Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China News: 4 Ways How China's Military Stacks Up Against the U.S.

05/10/2013

When Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that China "could threaten America's primary means of projecting power and helping allies in the Pacific," and Admiral Robert Willard, former head of U.S. Pacific Command, notes that it "has exceeded most of our intelligence estimates of their military capability and capacity every year," there is cause for concern.

Australia holds the line on defense budget

05/10/2013

Australia will hold defense spending at $100 billion over four years and remains committed to the purchase of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The level of spending is "appropriate and in current circumstances sustainable," Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said during her presentation of the 2013 Defense White Paper.

British Reapers Can Now Call Home

05/10/2013

The operators of British Reapers have moved to a UAV control center in Britain. For the last four years British Reaper operators worked out of the main U.S. Air Force UAV control operation in Nevada, at first as part of a joint U.S./British Reaper unit. This was convenient and inexpensive way to learn how to operate such a center (where UAVs are operated via satellite link).

Drone debate too late once they get off the ground

05/10/2013

In last week's Defence Department white paper, released by the Prime Minister at Fairbairn's air force base, the Australian public got a scary one-line insight into the future of its air force. ''Armed unmanned systems will be available in greater variety and sophistication in years to come,'' it said.

Talking Stealth: USAF Pushes for 5th to 4th 'Gateway'

05/10/2013

USAF officials are preparing by year’s end to begin flight testing of a communications gateway technology designed to solve the vexing problem of allowing stealthy aircraft to communicate with legacy fighters, though they operate using different protocols. The goal is to “network” combat air forces so that pilots of the F-22 — and in the future the F-35 — can share data with those flying legacy aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 aircraft, says Lt. Col. Scott Hamilton.

Boeing Will Continue to Draw Military Interest

05/09/2013

Recently the headlines across U.S. media outlets haven't been pleasant for Boeing. Between its lithium-ion batteries smoldering and threatening to catch fire and accusations of lower quality parts from Japanese suppliers there is a lot of fuel for the fire. There's at least one positive headline for Boeing and its investors: the recent flight test of its X-51A hypersonic aircraft. Let's take a look at why this overlooked headline means much more to the company's future.

Russian Air Force receives its first new Su-34 strike fighter of the year

05/09/2013

“Following the handover ceremony at the airfield of the Novosibirsk-based Chkalov aviation plant, the aircraft departed for its assigned home base,” reads the Sukhoi press release. “Several more Su-34 fighters will be delivered to the Russian Air Force shortly.” The statement continues: “Thanks to the sizeable government orders for Su-34 aircraft placed by the Russian Defence Ministry in 2008 and 2010, the [Novosibirsk] facility has secured a steady workload for years to come.”

U.S. Is Warned Russia Plans Syria Arms Sale

05/09/2013

Israel has warned the U.S. that a Russian deal is imminent to sell advanced ground-to-air missile systems to Syria, weapons that would significantly boost the regime's ability to stave off intervention in its civil war. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that they are analyzing the information Israel provided about the suspected sale of S-300 missile batteries to Syria, but wouldn't comment on whether they believed such a transfer was near.

Analysis: Despite Israeli strikes, U.S. still wary of Syria air defenses

05/09/2013

Israeli missiles breached Syria's vaunted air defense system over the weekend, but that offered little comfort to U.S. military planners weighing the risks of any intervention against President Bashar al-Assad's forces. With some of the possible U.S. military options in Syria involving a need for air power, the Pentagon remains concerned about Assad's ability to shoot down enemy aircraft with surface-to-air missiles, particularly in a sustained campaign.

An A-10 love story

05/09/2013

It could be the roar the engine makes as it soars above the battleground scattering enemy activity from the fight or when its rugged body loaded with a high-tech weapons system delivers an aerial arsenal, but whatever the reason, the A-10 fighter aircraft is loved by battlefield service members.

The Day Of The Droids Is Fast Approaching

05/09/2013

Senior Israeli Air Force leaders believe that unmanned aircraft are the future, including autonomous (at least some of the time, under software control) fighters and bombers. Israeli UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) manufacturers, who have long been leaders in the field, were asked to move more aggressively in this direction. The Israelis are following the lead of the U.S. Navy, which is currently out front when it comes to UCAV (unmanned combat air vehicle) development.

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates ADAM Ground-Based Laser System in Increasingly Complex Tests Against Free-Flying Rockets

05/09/2013

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced that it has successfully demonstrated the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system in multiple tests against free-flying Qassam-like rocket targets. The prototype laser system has destroyed eight small-caliber rocket targets in flight at a range of approximately 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in tests conducted in March and April 2013.

Turkish Industry Takes Off In Support Of F-35

05/09/2013

Ten Turkish companies participated in the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Industry Recognition Event during the IDEF tradeshow today. Turkish companies are major contributors to the current international production of the F-35 Lightning II and the advanced Turkish SOM weapon in development to be used on the F-35 and have resulted nearly a thousand jobs for Turkish industry.

Estonia Holds Military Drills with NATO Allies

05/09/2013

Estonia will hold annual military exercises involving about 4,500 personnel from several NATO countries on May 9-25, the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces said. The Spring Storm drills have been held annually in different parts of Estonia since 2003. This year they will involve for the first time units from the UK, Belgium and Poland as well as the Estonian navy.

FLYHT receives order for seven AFIRS 228 Systems for Middle East C-130

05/09/2013

FLYHT Aerospace Solutions has received a purchase order from a major avionics integrator for seven AFIRS 228 (Automated Flight Information Reporting System) for Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft owned and operated by a Middle-Eastern country's air force.

Eglin receives first upgraded F-35

05/08/2013

A brand new F-35 with additional capabilities landed Monday afternoon. The new jet marks the beginning of a significant ramping up of Air Force training at the F-35 schoolhouse and an increase in some capabilities for the program. The Air Force’s 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base is set to receive an additional 13 of the new F-35s, known as Block 2 aircraft, by the end of the year.

NAF Jet Returning from Recce Mission When it Crashed

05/08/2013

Military sources have revealed that the Nigerian Air Force Alpha combat aircraft, which crashed near Niamey, Niger Republic on Monday, killing the two pilots on board, was returning from a reconnaissance (recce) mission in Mali in support of the AFISMA operations in the country.

China’s military might on an upswing, Pentagon says

05/08/2013

From potent long-range missiles and new-generation nuclear submarines to expanding space, electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, China is pursuing ``long-term comprehensive'' military modernization designed to ``fight and win short-duration, high-intensity regional military conflicts''.

Bulgaria’s caretaker cabinet keeps pot boiling on fighter jet purchase

05/08/2013

Bulgaria’s caretaker government under Prime Minister Marin Raykov sees the acquisition of new fighter jets for the country as a priority and is keeping the process going, although it will not be empowered to make a decision and there is no Parliament to vote on any such decision. This emerged on May 7 2013, a day after President Rossen Plevneliev, constitutionally the Bulgarian military’s commander-in-chief, spoke out strongly in favour of going ahead with the acquisition.

International intervention heats up in Mali

05/08/2013

France's National Assembly and Senate have voted to extend the country's military intervention in Mali. A resolution passed both houses of parliament on April 22. Not a single vote was cast in opposition. Three days later, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2100, creating a policing mission beginning July 1, 2013. The mission is called by its French acronym MINUSMA. Its projected size is 11,200 soldiers and 1,440 police.

Air Force says spending cuts hit combat aircraft

05/08/2013

Air Force officials say the across-the-board spending cuts have led the service to cease operations for one third of the bomber and jet fighter force. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Mark Welsh told a Senate committee that nine fighter units and three bomber units have stood down.

Boeing Brings B-52 into Digital Age with Significant Communications Upgrade

05/08/2013

Boeing is providing an upgraded communications system for U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers so aircrews can send and receive information via satellite links, allowing crews to change mission plans and retarget weapons in flight and better interact with aircraft and ground forces.

Boeing Delivers Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's 1st C-17 Training Center

05/08/2013

Boeing has delivered a training center for the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, enabling the base to cut costs by training pilots and loadmasters onsite.

Fifth-Generation Jet Tests May Start in July - Air Force

05/08/2013

Tests of Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 fighter jets in the Chkalov state flight test center in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Region in south Russia may start in July, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said. “In two months,” he said Monday when asked when the center would start tests of such jets, adding that the first serial fifth-generation jet may be manufactured in 2014-2015.

Syria Rebels Down Military Helicopter, Killing 8 Troops, Activists Say

05/07/2013

Syrian rebels shot down a military helicopter in the country's east, killing eight government troops on board a day after opposition forces entered a sprawling military air base in the north, activists said Monday. In the past months, rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad have frequently targeted military aircraft and air bases in an attempt to deprive his regime of a key weapon used to target opposition strongholds and reverse rebel gains in the 2-year-old conflict.