Military Aviation News Archive
05/16/2013
Behind the gates of Hurlburt Field, Special Operations troops train for dangerous missions in enemy territory. Wednesday they offered a rare glimpse into their world, showcasing some of the planes they fly in combat. This is a CV-22 Osprey, it's one of several Hurlburt Field aircraft you'll see in our local skies, especially as night is falling. "Benefits of the Osprey are you can fly like an airplane and land like a helicopter, which no other aircraft can do," said Captain Jonathan Appleby.
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05/16/2013
The Air Force Special Operations Command’s fleet of more than 200 customized C-130 cargo planes will shrink by more than half in the coming years. Shedding older aircraft will allow AFSOC to save money on maintenance and to spend more on high-tech weaponry and sensors for its future fleet, said Maj. Gen. Kenneth D. Merchant, director of global reach programs at the office of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition.
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05/16/2013
Bell Helicopter is participating in the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), held May 14 to 16 in Tampa, Fla. Bell Helicopter will feature an armed Bell 407 on static display, its first commercially qualified armed helicopter, a CV-22 model and 3-D interactive programs demonstrating the capabilities of the V-22 Osprey and Bell V-280 Valor.
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05/16/2013
Minister of Defense Purnomo Yusgiantoro on Wednesday denied reports that a cooperation project between South Korea and Indonesia to develop the Korean Fighter Experiment (KFX) combat airplane was canceled, saying that it was merely put on hold until the new government in South Korea was settled.
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05/16/2013
The first Boeing [NYSE: BA] P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft arrived today, on schedule, at India Naval Station Rajali. The P-8I is one of eight aircraft Boeing is building for India as part of a contract awarded in 2009.
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05/16/2013
The aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has been put in a dry dock at Russia’s Sevmash shipyard for “cosmetic” repairs ahead of final sea trials and delivery to the Indian navy later this year, the company said. “The work is underway to repaint the hull under the waterline,” said Sergey Novoselov, head of defense export projects at Sevmash.
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05/15/2013
The pilot of a Turkish F-16 fighter jet has been found dead after the aircraft crashed near the Syrian border, the military said late Monday, without providing details of the plane’s mission, VoR Reported. “The debris of the jet and the pilot’s body have been recovered,” according to a military statement published online.
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05/15/2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday confirmed a Pentagon plan to reduce the number of civilian furlough days this year from 14 to 11. Sharp budget cuts are forcing the department to require most civilians to take unpaid leave one day a week for 11 weeks, beginning July 8, Hagel said during a town hall meeting at the Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. As he came to his decision, Hagel said, he kept in mind the department’s core missions to ensure military readiness and protect the country.
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05/15/2013
Beechcraft Defense Co. has received a $210 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce 35 T-6 training aircraft. Although the contract was issued by the Air Force, 33 of the planes are for the U.S. Navy and two for the U.S. Army. Production begins this month and final delivery of aircraft is expected in early 2015. Beechcraft said the deal, under the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System procurement program, includes an option for two additional aircraft.
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05/15/2013
The Czech Republic participates in a Polish tender for training planes with the aim to deliver the L-159 aircraft to Poland, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas told CTK in Warsaw Monday.
Necas Monday met his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk and they discussed the extension of both countries' cooperation in the economy, energy industry and defence.
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05/15/2013
The first pilotless flight over British airspace has been successfully completed. Aerospace company BAE Systems flew a Jetstream 31 - dubbed the "flying test bed" - from Warton near Preston in Lancashire to Inverness in Scotland. Strictly speaking, the flight was not unmanned -- two pilots were in the cockpit as a precaution.
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05/15/2013
Over the past decade, India has invested heavily in Afghanistan’s reconstruction. Recognizing India’s significant economic and development contributions, the United States has called on New Delhi to play an important role in the new Silk Road initiative aimed at transforming Afghanistan into a regional trade hub.
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05/15/2013
he X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) completed its first ever carrier-based catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) off the coast of Virginia today. “Today we saw a small, but significant pixel in the future picture of our Navy as we begin integration of unmanned systems into arguably the most complex warfighting environment that exists today: the flight deck of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
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05/15/2013
The worldwide community of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130J Super Hercules operators recently surpassed a landmark 1 million flight hours milestone, logging this time through numerous combat, special operations and humanitarian missions.
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05/15/2013
If fresh media reports are true, Russia, Syria’s longtime supplier of military equipment, may soon provide Damascus – or already has – with advanced S-300 air defense systems, tipping the balance in the devastating 26-month conflict in the Middle Eastern country. But the “if” is a big one.
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05/15/2013
Egypt is likely to become the first export customer for Turkey's Anka UAV - with more orders from the Middle East to follow, manufacturer TAI said. Anka - A medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) design received its certification from the Turkish authorities at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul. The name means Phoenix in English.
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05/14/2013
The pilot of a Turkish F-16 fighter jet has been found dead after the aircraft crashed near Turkey's border with Syria, reports say. The plane was flying over the Amanos Mountains in the southern province of Osmaniye on Monday when it lost radio contact, Anatolia news agency said. The pilot reportedly sent a message saying "I'm jumping" before contact was lost. Rescuers found his body near to the wreckage of the aircraft.
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05/14/2013
On April 29, at Blair House, Arab League ministers led by Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani reiterated their commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, including a (by now, familiar) proposed finesse, that the 1967 border might be adjusted with land swaps to accommodate the large settlement blocs. Three days later, on May 1 (and again on May 3), Israeli aircraft attacked an apparent cache of Hezbollah-bound Iranian weapons near Damascus.
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05/14/2013
The scope of United States (U.S.) military assistance to Nigeria and the U.S. new policy of using regional bloc leadership in solving crisis in Africa may be part of the reasons why the May 2, 2013 policy announced to civil rights activities in Abuja by U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terence P. McCulley on withdrawal of military cooperation with Nigeria was shelved.
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05/14/2013
The Department of Defense awarded Northrop Grumman a $555.6 million contract for modernization of the Global Hawk drone system on Monday. The contract, designated as being for "indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity" (IDIQ), does not necessarily mean that Northrop will collect the full amount of the ceiling value, although it very well might.
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05/14/2013
The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer is backing calls to restore a valve on Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)’s F-35 jet that improves the fighter’s chances to survive a hit from a high-explosive round. “The addition of an improved” valve “would result in the aircraft being fully compliant” with its operational requirements, Frank Kendall, the under secretary for acquisition, wrote a lawmaker last month in a previously undisclosed letter.
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05/14/2013
No other country in the world has a site like the Woomera Prohibited Area, a 127,000sq km zone in northern South Australia where our defence force can test bombs and undertake rocket research. It is free from the noise of mobile phones, televisions and radios meaning it is one of the world's best sites to test electronic warfare and cyber-space simulation.
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05/14/2013
No one disputes the fact that Canada needs to procure new fighters, but that’s where universal agreement ends. Several aircraft types are competing to be Canada’s next fighter jet. In this ongoing series, defence analyst Richard Shimooka examines the pros and cons of each contender. In this installment: the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Saab Gripen.
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05/14/2013
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company announced that Roderick “Rod” McLean has been selected vice president and general manager of the F-16/F-22 Integrated Fighter Group (IFG). Michael Cawood has been selected to serve as vice president and deputy for IFG. Both appointments are effective immediately
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05/14/2013
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have successfully tested a prototype air-launched Extended Medium-range Ballistic Missile (eMRBM) target at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
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