Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

BAE Systems wins $23m Oman F-16 deal

02/24/2013

BAE Systems has said it has received a contract valued at nearly $23m to provide F-16 support equipment, test systems, and spares to the government of Oman. The European defence firm said the contract continues the its strong global position to deliver the right systems and expertise to support F-16 aircraft operated by US allies.

Sequester would hit the Keys big

02/24/2013

Hundreds of civilian U.S. Department of Defense workers in the Keys face a 20 percent reduction in pay if Congress and the White House don't reach a budget deal by the end of next week. If no agreement is in place by March 1, the oft-talked-about sequestration kicks in - $1.2 trillion in across-the-board government spending cuts over the next 10 years. One of the ways to achieve these reductions is unpaid furlough days for federal employees.

Killer robots must be stopped, say campaigners

02/24/2013

A new global campaign to persuade nations to ban "killer robots" before they reach the production stage is to be launched in the UK by a group of academics, pressure groups and Nobel peace prize laureates. Robot warfare and autonomous weapons, the next step from unmanned drones, are already being worked on by scientists and will be available within the decade, said Dr Noel Sharkey, a leading robotics and artificial intelligence expert and professor at Sheffield University.

Gulf States Squeeze Suppliers

02/24/2013

When the chief executive of French vehicle maker Nexter met with the deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, he got a surprising remark about his company’s offer to sell 700 armored vehicles to the Arabian Gulf country. “Give me your best price,” Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan reportedly said to Philippe Burtin on the first day of the International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), which finished last week.

Fighter jet program on hold as fault grounds test flights

02/24/2013

AUSTRALIA'S $16 billion program to buy the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has suffered another blow, with the US suspending all test flights after a crack was found on a turbine blade of a test plane during a routine inspection.

Iran claims it has captured a foreign ‘enemy drone’ during military exercise

02/24/2013

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday that it had captured a foreign unmanned aircraft during a military exercise in southern Iran. Gen. Hamid Sarkheili, a spokesman for the military exercise, said the Guard’s electronic warfare unit spotted signals indicating that foreign drones were trying to enter Iranian airspace. Sarkheili said Guard experts took control of one drone’s navigation system and brought it down near the city of Sirjan where the military drills began on Saturday.

Sweden commits first funds to Gripen E programme

02/23/2013

Sweden has placed its first contract with Saab linked to the introduction of 60 new-generation Gripen E fighters from 2018. Announced in mid-February, the development forms part of a potentially SKr47.2 billion ($7.4 billion) deal to field the single-seat combat aircraft, which has design features including extended-range performance, an active electronically scanned array radar and internally carried weapons.

That’s Show Business!

02/23/2013

Earlier this month, the Swiss government revealed – perhaps earlier than it would have liked – that its national aerobatic team, the Patrouille Suisse, would be facing disbandment in 2016. With the retirement of its F-5 Tigers, and the planned introduction of its replacement, the Saab Gripen, the Swiss Air Force can no longer really justify retaining a unit as an aerobatic team.

‘Iron Fist’ sets desert sky ablaze

02/23/2013

The skies of Pokhran came alive on Friday with the Indian Air Force’s first ever day-night full combat and fire demonstration, named “Iron Fist.” President Pranab Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the armed forces, was the chief guest at the event at Chandan Range near Jaisalmer. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Anthony, Air Chief N.A.K. Browne, Naval Chief Devendra Joshi, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Boeing, Elbit Partner To Offer DIRCM Systems

02/23/2013

Boeing and Elbit Systems signed a memorandum of understanding to offer Elbit’s directed infrared counter measure (DIRCM) system for international customers of Boeing fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Obama deploys drones, US military personnel to Niger

02/23/2013

President Barack Obama has deployed American military personnel and drone aircraft to the African country of Niger, where they could be used to support a French counterterrorism mission in neighboring Mali. Defense Department officials told NBC News that a first wave will include two Raptor surveillance drones and 250 to 300 military personnel, including remote pilots and security and maintenance crews. They are expected to arrive soon.

US manufacturer expects major JSF fighter jet sales

02/23/2013

American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin has told the Financieele Dagblad it is fully confident the Netherlands will buy 85 of the controversial JSF fighter jets, despite doubts in the Dutch parliament. 'We have an agreement with the Netherlands to deliver 85 aircraft,' director Stephen O'Bryan told the paper. 'Our information is that this will go ahead.'

Harper government to pare its military procurement plan after 2013 budget

02/23/2013

The cash-strapped Harper government is going to revise its military procurement plan – known as the Canada First Defence Strategy – following the 2013 budget, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Thursday. This would be the first restatement of the strategy since it was unveiled in 2008 and since the federal government began running big deficits to cope with a recession and slow recovery that followed.

Pentagon Orders F-35 Jets Grounded

02/23/2013

The Pentagon said on Friday that it had grounded all of its stealthy new F-35 fighter jets after an inspection found a crack in a turbine blade in the engine of one of the planes. The suspension of flights comes at an awkward time for the military, which is facing automatic budget cuts that could slow its purchases of the planes. The Pentagon grounded all three versions of the jets — for the Air Force, the Navy and the Marines — on Thursday while it investigated the problem.

Air Force Helps Recover Diverted Navy Aircraft

02/23/2013

Airmen from units deployed in support of Cope North 13 transported an R-11 refueling truck on a C-130 Hercules aircraft from here to Rota Island Feb. 13, to recover a Navy F/A-18 Hornet that diverted there due to weather a day prior.

What is the U.S. military’s secretive ‘space plane’ up to?

02/23/2013

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 3, the U.S. Air Force's secretive robotic space plane, has been on its latest mission for over 10 weeks now, zipping around in low-Earth orbit since it made its third launch into space back on December 11th. However, given what the pint-sized robot space shuttle is capable of, or should I say incapable of, it begs the question 'What is the military using it for?'

Pentagon fears drastic cuts with lack of spending bill

02/22/2013

Congress' failure to pass a spending bill for the Pentagon is causing almost as much concern as the automatic spending cuts that loom March 1, according to an internal document obtained by USA TODAY. The Pentagon operates under a stopgap spending plan that hews to the 2012 budget. That plan allocates more money to buying weapons than it does to more urgent priorities like maintenance and training.

New drone technology enhances accuracy

02/22/2013

The majority of the recent debate over unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs), more commonly called drones by the media, has focused on the political, ethical and legal questions regarding their use in war. Technology, though, plays a huge role in the utilization of drones for military applications.

Lockheed says JSF better and cheaper

02/22/2013

Lockheed Martin says the Joint Strike Fighter will be far better and cheaper than the current generation combat aircraft. Defence company Lockheed Martin has defended its controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), declaring it will be better than current combat aircraft, and cheaper.

Air Force Chief Says 70% of ALL Combat Aircraft 'Non Combat Capable By July'

02/22/2013

Imagine if someone told you 70 percent of all American combat aircraft would not be ready to fly in time of war by July. That's just what Air Force Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told some 600 people attending the Air Force Associations's annual winter conference this morning will happen should the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration occur.

The Rise of the Drones: From secretive surveillance weapon to controversial killers ...the unmanned planes which could soon be deployed in YOUR town

02/22/2013

Little more than ten years ago, they were barely known and barely used. The only people who really knew of their existence were military experts who used them for secretive surveillance missions. But following a decade of conflict fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, drones have become an essential and controversial tool for the U.S. military.

New military course for America

02/22/2013

Despite a decade of costly and indecisive warfare and mounting fiscal pressures, the long-standing consensus among American policymakers about United States grand strategy has remained remarkably intact. As the presidential campaign made clear, Republicans and Democrats may quibble over foreign policy at the margins, but they agree on the big picture: that the US should dominate the world militarily, economically, and politically.

BAE plots £1bn buyback but warns 3,500 US jobs at risk

02/22/2013

British defence giant BAE Systems plans to buy back £1bn of shares over the next three years, but has warned that 3,500 US jobs are threatened by spending cuts. FTSE 100 listed BAE said that had started a three-year buyback programme of up to £1bn, the full implementation of which is subject to a "satisfactory resolution" of its negotiations over its contract to supply Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudia Arabia.

Yemeni Air Force upset with government, US after two military plane crashes

02/22/2013

For the second time in less than three months, residents of the Yemeni capital were startled to hear that a military plane had fallen from the sky. The pilot of the transport plane that crashed in November was able to steer it towards an empty area before it was brought down by a technical problem, killing all 10 aboard. But yesterday’s crash proved more tragic, as a Yemeni fighter jet crashed directly into a residential neighborhood, killing 12, including two children.

UAE likely to buy 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets

02/22/2013

The UAE is likely to purchase 60 Eurofighter Typhoon jets as a UAE military team had started negotiations with British company since December 2012 on “certain specifications to meet the requirements of the UAE Armed Forces”, a senior official said. “The UAE Armed Forces are in talks with us for a purchase of 60 Typhoon fighters,” Joe Parker, Eurofighter Director of Export, told the Gulf News in an interview.