Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

IN FOCUS: Brazil defence growth opens new doors for Embraer

04/03/2013

Two years can seem like a long time in the revitalised Brazilian defence market. While the lengthy delay to the air force's FX-2 fighter contract award receives most of the attention, the Brazilian military and the national defence industry have moved forward aggressively in key areas, revealing a new appreciation for taking national and regional security obligations more seriously.

Drone Pilots: No Worse Off Than Those Who Actually Fly

04/03/2013

A new Pentagon study contrasting the mental-health concerns of pilots who actually climb into the cockpit – as opposed to military drone drivers who sit at desks – shows that land-based pilots suffer 60% more mental-health maladies than their flying counterparts.

UN agrees international treaty to combat arms trade

04/03/2013

A TREATY to regulate the global arms trade has been agreed by the United Nations’ General Assembly for the first time. The historic agreement was passed by 154 votes to three with 23 absentions, a result which was met by cheers when flashed up on the electronic board in the assembly chamber in New York.

Third F-35B For United Kingdom Makes First Flight

04/03/2013

Monday, the third United Kingdom Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] F-35 Lightning II sped down the runway at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base embarking on its first flight. The aircraft, known as ZM137, departed at 10:16 a.m. with Lockheed Martin F-35 Chief Test Pilot Alan Norman at the controls. ZM137 will complete a series of company and government checkout flights prior to its acceptance by the U.K. Ministry of Defence.

Boeing to Feature Innovative Maritime Capabilities at Navy League Expo

04/03/2013

At this year's Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Boeing will showcase an array of proven maritime capabilities and innovative technologies, including advances in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, that help U.S. maritime services accomplish their missions. The exposition is April 8-10 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

Boeing Delivers 7th Production P-8A Poseidon Aircraft to US Navy

04/03/2013

Boeing handed over the seventh production P-8A Poseidon to the U.S. Navy on schedule March 29, marking the first delivery from the second low-rate initial production contract awarded in November 2011. The maritime patrol aircraft departed Boeing Field in Seattle for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., where it joined six P-8As currently being used to train Navy crews.

New Web Site Offers Century Of Military Aviation History At Selfridge

04/02/2013

ttention, aviation buffs and history fans: a new Web site offers detailed information on the nearly 100 years of military aviation history at what is now known as Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The page, produced by the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, tracks the history of both the base and the wing, which operates as a component of the Michigan Air National Guard, serving both state and nation.

Solicitation released for TERN program to operate long-endurance UAVs from small ships

04/02/2013

Military researchers have released a formal solicitation for an effort to develop a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for long-term maritime surveillance that can launch and recover from relatively small ships to provide airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike mobile targets anywhere, around the clock.

Op clearance for LCA soon

04/02/2013

The last aircraft in the Limited Series Production programme of Light Combat Aircraft LCA-Tejas (LSP-08) took off on its maiden flight from HAL airport on Sunday. Piloted by Air Cmdr K.A. Muthana, Programme director (Flight Test), the aircraft flew at supersonic speed and at an angle of attack of 20 degrees which is the current maximum limit cleared by design. With this, the Initial Operation Clearance (IOC) for the aircraft can be expected soon, said sources.

The V-22 Osprey May Have Climbed out of Controversy

04/02/2013

"Osprey" has been considered a dirty word in some circles. News headlines demonstrate the aircraft's proven ability to move troops in and out of current combat zones, yet a string of crashes and fatal mishaps over the last two decades still dogs the multi-billion dollar program.

U.S. positions warship, South Korea vows fast response

04/02/2013

South Korea's new president vowed on Monday to strike back quickly if North Korea stages any attack, but the United States said it has seen no worrisome mobilization of armed forces by the North Koreans despite their bellicose rhetoric. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," South Korean President Park Geun-hye told the defense minister and senior officials at a meeting on Monday.

N.Korea calls back fired reformist PM

04/02/2013

North Korea on Monday shifted, at least temporarily, away from weeks of warlike rhetoric, appointing a new premier seen as an economic reformer after a high-level declaration that nuclear bomb building and a stronger economy are the nation’s top priorities. The US, meanwhile, announced its latest conspicuous display of firepower, sending F-22 stealth fighter jets to participate in annual US-South Korean war games that Pyongyang calls preparation for invasion.

S. Korean president orders military to respond strongly to DPRK provocations

04/02/2013

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday instructed the military to strongly respond to possible provocation by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without any political considerations. "If any provocation is made against our people and the country, (the military) should strongly respond (to the provocation) in an early stage without any other political considerations," Yonhap News Agency quoted Park as saying at the annual policy briefing by the Defense Ministry.

HAL 2012-13 revenues up 2.25%

04/02/2013

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) reported a marginal rise of 2.25 per cent in turnover for 2012-13 compared with the previous year. The turnover rose to Rs 14,316 crore for the year ended March 31, 2013 (provisional). Meanwhile, the profit before tax for FY 2012-13 stands at Rs 3,471 crore, a growth of 8.4 per cent compared with to Rs 3,200 crore in the previous year.

Embarrassment for PLA as photos of fatal military air crash emerge on Weibo

04/02/2013

China’s military on Monday confirmed two pilots had died in a military plane crash over the weekend – but only after pictures and a video appeared on the internet. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) said a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter plane crashed on mudflats in Rongcheng city, Shandong province, during a drill, on Sunday afternoon, according to Xinhua.

Russia Not Obliged to Notify West of War Games - Ministry

04/02/2013

Russia was not obligated to notify Western countries beforehand of its recent snap military exercises, a top Russian Defense Ministry official said Monday. “The mechanism of checks today is such that we only need to notify Western countries when we hold planned events,” Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of the ministry’s treaty implementation department, told journalists.

RMAF to upgrade weapons

04/01/2013

The RMAF will upgrade the weaponry system of its aircraft, including improving its laser-guided weapons and global positioning systems in light of the terrorist attacks in Lahad Datu, says RMAF chief Jen Tan Sri Rodzali Daud. He said the improvements had always been on the RMAF agenda.

U.S. Ups Its Show of Force in Korea

04/01/2013

The U.S. flew F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea Sunday for joint exercises, a further demonstration of advanced military capabilities meant to deter provocations from Pyongyang. The deployment comes amid an intensifying back-and-forth between Pyongyang and Washington, with North Korea issuing ever-more-pointed threats and the U.S. responding with its own tough language and displays of sophisticated hardware.

Treaty may steer China, Japan to safer waters

04/01/2013

How realistic are these concerns? And what can be done to avert a crisis? There's no doubt that tensions are on the rise between China and Japan. Armed conflict is an ever-present possibility when nationalist passions are aroused and opposing military forces are operating in close proximity.

North Korea Declares “A State of War” Exists

04/01/2013

North Korea’s enigmatic leader, Kim Jong-un, seems intent on taking tensions on the Korean Peninsula to unprecedented new heights with each passing day. After weeks of bombastic warmongering and public proclamations threatening to destroy the South and annihilate the United States, Pyongyang has now proclaimed that a “state of war” exists between the North and the South.

War Game Exposes Gaps for U.S. Army

04/01/2013

A recent U.S. Army war game against a North Korea-like failed nuclear state with powerful ground forces has exposed some materiel capability gaps that deeply worry Army planners, service leaders said. After more than a decade of being able to use Kuwait as a staging area for Iraq and Afghanistan, officers worried that the ability to move into more remote areas without a nearby staging area has atrophied.

PLA fighter crashes, two pilots dead

04/01/2013

A People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Su-27 fighter crashed in Rongcheng, Shandong Province on Sunday, killing two pilots. Initial photos showing the crashed aircraft began appearing on microblogs on Sunday afternoon. China Central Television later reported the pilots' deaths in a Weibo account.

Looking beyond the demonization strategy

04/01/2013

First came word that the Arab League was recognizing the National Coalition as the legitimate government of Syria and no longer recognizing the envoys representing embattled President Bashar al-Assad. The news was quickly tempered with the announcement that the recently appointed leader of the Syrian opposition was resigning from the post. Moaz al-Khatib was chosen last November to lead the coalition at a United States-brokered summit meeting of the various Syrian rebel factions.

Air Force begins testing of advanced F-15 jet fighter with fly-by-wire and digital EW systems

04/01/2013

Aircraft and avionics experts from the U.S. Air Force and the Boeing Co. have performed the first test flight of a completely updated version of the F-15 Eagle jet fighter with 21st century avionics and flight-control systems. The F-15SA, which Boeing is building for the Royal Saudi Air Force, has avionics enhancements that include a fly-by-wire flight control system, digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, and active electronically scanned array.

Peru to Buy 24 Russian Helicopters – Media

04/01/2013

Peru’s government will buy 24 Russian Mil Mi-171 (Hip) helicopters worth overall $406.8 million to use them in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, local media reported. La Republica reported that the country’s Defense Ministry has submitted to the Economics Ministry a draft resolution based on a comparative study of Russian helicopters and Eurocopter AS332 Super Pumas and Eurocopter AS532 Cougars.