Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

MiG-35 Deal Delayed Amid Defense Industry Problems – Minister

08/21/2013

Russia’s Defense Ministry postponed the purchase of 37 MiG-35 fighter jets until 2016 because the defense industry cannot fulfill the contract, a senior defense official said Tuesday. “The Finance Ministry has nothing to do with it, the industry is not ready yet,” Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said, after confirming that 16 MiG-29SMT fighter jets will be bought instead.

Russian Military to Buy 16 MiG-29SMT Fighter Jets – Report

08/21/2013

The Russian Defense Ministry and the MiG aircraft corporation have agreed the purchase of 16 MiG-29SMT fighter jets until 2016, the Kommersant daily reported Tuesday citing a high-ranking military source. The agreement is part of the government’s effort to keep the struggling combat aircraft maker afloat following the announced delay of the contract on the purchase of 37 MiG-35 fighters until after 2016.

US Strategic Bomber Crashes in Montana – US Air Force

08/20/2013

A B-1B Lancer strategic bomber out of Ellsworth Air Force Base crashed Monday in the US State of Montana during a routine training mission but all four crew members survived, the US Air Force said. “A crew of two pilots and two weapon systems officers were on board. All four members of the aircrew safely ejected with some injuries,” the US Air Force said in a statement on its website.

U.K. Royal Air Force Advances Typhoon Deployment Plans

08/20/2013

he U.K. Royal Air Force has begun preparations to move the Eurofighter Typhoon main operating base in Scotland to Lossiemouth from Leuchars. The plans, originally announced by the U.K. Defense Ministry in 2011, also will see Leuchars becoming an army garrison starting in 2015. Building has begun at Lossiemouth to accommodate the new fighters, including the renovation of hangars and a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) facility to keep the aircraft ready to intercept potential threats.

Code blue is more like it

08/20/2013

The Indian Navy has received a major setback and jolt, with the explosion sinking the Russian-b submarine at the Mumbai harbour, with at least 18 sailors, including three officers, killed. This is one of the worst tragedies to hit the Navy since the sinking of INS Khukri during the 1971 India-Pakistan war and has left the Navy particularly vulnerable, with just six or seven of the remaining 14 submarines operational.

Electronic warfare development targets fully adaptive threat response technology

08/20/2013

When U.S pilots encounter enemy air defenses, onboard electronic warfare (EW) systems protect them by interfering with incoming radar signals—a technique known as electronic attack (EA) or jamming. Conversely, electronic protection (EP) technology prevents hostile forces from using EA methods to disable U.S. radar equipment assets.

Naval shipbuilding takes a giant leap with the launch of INS Vikrant

08/20/2013

What would it take to build a self-reliant city from scratch? For starters, you would have to find a location and chalk out a plan for the organised development of settlements, roads, high-rises, open spaces and transportation facilities. Then you start making provisions for exigencies¯setbacks like power failure or adverse weather. And, after a blueprint is in place, you obtain the raw material to start construction. All this, before you even lay the foundation stone.

Marines, Navy test the F-35B aboard the USS Wasp

08/20/2013

Two F-35B Lightning II jets (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Aug. 12, kicking off a second round of testing of the new aircraft. The second of three test phases (DT-II) includes the first night operation at sea as well as the first launch and recovery of the F-35B at sea by a U.K. test pilot.

Air Force hosts allies for training exercises in Alaska

08/20/2013

Japan and South Korea air forces are participating with U.S. counterparts in military combat training at Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks. The two-week exercises in the Delta Junction area run through Friday. It's the first time Japanese and South Korea air forces have jointly trained in Alaska or anywhere, according to Lt. Col. Tom Pagano, commander of the 353rd Combat Training Squadron that plans the Red Flag Alaska training exercise.

South Korea Stumble Threatens Lockheed's 'Super Jet'

08/20/2013

Despite recent reports to the contrary, it has been a rough patch for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, now known as the "Lightning II." Under current plans, the Air Force's "plane of the future" is slated to cost at least $1.5 trillion over its lifetime, which, Pentagon analyst Winslow Wheeler has pointed out, is the equivalent of the Gross Domestic Product of Spain.

Upgrades aim to extend B-52 bombers' already long lives

08/20/2013

For Air Force Capt. Daniel "Swoop" Welch, flying a B-52 bomber has become the family business. His father, retired Lt. Col. Don Welch, was trained to drop nuclear bombs with the aircraft during the height of the Cold War. His grandfather, retired Col. Don Sprague, flew B-52 combat missions in Vietnam.

US, Russia to Discuss Syria Conference in Hague – Source

08/20/2013

US and Russian diplomats will meet in The Hague at the end of August to discuss preparations for the long-delayed Syria peace conference, a Russian diplomatic source told RIA Novosti on Monday. “The meeting will be held at the end of August in The Hague,” the source said, adding that the exact date is yet to be determined.

EADS dropped from $7.3 bn South Korea jet fighter bid

08/19/2013

European aerospace consortium EADS has been eliminated from a bid to provide fighter jets worth $7.3 billion to South Korea due to a failure to meet some requirements, a report said Sunday. The Eurofighter was dropped from the bid also sought by US company Boeing after the South's military found that the EADS proposal did not meet its key demands, Yonhap news agency said.

Ospreys head to Mildenhall; lawmakers try to block funding

08/19/2013

The first CV-22 Ospreys have touched down at RAF Mildenhall, England, beginning a new phase for Air Force special operators in Europe. But the fleet might face an uncertain budget future. The first of the 10 tilt-rotor aircraft made the flight across the ocean and touched down at RAF Mildenhall, England, earlier this summer, with the rest expected to arrive through the end of 2014.

Testing F-35B Lightning II Aircraft Aboard USS Wasp

08/19/2013

Two F-35B Lightning II jets (BF-01 and BF-05) touched down aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) Monday, August. 12th, kicking off a week of Development Testing II (DT-II) where Wasp Sailors and Integrated Test Force (ITF) team members are testing and further validating the F-35B.

US firms get funding for combat drone

08/19/2013

The Pentagon has awarded contracts to a Who’s Who of US defence companies to develop a lethal long-range combat drone that will be based at sea. Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems all received $15 million (£9.6 million) preliminary contracts to design for the US Navy’s planned Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike.

Boeing's F-15SE reportedly chosen as final candidate for S. Korea's next fighter plane

08/19/2013

The Eurofighter Tranche 3 Typhoon by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) has reportedly been eliminated from South Korea's multibillion-dollar fighter jet project, leaving Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle as the sole final candidate, government sources said Sunday.

South Africa Loses Use Of Its new Gripens

08/19/2013

Four months after admitting that 12 of its 26 Gripen jet fighters had been placed in storage because they were too expensive to operate and there were not enough qualified pilots to fly them, South African officials admitted that the maintenance contracts for all the Gripens had expired in April. That made long term use of the Gripens dangerous.

Op-Ed: Russia and Iran argue over the S-300 air defense system contrac

08/19/2013

Iran plans to withdraw its four billion dollar claim if Russia fails to honor its S-300 contract. Russia proposes new S-300 air defense system replacement to Iran. The S-300 system could become Iran's most advanced air defense system.

First home-grown light combat aircraft to be delivered to Air Force

08/19/2013

South Korea's first home-grown light combat fighter, named the FA-50, will be delivered to the Air Force this week, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said Sunday. The FA-50 is a light combat aircraft that was developed based on the T-50, a supersonic advanced trainer, in order to replace the military's superannuated fighters, like the F-5E/Fs and A-37s.

UN Chemical Weapons Inspectors Arrive in Damascus

08/19/2013

A group of UN experts arrived in Syria on Sunday to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war there, media reports said. The 20-member team, headed by Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, checked into a hotel in central Damascus on Sunday refusing to speak to reporters on Sunday, Reuters reported.

It’s Time to Hold Our Nose and Back Egypt’s Military

08/18/2013

Let’s get real and tamp down the moral posturing about democracy in Egypt. Freely elected President Morsi and his now-deposed Muslim Brotherhood government weren’t practicing democracy. They were co-opting the laws and slowly destroying all possible opposition. Besides, they were aligning with America’s jihadist enemies in Syria, Gaza, and elsewhere.

Latin America Condemns US Espionage at United Nations Security Council

08/18/2013

Throughout the day, on August 6, President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner of Argentina chaired a historic United Nations Security Council meeting that revealed a seismic shift in geopolitical consciousness and incipient strength. The agenda of Security Council meeting 7015 was: “Cooperation Between the United Nations and Regional and Sub-regional Organizations in Maintaining International Peace and Security.”

New, Improved MQ-1C

08/18/2013

There’s a new version of the U.S. Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV. The IGE (Improved Gray Eagle) began flight testing in July. The new version has a better engine, fifty percent more fuel capacity, over 75 percent more endurance (from 30 to 53 hours), and its payload increased by 50 percent from 372 kg (798 pounds) to 558 kg (1,227 pounds).

18 year £1.2billion MoD "cock up"

08/18/2013

The Chinooks have been parked in a hangar at RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire since 1995. The scandal was exposed in 2008, forcing the MoD to deliver a quick fix to get the aircraft flying by 2010. But someone failed to order the correct computer codes for pilots to fly them. Tory MP Edward Leigh described the saga as a “gold standard procurement cock-up”, leaving special forces in Afghanistan short of air support.