Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russia Develops New Air-Defense Target Simulator

05/22/2013

Russia is developing an advanced target simulation system for its air defense units based on the short-range Pantsyr system, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The new system "can launch up to 12 targets in one salvo simulating cruise missiles or multiple rocket launcher rounds," the ministry said. A prototype of the new simulator has been tested jointly with the Air Force’s antiaircraft units at the Ashuluk test site in the Volga area of Astrakhan, the Defense Ministry said.

The drone revolution is just beginning

05/21/2013

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft system without an on board human pilot. They are remotely or autonomously operated transportation platforms. Combined with a ground station or integrated with other elements, a UAV becomes an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) which can be advanced enough to take off, fly, and land by itself. UAVs can provide many services and there is a growing interest in using them for commercial applications.

CJTF-HOA Adds New Capability to Radio Advisory Mission

05/21/2013

Airmen from the 1st Combat Communications Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, set up the Army Navy/Mobile, Special Type, Navigation Aid, AN/MSN-7, a mobile air traffic control tower, for the first time on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, May 14.

Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources

05/21/2013

President Barack Obama's administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday. Obama has pledged more transparency on controversial counterterrorism programs, and giving the Pentagon the responsibility for part of the drone program could open it to greater congressional oversight.

Second Taiwanese fighter crash within a week

05/21/2013

Mirage 2000-5 - Multirole single engine combat aircraft, Operational as single-seater and two seater. A Taiwanese fighter jet ploughed into the sea off the island's north coast on Monday, the air force's second crash in less than a week, military officials said.

This is where China will train its carrier-based fighter pilots

05/21/2013

We focused on naval aviation a lot last week, from the news about the U.S. Navy launching its X-47B stealth drone off an aircraft carrier to talking about China and India's commissioning of brand new carrier-borne fighter squadrons. To wrap things up, we thought we'd show you (above) what's likely China's major training facility for its new carrier-aviation force.

Saab upgrading bid for Brazil FX-2 contest

05/21/2013

Swedish manufacturer Saab is upgrading its bid for Brazil's long-delayed FX-2 jet fighter purchase plan, even as it weighs challenges from formidable rivals Boeing and France's Dassault. Saab is one of the three leading contenders for Brazil's jet fighter replacement program, said to be worth $6 billion-8 billion but wants to make sure its jet will compete successfully for roles in both the Brazilian air force and navy.

F-35B Completes First Vertical Takeoff

05/21/2013

A Lockheed Martin F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II test aircraft recently completed the first-ever Vertical Takeoff (VTO) on May 10. VTOs are one of the many capabilities required for the fielding an F-35B aircraft. While not a combat capability, VTOs are required for repositioning of the STOVL in environments where a jet could not perform a short takeoff. In these cases, the jet, with a limited amount of fuel, would execute a VTO to travel a short distance.

Russia, Peru to Sign MiG-29 Jet Upgrade Deal

05/21/2013

Russia and Peru will sign a contract to upgrade Lima's fleet of Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters by the end of May, Konstantin Biryulin, deputy head of Russia’s Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service, said on Monday. Belarus sold around twenty of the fighter jets to Peru in 1997. According to defenseindustrydaily.com, Peru signed a contract in 2008 for Russia's UAC MiG to upgrade eight of the original MiG-29S standard aircraft to MiG-29SMT standard. That work was completed in 2012.

US, Italian Inspectors to Overfly Russia

05/21/2013

Military inspectors from the United States and Italy will carry out observation flights over Russian territory this week under the international Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday. The experts will fly over Russia on May 20-24 on board an Italian Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft, and will use surveillance equipment certified internationally and approved by the Russian side, the ministry said.

Russia Ready to Develop Long-Range Air Defense System with Turkey

05/21/2013

Russia is ready to develop jointly with Turkey a long-range air defense complex based on S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, state arms seller Rosoboronexport head Sergei Ladygin said on Sunday. Turkey launched a tender for the purchase of long-range air defense systems long ago but no winner has been announced to this day.

Russian military aid to Syria: Burning questions and answers

05/20/2013

Two systems. One, the S-300, is an advanced version of the air-defense system originally designed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and further developed in the 1990s. The S-300 has several advantages over the older Soviet-era anti-air batteries Syria already uses. First, the range of its radar and missiles allows it to hit targets at ranges of up to 200 kilometers.

Osprey reputation rebounds in Afghanistan

05/20/2013

Almost four years after the MV-22 Osprey arrived in Afghanistan, trailing its reputation as being dangerous and hard to maintain, the U.S. Marine Corps finally has had an opportunity to test the controversial hybrid aircraft in real war conditions. The reviews are startlingly positive. “This is an ugly duckling that turned into a swan,” said Richard Whittle, the author of a book about the craft and a senior scholar at the Wilson Center, a research center in Washington.

The Afghanistan War May End by 2024 … Maybe

05/20/2013

Hamid Karzai has let the Pentagon’s cat out of the bag — to the displeasure of the Obama Administration. The Afghan president revealed inside information about President Obama’s war plans after all U.S. “combat troops” completely withdraw in 17 months at the end of 2014.

UCAS-D makes Naval Aviation history twice In a week

05/20/2013

The U.S. Navy’s first Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) designed to fly from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier entered the public consciousness in June, 2012 as a UFO sighting as it traveled from Edwards AFB to Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Not quite a year later and within 72 hours time, the UCAS-D provided a glimpse of what the future might be for Naval Aviation.

Afghan pilots learn air assault tactics from 101st

05/20/2013

This March 10, 2010 photo released by the U.S. Navy shows Afghan commandos practicing a quick disembark from and MI-17 transport helicopter during static drills prior to an air assault into the outer regions of Kabul, Afghanistan. The air assault was the second mission coordinated through the Afghan National Air Corps with the commandos, but the first combined assault with the American CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Photo: MC2 David Quillen, U.S. Navy.

Armed with Science: The Unmanned Way of Warfare

05/20/2013

Air Force Lt. Col. Peter Garretson is the Division Chief for Air Force Irregular Warfare Strategy, Plans and Policy (and previously the Chief of Future Science and Technology Exploration for Air Force Strategic Planning). Recently he published a paper titled A Range-Balanced Force, An Alternate Force Structure Adapted to New Defense Priorities. The topic on hand was, you guessed it, RPAs and UAVs.

Suspected U.S. Drone Strike In Yemen Kills 4 Al Qaeda Militants

05/19/2013

A suspected U.S. drone strike killed four al-Qaida militants Saturday in a southern Yemeni province once overrun by the group, according to security officials. The officials said the attack took place around dawn in an area called Deyqa in Abyan province. Officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Yemen blames jet crashes on ‘systematic sabotage' of air force

05/19/2013

Yemen's air force has been the target of "sabotage", the country's military aviation chief said in a televised interview, days after a fighter jet crashed in the capital Sanaa. "The air force is the target of systematic sabotage," General Rashed al-Janad told the private channel Al-Saida in the interview broadcast late on Friday. He said the Sukhoi SU-22 that crashed in Sanaa last Monday, killing the pilot, was caused by "shots hitting the aircraft" as it prepared to land at a base next to the c

China’s Lijian UCAV “Sharp Sword” spotted taxiing

05/19/2013

China’s first jet-powered stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), the Lijian or “Sharp Sword,” was recently spotted undergoing taxiing tests in China, AIN reports. The Lijian prototype rolled off the assembly line late last year after three years’ joint development by Hongdu Aviation Industry and Shenyang Aircraft , subsidiaries of the state-owned China Aviation Industry (Avic).

Libyan air force jets on air surveillance along southern, eastern borders

05/19/2013

Determined to stamp out arms and drug trafficking as well as stop illegal immigrants from entering the country, Libyan air force jets have continued to conduct air surveillance along the nation's southern and eastern borders, Yusuf al-Takouss, spokesman for the Air Force, told journalists Friday. 'The Mig 21 combat planes and other types of aircraft involved in the campaign took off from the military airport in Sheba (south) to monitor border movements,' he said .

Navy’s X-47B performs first touch-and-go landing on an aircraft carrier

05/19/2013

The Navy’s unmanned X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator (UCAS-D) made it’s first touch-and-go landings on an aircraft carrier on the USS George H.W. Bush on Friday. Don Blottenberger, UCAS-D Deputy Program manager, commented, “This landing, rubber hitting deck, is extremely fulfilling for the team and is the culmination of years of relative navigation development. Now, we are set to demonstrate the final pieces of the demonstration.”

Rafale Fades Some More

05/19/2013

France has again cut the number of Rafale jet fighters it will buy, from 234 to 225. Originally, France planned to buy 294 Rafales but only 200 have actually been ordered so far and about 120 delivered. Four have been lost due to accidents. Seven years ago the French Air Force activated its first squadron of Rafale fighters.

Russia Seeks New Arms Deals on Growing Latin American Market

05/19/2013

Russia will actively seek new deals on the Latin American arms market, which it expects to reach a value of $50 billion in the next ten years, the head of a Russian Technologies (Rostec) high-tech state corporation delegation said on Saturday.

Russian Military Inspectors to Make 2 Flights Over US

05/19/2013

A group of Russian military observers will carry out two inspection missions over the United States under the Open Skies Treaty between May 19 and June 3, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russian inspectors, accompanied by U.S. officials, will be flying on board a Tupolev Tu-154 LK-1 plane from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and the Travis Air Force Base in California.