Military Aviation News Archive
08/31/2012
A winged version of the Boeing [NYSE: BA] Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that will triple the weapon's glide range to more than 40 miles is a step closer to production after completing wind tunnel tests at a U.S. facility in June. Developed in partnership with the Commonwealth of Australia, the 500-pound JDAM Extended Range (JDAM-ER) features a modular add-on wing kit that will unfold in flight. The kit can also be coupled with other modular enhancements, such as laser sensors.
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08/30/2012
The Swedish and Swiss governments have signed a framework agreement to cooperate on the Saab Gripen E/F, with their air forces to potentially acquire up to a combined 82 of the new-generation combat aircraft. Signed in late August, the pact is the result of discussions conducted between the nations since Switzerland selected the Gripen E/F last November for a planned 22-aircraft deal to replace its Northrop F-5 fighters.
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08/30/2012
The U.S. Navy's defenses were built to counter large, powerful targets—not small, asymmetrical ones such as a flotilla of small, explosive-laden boats. A new system by defense contractor Raytheon aims to spot those boats from above and target them with small bombs able to attack moving targets.
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08/30/2012
The Indian military is close to purchasing a major American combat-weapon system for the first time in decades. Despite a history that might suggest otherwise, India is betting on American reliability as an arms supplier. India has bought a considerable amount of military equipment from the United States in the last decade, but very few of its purchases were combat-weapons systems.
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08/30/2012
FARS is reporting that a senior Iranian air defense commander underlined that the country's Armed Forces are “fully capable of repelling enemy threats, adding that Iranian air defense units are closely monitoring US bases in the region round the clock.” "At present, we are monitoring all military bases around Iran 24 hours a day.
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08/30/2012
The commander of Russia’s famed Strizhi (Swifts) aerobatics team is suspected of illegally selling team emblems, the Lifenews.ru portal reported on Tuesday. Valery Morozov is believed to have forced a Moscow region businessman to pay him 5,000 rubles (about $160) a month for the right to use the team logo on t-shirts and other items he sold.
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08/30/2012
Boeing has received an $85 million Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contract for continued support of U.S. Air Force F-15 mechanically scanned and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. The new PBL contract replaces three previous support contracts with one overarching agreement.
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08/30/2012
The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) is set to receive three of the 24 Block 52 configuration of the F-16C/D aircraft which will form a central part of its modern fleet of fighters. The Kingdom of Morocco purchased the aircraft in 2008 and is acquiring the tailored Block 52 configuration of the F-16C/D aircraft to meet the specific requirements of the RMAF. The sale included the aircraft, mission equipment, support equipment and a spares and technical support package.
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08/29/2012
The high-tech, state-of-the-art Sentinel R1 aircraft of No 5 (Army Cooperation) Squadron and Shadow R1 aircraft of 14 Squadron have each clocked up 10,000 hours on Operation HERRICK. While based in Britain aircraft from both units have been permanently patrolling the skies above Afghanistan since 2009 gathering vital intelligence on insurgent activities.
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08/29/2012
Bolivia announced it is finalizing a new law that will allow the security forces to intercept drug trafficking flights, although such "shoot-down" strategies have been implemented in Bolivia before and didn't do much to radically change the dynamics of the drug trade. On August 27, the Bolivian Ministry of Defense announced that it was finalizing two new initiatives that will allow the government to intercept and shoot down planes suspected of drug trafficking.
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08/29/2012
Since the 1950s, engineers worldwide have been trying to create the ideal airplane that possesses the ability to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings while maintain speed and missile capabilities. The first generation of these aircraft only achieved advanced speed over previous airplanes, while the second reached supersonic speed and the ability to carry missiles.
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08/29/2012
An Israeli reconnaissance plane crossed into Lebanese airspace over the southern border town of Alma al-Shaab at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese military. The remote-controlled aircraft made surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon and Beirut before it left Lebanese airspace at 2:15 p.m. local time (1115 GMT) while flying over the village of al-Naqoura, which is situated 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of Beirut.
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08/29/2012
When Japanese activists scrambled ashore on a disputed island chain in the East China Sea this month, one of China's most hawkish military commentators proposed an uncharacteristically mild response. Retired Major General Luo Yuan suggested naming China's new aircraft carrier Diaoyu, after the Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea. It would demonstrate China's sovereignty over the islands known as the Senkakus in Japanese, he said.
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08/28/2012
Neil Armstrong, former US Navy and NASA test pilot who became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82. In addition to the Apollo 11 flight that made him famous throughout the world, Armstrong was a noted aeronautical engineer, recognized within the test pilot community for his airborne achievements.
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08/28/2012
Indonesia is taking advantage of a scramble by major powers to boost their influence in the Asia Pacific to build its defense capabilities, analysts said. After Russia sold Sukhoi jet fighters to Indonesia and Jakarta announced plans to jointly produce C-705 antiship missiles with Beijing, Washington says it will sell air-to-surface guided missiles to equip Indonesia’s growing fleet of US-built F-16 fighter aircraft.
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08/28/2012
Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) budget program director Mark Thomson says the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets will provide the RAAF with combat capability from the retirement of the F-111 until the arrival of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). On Friday, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said 12 of the 24 Super Hornets would be equipped as Growlers, giving the RAAF a very advanced electronic warfare capability of a kind the US only fielded in 2009.
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08/28/2012
India’s indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is likely to win its final operational service clearance, following testing as part of an air exercise in February. The single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter will be put to the test during the “Iron Feast” exercise to be held in Pokhran in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.
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08/28/2012
Rebels shot down a Syrian army helicopter on Monday while it was bombarding the Damascus neighborhood of Jobar, as heavy fighting broke out in the district between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses said. Syrian state television said in a news flash a helicopter had crashed in Damascus, but offered no further details.
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08/28/2012
Russia’s servicemen will join efforts with their U.S. and Canadian colleagues during the Vigilant Eagle 2012 military drills to repel a hypothetical terrorist attack on a passenger airliner, the Russian Eastern Military District’s press service reported on Monday. “The Vigilant Eagle 2012 exercises will be held on August 27-29.
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08/28/2012
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin repeated his appeal on Monday for Russia to develop a hypersonic aircraft for its PAK-DA long-range bomber requirement. "I think we need to go down the route of hypersonic technology and we are moving in that direction and are not falling behind the Americans," he said on Rossiya 24 TV. "We will use this technology when developing a new bomber."
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08/28/2012
Boeing and Team Apache suppliers worldwide are applauding the news that the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter fleet has surpassed 3.5 million flight hours. The Army's aviation program office said that the milestone of endurance and reliability was reached in June as Apache crews flew combat missions in Afghanistan, participated in exercises in South Korea, and trained with the new AH-64D Apache Block III. Apaches began operating in 1984.
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08/27/2012
Problems that have imperiled pilots of the famed F-22 Raptor fighter jet are being fixed, a senior Air Force leader said this month. Not everyone, however, is reassured. Count Joanna Tinsley among the nonbelievers. In July 2008, her husband, veteran F-22 pilot Brig. Gen. Thomas "Pugs" Tinsley, committed suicide. Tinsley, who was 45, commanded Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska.
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08/27/2012
Addressing questions raised over the process of selecting Rafale fighter planes, Government is going ahead with the procurement of 126 French combat aircraft and effort is being made to complete the deal within this financial year. Contract negotiations for the multi-billion dollar deal will resume soon, Government sources told PTI here.
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08/27/2012
First fully modified aircraft for indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems landed on Indian soil at Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bangalore, a DRDO laboratory) at HAL airport on yesterday. Aircraft was received by enthusiastic crowd from CABS, its work centers, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and IAF members. The aircraft and the flight crew was received by Dr Christopher, Program Director and Dr K Tamil Mani, Chief Executive, CEMILAC. The aircraf
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08/27/2012
Leaders of the Mexican air force has taken deliver of the first four of six Beechcraft T-6C+ military trainer aircraft ordered from the Hawker-Beechcraft Defense Co. in Wichita, Kan. The remaining two aircraft are to be delivered by next month. The T-6C+, an enhanced version of the T-6 military trainer aircraft, can carry external stores and deliver practice weapons for training, It will replace the Mexican air force aging PC-7 fleet.
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