Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China Warns Citizens To 'Prepare For The Worst' As It Sends Fighters To East China Sea

01/12/2013

After repeatedly flying surveillance aircraft into disputed airspace with Japan, and Tokyo scrambling F-15s in response, China's now sending fighters of its own on "routine flights" into the East China Sea. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday that Chinese military planes were on"routine flights" in relevant airspace over the East China Sea.

Lockheed Martin Highlights F-35 Program Achievements for 2012

01/12/2013

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Program completed 30 aircraft deliveries and achieved significant advances in flight test highlighting a year of continued progress for 2012. The 30 F-35 deliveries in 2012 included 11 Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOLs), 18 Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) variants, and one Carrier Variant (CV). Two of the STOVLs were the program’s first two international jets, which were delivered to the United Kingdom. All but the carrier variant, known as CF-

Russian Navy Holds Syria Exercises

01/12/2013

Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Baltic Fleets are to start exercises off the coast of Syria the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "A tactical group of Black Sea Fleet warships headed by the cruiser Moskva will undertake exercises in the eastern sector of the Mediterranean Sea," the Ministry said. "The tanker Ivan Bubnov has fuelled the ships and emergency drills have been carried out.

Experts: Drones basis for new arms race

01/11/2013

The success of U.S. drones in Iraq and Afghanistan has triggered a global arms race, raising concerns the remotely piloted aircraft could fall into unfriendly hands, military experts say. The number of countries that have acquired or developed drones expanded to more than 75, up from about 40 in 2005, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. Iran and China are among the countries that have fielded their own systems.

Altus AFB selected as candidate KC-46A FTU, MOB

01/11/2013

Altus Air Force Base is officially in the running to become the Formal Training Unit for the KC-46A tanker aircraft. Today, the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff approved Altus AFB and McConnell AFB, Kan. as candidate bases for the FTU. Altus AFB was also selected one of four candidates for the first active-duty led Main Operating Base.

President Obama Signs FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act

01/11/2013

In a quiet affair without fanfare, President Barack Obama signed into law the $633 billion Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on 31 December while vacationing in his home state of Hawaii. While not an appropriations act providing the funding to pay for the provisions contained in the law, the NDAA does outline the specific projects and programs the Department of Defense (DoD) is authorized to pursue.

Holloman F-22 squadron staying put till 2014

01/11/2013

An F-22 squadron slated to move from New Mexico to Florida early this year will stay put until early 2014. The transfer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., involves 620 active-duty and 230 Reserve airmen, and 21 F-22s and seven T-38 Talons. As a part of the shuffle, Holloman, in spring 2014, will receive two F-16 squadrons with 950 personnel authorizations from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Luke will eventually host three F-35A squadrons.

Why Air Force Needs Lots Of F-35s: Gen. Hostage On The 'Combat Cloud'

01/11/2013

Technology is not enough. What's equally essential is ideas for how to use it. Wielding new weapons in the same old way is a recipe for defeat. As the US military today invests in innovative programs, none larger than the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, it must also invent innovative concepts of operation.

MoD faces 'critical' aircraft shortfall as Afghan exit nears

01/11/2013

The annual report into the Ministry of Defence's largest projects said that during the crucial period when the British armed forces will be exiting Afghanistan, estimated to be completed in 2014, there will not be enough tactical transport aircraft and refuelling capability at an "extremely busy" time. After 2022, the tactical air transport fleet, currently made up of Hercules C-130J aircraft which are being replaced, will have a shortfall of a third.

Japan Scrambles Jets To Head Off Chinese Military Planes ... Again

01/11/2013

Japan scrambled fighter jets Thursday to head off a number of Chinese military planes near islands at the centre of a territorial dispute, Japanese media said. The Chinese planes were spotted on Japanese military radar north of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, known as the Diaoyus in China, the Fuji TV network reported, quoting Japanese government officials.

Syrian rebels fight at air base; missile detected

01/11/2013

Rebels trying to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime battled army troops inside an air base in the north on Thursday as government forces fought opposition strongholds near the seat of his government in Damascus. In Brussels, a NATO official said the alliance on Wednesday detected the launch of an unguided, short-range ballistic missile in the country, which is embroiled in a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people in nearly 22 months.

Flying Crew Chiefs Keep Aircraft Airborne

01/11/2013

When a $200 million military aircraft breaks down in remote places like Afghanistan or Colombia, pilots can call on their flying crew chief, who, as most aircrew members are aware, knows everything. Flying crew chiefs perform missions worldwide. They are the mechanics of the sky and a pilot's best friend. "These guys have saved many, many missions," said Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffery Smith of the 300th Airlift Squadron. "They make our job of flying the airplane much easier."

Canadian military transport planes flying with fake electronic parts

01/11/2013

National Defence says counterfeit parts in the cockpit displays of the air force's new C-130J Hercules transport planes do not pose a flight safety hazard, but will be replaced as necessary. A CBC News investigation found that the reprocessed electronic chips made in China could cause the screens to blank out and leave pilots with blank instrument panels in mid-flight.

Japan tracer bullets will bring war closer

01/10/2013

According to Japanese media, the Japanese government is considering permitting Japanese self-defense forces' fighter jets to fire tracer bullets as warning shots against Chinese surveillance planes which have "infringed" upon Japan's "territorial airspace" over the Diaoyu Islands.

US Army fields first AH-64E unit, but more improvements to come

01/10/2013

Even as the US Army moves forward with fielding its first unit of Boeing AH-64E Block III attack helicopters, the service is planning to add further improvements to the Apache gunship. "Right now, we are currently fielding the first unit equipped, our FUE [first unit equipped] unit, with Echo-models, and we're on track to meet that fielding schedule," says Col Jeff Hager, the army's Apache programme manager.

Canada urged to buy more C-17 Globemasters

01/10/2013

Canada's department of national defense is being urged to invest in acquiring the Boeing Co.'s C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to cope with the Canadian armed forces' demand for peacetime and combat tactical transport. The Globemaster III is known in the Canadian air force as CC-177. Four of the aircraft are in military service after purchases made in 2007 and 2008.

UPDATE: F-22 move to Tyndall AFB delayed to 2014

01/10/2013

The F-22 Raptors and Air Force personnel slated to begin arriving at Tyndall this year have had their marching orders delayed until 2014. The new fighter squadron of F-22 Raptors originally was scheduled to begin arriving sometime this month. By March, about 12 new F-22s were slated to arrive from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.

U.K. Military Faces Critical Shortfalls Due to Delays, NAO Says

01/10/2013

The U.K.’s military is facing “critical shortfalls” in air transport and refueling capabilities because of delays in delivering new aircraft, the National Audit Office said. The Ministry of Defense has spent an additional 787 million pounds ($1.3 billion) to mitigate delays to the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, made by a consortium that includes European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., and Airbus SAS’s A400M transport-aircraft programs.

Voyager fuel costs, A400M levy top UK MoD overspend

01/10/2013

Increased costs linked to the Royal Air Force's Airbus A330-based Voyager and Airbus Military A400M acquisitions contributed to a combined £468 million ($750 million) jump in the forecast price tag for the UK's top 16 defence programmes during 2012, the government's National Audit Office (NAO) spending watchdog says.

MCAS Yuma to have full squadron of F-35B fighters by end of year

01/10/2013

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 has already received three of its F-35B Lightning IIs and will continue to get more planes, as well as newly-trained pilots and aircraft maintainers in the coming months. In fact, it's expected to have a full squadron of aircraft by the end of 2013. The first F-35B Lightning II landed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma back on Nov. 16.

Hunting for Myanmar's hidden Spitfires

01/10/2013

An excavation team searching for a stash of legendary World War II-era British fighter aircraft in northern Myanmar says it has found a wooden crate believed to contain one of the planes, but it was full of muddy water. It was not immediately clear how much damage the water may have caused, and searchers could not definitively say what was inside the crate.

Commando II Goes West

01/10/2013

Lockheed Martin delivered an MC-130J Commando II to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., today. Aircraft 5713 is the fourteenth of 27 MC-130Js to be assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The squadron uses the Commando II on missions such as in-flight refueling, infiltration/exfiltration, and aerial delivery and resupply of special operations forces.

India Tests Sea-Based Brahmos Missile

01/10/2013

The Indian Navy successfully tested on Wednesday a highly-maneuverable version of a sea-based Brahmos supersonic cruise missile, an Indian defense source told RIA Novosti. The missile was fired from an unspecified warship off the coast of Vishakhapatnam in Bay of Bengal in a 34th test by the Indian military. The source said the missile made a “double-maneuver in S-form” and hit the designated target ship just one meter above the waterline, “ripping through the ship’s hull.”

Israeli air force to host major multinational exercise

01/09/2013

The Israeli air force is planning to stage its largest ever multinational exercise, with at least five foreign air forces due to participate. To be mounted from Uvda air base, the manoeuvres are expected to involve "dozens" of different types of combat aircraft, local sources says.In recent years, the Israeli air force has trained in several different countries in Europe, but this will be the first time that full squadrons from foreign nations will go to Israel to perform such a major exercise.

The Case for A Canadian Forces Gripen Fighter Aircraft Part 2

01/09/2013

The Eurofighter and Gripen are not stealth aircraft and don’t pretend to have such capabilities. Though they have a reduced radar cross-section and incorporate methods of reducing their profile, they have focused on other areas, such as speed, armament, sensor technology, and, in the case of the Gripen, value for money.