Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

UPDATE 1-Singapore expected to order F-35 fighter jets soon -sources

03/15/2013

Singapore, a major business and shipping hub with the best-equipped military in Southeast Asia, is expected to submit a "letter of request" soon for the F-35, said two U.S. government officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

U.S. jet warns Iranian fighter approaching Predator drone

03/15/2013

A U.S. Predator drone aircraft conducting classified surveillance over the Persian Gulf was “approached” Tuesday by an Iranian fighter jet, which turned away after a nearby U.S. Air Force jet issued a radio warning, the Pentagon said in a statement. “The Iranian aircraft departed after a verbal warning,” the statement said.

Next Stop Texas: Dyess AFB Receives C-130J Super Hercules

03/15/2013

Another Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130J Super Hercules (aircraft number 5715) ferried to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on March 12, 2013. Maj. Gen. Richard Johnston, assistant deputy under secretary of the Air Force, international affairs, flew the aircraft to Dyess. The aircraft is part of a contract initially awarded in 2008 and amended in 2010.

Combat veterans protest new medal for cyber warriors

03/14/2013

Jackson and other members of the local Disabled American Veterans chapter shared their thoughts Tuesday over the award, known as the Distinguished Warfare Medal. The medal — the Pentagon has suspended its production and announced Tuesday it would be put under review — was to be awarded to troops who operate drones and use other technological skills to fight America's wars from afar.

'Fighting fuel' for military aviators

03/14/2013

Eating on the go can be tough, especially when your job requires you to fly an aircraft for the U.S. military. The Aircrew Build to Order Meal Module, designed by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center's Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate will make refueling these aviators a lot easier.

Navy identifies 3 killed in Wash. plane crash

03/14/2013

Three Navy crew members who were killed when their plane crashed in Eastern Washington during a training flight were identified Tuesday. Lt. Cmdr. Alan A. Patterson, 34, from Tullahoma, Tenn.; Lt. j.g. Valerie Delaney, 26, from Ellicott City, Md.; and Lt. j.g. William Brown McIlvaine III, 24, of El Paso, Texas, were killed, the Navy said. Delaney was identified as a naval aviator. McIlvaine and Patterson were naval flight officers.

F-35 production on track, program chief says

03/14/2013

The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program is a different program than it was four years ago, the F-35 program executive officer said here March 12. In a speech at the McAleese/Credit Suisse Defense Programs Conference at the Newseum, Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan told attendees that he and his predecessor, Navy Vice Adm. Dave Venlet, worked with Lockheed-Martin and Pratt & Whitney to reform the problem-plagued development program.

Earning Simulator Wings

03/14/2013

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter serves as one of the most utilized workhorses of the U.S. military. According to the U.S. Army fact file, the UH-60 provides air assault, general support, aero-medical evacuation, command and control and special operations support to combat and stability and support operations.

Syrian air force, vital for regime, sags

03/14/2013

Syrian warplanes have been bombing the northern cities of Homs and Raqqa, and even the outskirts of Damascus, to block advancing rebel forces, attacks that underline the critical role the air force in the Damascus regime's battle to stay in power. "The Syrian air force is the main advantage the regime has over the rebels," the U.S. global security consultancy Stratfor observed.

GD takes on F-18 advanced computer work

03/14/2013

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems has won a $19.3 million contract with the U.S. Navy to provide the F/A-18 aircraft with advanced mission computers. The company has been delivering these types of computers since 2002.

North Steps Up Reconnaissance Sorties

03/14/2013

Data released today shows that more than 700 airborne sorties were conducted by the North Korean armed forces on March 11th, the first day of the joint ROK-U.S. military exercise ‘Key Resolve.’ According to a South Korean government source, the number includes sorties by fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, training aircraft and helicopters.

Boeing Names Ferra Engineering a Supplier for Extended Range JDAMs

03/14/2013

Boeing has selected Brisbane, Australia-based Ferra Engineering to build wing kits that triple the effective range of the Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM ER) and allow aircrews to deploy the weapon from beyond the range of an enemy’s air defense system. The Royal Australian Air Force became Boeing’s first JDAM ER customer in 2011. Boeing builds JDAM weapons in its St. Charles, Mo., facility, about 25 miles west of St. Louis.

New Il-476 Cargo Plane Tests Stalled by Weather

03/14/2013

The first Defense Ministry test flights of the prototype Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A (also known as the Il-476) heavy-lift transport plane at a flight test center near Moscow were postponed indefinitely due to bad weather on Wednesday, the Ilyushin Aviation Complex press service said. The first flight at the Zhukovsky flight test center was set for 12.00 Moscow time (08.00 GMT) on Wednesday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s program.

State of Gripens a stunning indictment of arms deal

03/13/2013

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, made the astounding admission today that 12 JAS 39 Gripen Advanced Light Fighter jets, which were purchased as part of the Arms Deal more than a decade ago, and cost billions of rands in public funds, are in long-term storage.

For Xi, a 'China Dream' of Military Power

03/13/2013

Soon after taking over as Communist Party and military chief, Xi Jinping launched a series of speeches referring to "The China Dream." It was music to the ears of Col. Liu Mingfu of the People's Liberation Army. Three years ago, the former professor at its National Defense University wrote a book of the same name, arguing that China should aim to surpass the U.S. as the world's top military power and predicting a marathon contest for global dominion.

SNC, Embraer weigh in on Air Force award

03/13/2013

The flap over the U.S. Air Force choosing for a second time a Brazilian aircraft for its Light Air Support program appears unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. The Sierra Nevada Corp., in partnership with Embraer Defense and Security, said they are moving ahead with plans to produce A-20 Super Turcano aircraft in Florida for the LAS program.

F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER NOT READY FOR COMBAT UNTIL AT LEAST 2019, GAO SAYS

03/13/2013

The $397 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not be ready to go into operation until at least 2019, 23 years after the Pentagon signed a contract in 1996 with Lockheed Martin to produce just fewer than 2,500 of the aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, according to a new report.

MacKay says defence department not to blame in plane delay

03/13/2013

After more than a decade of waiting for a new search-and-rescue plane, the military today is barely a step closer to flying one — and, that, says Defence Minister Peter MacKay, is not his fault. "I will express to you ... no small degree of frustration that we have not been able to move this project forward," MacKay said at a news conference Tuesday in Ottawa.

Pentagon vows to "protect" funding for F-35 if possible

03/13/2013

Top Pentagon officials on Tuesday underscored their support for the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter, saying they would try to protect funding for the most expensive U.S. weapons program despite continued U.S. budget uncertainty and cost over-runs. The $396 billion program is already seven years behind schedule and 70 percent over initial cost estimates.

Grand plans for Russian military aviation

03/13/2013

The armed forces and the military industrial complex must listen to each other and keep their sights on the future, rather than the existing weaponry, Vladimir Putin told a meeting dedicated to the development of combat aviation at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Plant.

Defense Ministry in Talks to Buy Aerial Tankers Says UAC

03/13/2013

Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Defense Ministry are in talks over a deal for new Ilyushin Il-78 Midas aerial refueling tankers for the Russian Air Force, UAC said on Tuesday. The aerospace holding declined to say when a deal might be signed or on what terms.

Dire sequestration warnings set off debate

03/12/2013

he United States’ top military officers have warned that sequestration would be “ruinous” for national security. They warned of an era of scant training and little maintenance on aging combat systems. And they warned that a new national defense strategy would be unworkable. To hear the top generals and admirals tell it, the U.S. military would be reduced to regional-power status.

RAF puts Typhoon upgrade through paces during Red Flag

03/12/2013

The UK Royal Air Force is using a new upgrade to its Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft during exercise Red Flag 13-3 in the USA, with the enhancement to also soon be embodied with all its early production examples of the type. BAE Systems, which developed the enhancements package, says the activity "provides capability upgrades to a wide range of Typhoon avionic systems, covering the displays and controls, attack and identification, defensive aids and communication subsystems".

Confronted with scams in defence deals, Antony asks armed forces to shed overdependence on foreign vendors for buying military hardware

03/12/2013

The taint of corruption in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal has brought focus on the need to shed overdependence on foreign vendors for military hardware, but the status of indigenous defence programmes tells a story of cost overruns and delays.

Kits extend bomb range for combat aircraft

03/12/2013

Boeing has chosen Brisbane firm Ferra Engineering to make wing kits to extend the range of GPS-guided bombs carried by US and Australian combat aircraft. Defence Materiel Minister Mike Kelly says the JDAM-ER (joint direct attack munition extended range) is an Australian initiative to increase the range of existing JDAM bombs through use of bolt-on wings.