with the United States, its main ally, and better respond to crises such as natural disasters.
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06/10/2013
With combat operations winding down in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army is cutting back on purchases of its popular RQ-11B Raven micro-UAV. In the last decade the U.S. has bought most of the 19,000 Ravens produced. But now those purchases are fading to zero. Last year the army bought 1,134, this year it was 234, and next year it is zero.
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06/10/2013
Thunder Over Michigan Air Show officials announced that the World’s only flying Mosquito will perform at the 2013 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show Aug. 10 and 11 at Willow Run Airport. Thunder Over Michigan is produced by the Yankee Air Museum. Proceeds from the event help support the museum and many other charitable organizations.
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06/10/2013
A debate is emerging within the narrative of sequestration that calls into question the military department’s choice to continue funding service demonstration teams like the Blue Angels. In order to properly shape the debate, opponents on both sides of the argument need to broaden their perspectives beyond the current justification of recruiting or the local negative financial impact of air show cancellations.
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06/09/2013
On the eve of US President Barack Obama’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping , the Washington-based Heritage Foundation has released a detailed paper urging the White House to sell F-16C/D jets to Taiwan. Arms sales to Taiwan are thought certain to be raised and condemned by Xi during the two-day California meeting which opened yesterday.
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06/09/2013
Even though China has displayed hostility toward the United States for having its warships into the South China Sea, Beijing has been invited to participate in the 2014 Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, naval exercise to be held off Hawaii, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. However, there are concerns about this participation.
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06/09/2013
On May 27, several thousand Russian soldiers were woken at 5:00 in the morning by a surprise alarm. The Russian Ministry of Defense staged its biggest drills in more than twenty years to test the air forces. The aggressor squadrons launched an offensive at all altitudes and from all directions. They also employed jamming systems to impede target engagement by anti-aircraft radars.
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06/08/2013
Three decades in the making, the multinational Airbus Military A400M Atlas is the first new military airlifter to be developed in Europe since the Transall C-160 twin-turboprop in the early 1960s. The completion of basic development and impending first delivery means Europe has its own heavy-lift transport and customers have an alternative to U.S. and Russian aircraft.
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06/08/2013
The Indian air force inducted the first 12 of 75 Swiss-manufactured Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II basic training aircraft at a ceremony at the Dundigal Air Force Academy near Hyderabad. Minister of State for Defense Jitendra Singh unveiled the tandem-seat turboprop aircraft that is capable of aerobatics as well as tactical and night flying, The Hindu reported. "The induction of PC Mk-II is a very important landmark in our nation's quest for modernizing its armed forces," Singh said.
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06/08/2013
During his visit this week to the aircraft base F-16 in Lask near Lodz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland needed a deterrent force so that potential enemies do not even think about attacking Poland. Air Force is one of the most important elements of the new military-political doctrine of the country.
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06/08/2013
Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is expected to be the launch customer for the MiG-35 multi-role fighter. Sergei Korotkov, Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) general director, said the company and the MoD are negotiating an initial order for 24 aircraft, with an option that would increase the number to about 40.
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06/08/2013
Each year the Defense Department’s comptroller, the Pentagon’s chief financial officer, publishes a report: Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System. The public and Congress have a right to expect these annual reports to be complete and accurate. These reports have identified spending amounts for research and development and for procurement, plus annual production authorizations, for the F-35, since the public origins of the program in 1994.
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06/08/2013
Iwo Jima is a training site like no other. The rugged volcanic crag was one of the most iconic battlegrounds of World War II, and is so isolated and barren it has almost never been inhabited by anyone other than military troops. But from the perspective of U.S. Navy fighter pilots who regularly train on the island's one functioning airstrip, it is unique in another way.
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06/08/2013
The US missile defense system is no match for the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that Russia tested this week, a senior Russian official said Friday. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry, hailed Thursday’s tests as a success and dubbed the new ICBM a “missile defense killer.”
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06/08/2013
Some 15 warships and auxiliary vessels will take part in Russian-Ukrainian anti-piracy exercises in the Black Sea on June 19-25, a Russian Black Sea Fleet spokesman has said. The Fairway of Peace 2013 drills will focus on joint missions to counter piracy and terrorism threats in the region.
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06/08/2013
A Moscow court has given a four-year suspended sentence to the last defendant in the criminal case over deliveries of low-quality equipment for MiG-29 fighters that were rejected by Algeria in 2007, Russia's business daily Kommersant said Friday. The Moscow city court announced the sentencing for Mikael Kazaryan at a closed session on Thursday. The suspended sentence is a result of a plea bargain between the defendant and the prosecutors.
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06/07/2013
Sixty-nine years ago today, the deadliest war the world had ever seen underwent a pivotal event that changed World War II completely. Today, the Invasion at Normandy, also known as D-Day, remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving nearly three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in occupied France.
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06/07/2013
The U.S. Army has shortlisted Bell Helicopter's V-280 tilt-rotor aircraft design for its Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program. The V-280 is Bell's third-generation, tilt-rotor concept. It reportedly will have a cruising speed of 320 mph, a range of 2,400 miles and a combat range of 580 to 920 miles.
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06/07/2013
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called Wednesday for an end to US drone strikes in the country's northwest, as he took office for an unprecedented third term. Some 13 years after he was deposed in a coup and sent into exile, the 63-year-old was formally chosen by a vote in the National Assembly and later took the oath of office from President Asif Ali Zardari.
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06/07/2013
Sitting at a long table in Russia's Foreign Ministry, Syrian opposition leaders outlined a plan to protect Moscow's interests if the Kremlin agreed to the removal of its longstanding ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Throughout the meeting last July, one of many since the start of Syria's civil war, Russian officials sat stony-faced. When the Syrians had finished, there was a long silence.
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06/07/2013
The 50th Paris Airshow presents a weeklong celebration for aviation enthusiasts. As the most important annual aerospcace business event, it attracts thousands of companies and trade visitors. On the military side, the airshow takes a lower key, reflecting reduced spending in Europe and the United States. Nevertheless, the Russian impact is growing, demonstrating Moscow’s claim for a leading position in world defense exports.
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06/07/2013
he 451st Flying Training Squadron completed the final step of a long journey when a T-1A Jayhawk modified for electronic warfare training took flight on a training sortie June 4. This is the first time in Air Force history an undergraduate aviation program has formally incorporated the fundamentals of electronic warfare in flight into their combat systems officer training syllabus.
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06/07/2013
An F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, June 5. It was the first launch where the F-35 and AIM-120 demonstrated a successful launch-to-eject communications sequence and fired the rocket motor after launch -- paving the way for targeted launches in support of the Block 2B fleet release capability later this year.
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