Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China’s Testing Woes Remind That Developing Carrier Planes Is Hard

03/22/2013

The ongoing trials of China’s first aircraft carrier and her ship-based jet fighters represent a major leap ahead in capability for the People’s Liberation Army Navy. But the hype surrounding Lioaning’s debut test cruise last summer and the inaugural landing of her J-15 fighters in late November masks an important truth, one the world’s other carrier powers have long known.

F-35B makes first vertical landing at Yuma

03/22/2013

The first operational squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets passed a milestone Thursday in Yuma when the Marine Corps version of the aircraft made its first vertical landing outside of testing. The first F-35 squadron meant to eventually fly the jet in combat was established in November at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma -- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121. Until now the squadron was not allowed to perform the F-35B’s signature feature, its ability to land like a helicopter.

War Drums: Levin, McCain Urge Obama to Use U.S. Force in Syria

03/22/2013

The drums of war are escalating in Washington, audible just beneath the Senate’s tense political debate of a Democratic-crafted budget. But the drums are not beating in the direction of Iran. Syria is the target. All week, amid reports Syrian President Bashir al-Assad’s military used chemical weapons against rebel forces, Democratic senators have joined interventionist Republicans in calling for U.S. military intervention.

Russia Denies Plans to Abandon Syrian Resupply Base

03/22/2013

The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Thursday media reports speculating that Russia will relocate its resupply base in the Syrian port of Tartus to Beirut due to the escalation of the Syrian conflict. “The reports that Russian warships … will use Beirut rather than the Syrian port of Tartus as a resupply point are nothing but pure speculation,” the ministry said in a statement.

Air Force cancels Raptor flights at Water Follies due to budget cuts

03/21/2013

Raptors won’t be roaring through Tri-City skies during Water Follies this summer. “The military has just announced they’ve eliminated all non essential flying due to sequestration cuts. Which means the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command raptors will not be coming to our air show this July,” said Kathy Powell, Water Follies event director.

MBDA awaits launch decision for Anglo-French anti-ship missile

03/21/2013

MBDA hopes to soon advance the development of its FASGW/ANL anti-ship missile for the UK and France, following the latter's near-term release of a White Paper outlining its military investment priorities, says company chief executive Antoine Bouvier.

IAF crashes lose one fighter squadron every 2 yrs

03/21/2013

According to figures released by the defence ministry (MoD) in parliament today, the Indian Air Force (IAF) loses the equivalent of one fighter squadron (16-18 fighters) in crashes every two years. With the IAF repeatedly expressing concern over the declining number of squadrons - now down to 32-33 squadrons against a minimum operational requirement of 42 squadrons - even the induction of new aircraft like the Rafale fighter will not make up the numbers.

Shimon Peres: The US would have to take the lead in military strike against Iran

03/21/2013

As President Obama arrives in Israel today for his first presidential trip to the country, Israeli President Shimon Peres says the responsibility lies with the United States to launch a military strike if Iran's nuclear program advances beyond "the point of return."

Keesler will lose 10 C-130Js, squadron, under Air Force plan

03/21/2013

The Air Force Reserve Command has decided 10 C-130Js from Keesler Air Force's 403rd Wing will be transferred to Pope Field in North Carolina, Keesler officials announced today. A press release from Keesler says the base would lose the aircraft in October, the beginning of the 2014 fiscal year. The aircraft are primarily being used for tactical airlift missions locally and overseas. The plan also says the 815th Airlift Squadron at Keesler will close.

Asia's F-35 buyers forced to wait as China seeks edge

03/21/2013

The Pentagon's F-35 warplane is giving U.S. allies in Asia a headache as they look to replace ageing jets with a cutting edge aircraft now likely to be at least seven years late in offering a strategic deterrent to China. The $400 billion weapons project has suffered technical faults, delays, cost overruns and now U.S. budget cuts that could force Washington to scale back its own purchases.

U.S. Military Considers Its Options In Syria

03/21/2013

The Pentagon has consistently updated its options for using the U.S. military in Syria, as conditions on the ground have changed. But these are only options at this point, and senior military officials say President Barack Obama has not yet asked to see a potential plan of action.

All-female crew flies Air Force's C-130 for first time

03/21/2013

A crew of two women on Wednesday flew a C-130 cargo aircraft together for the first time in their careers, cracking the glass ceiling in the male-dominated Air Force. Capt. Lee Na-kyum and Capt. Oh Hyun-jin of the fifth tactical airlift wing based in Gimhae, 449 kilometers southeast of Seoul, successfully completed their flight mission, marking the first time an all-female crew has flown the military aircraft since female cadets were accepted into the academy in 1997.

India Tests Submarine-Launched Supersonic Missile

03/21/2013

India successfully test fired a submarine-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday, the BrahMos Aerospace Russian-Indian company said. The missile was launched vertically from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal and flew its complete range of over 290 kilometers, BrahMos chief executive Sivathanu Pillai said.

Saab Says Gripen Export Chances Rise as F-35 Buyers Review Plans

03/20/2013

Saab AB says sales prospects for its Gripen fighter are improving as country’s such as Denmark and Canada reconsider buying the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and others set fighter purchase plans. Sales of current model Gripens and the NG, the next generation model, may exceed 300 units in the next two decades, Eddy de La Motte, head of Gripen Exports said today.

RAAF Classifies Growlers As Support Aircraft

03/20/2013

Is an electronic attack aircraft a combat aircraft? Not according to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which is classifying its forthcoming squadron of Boeing EA-18G Growlers as a support force distinct from its air combat units. Its move is raising the possibility that the 12 electronic attack aircraft will add to its fast-jet fleet instead of substituting for part of it—although the move may not persuade the government to pay for more fast jets than it has planned.

Foreign military attaches visit Chinese air force division

03/20/2013

Foreign military attaches to China on Monday took a closer look at China's main fighter jet, the J-10, while visiting a division of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force. The 84 military attaches from 67 countries, including Austria, the United States and Hungary, were invited to an air show performed by a J-10 squadron. They also visited the capital air defense command center in Beijing.

Why Japan and China could accidentally end up at war

03/20/2013

The Chinese government on Tuesday continued to deny that a Chinese frigate locked its radar on a Japanese destroyer earlier this year. The denial comes a day after Tokyo-based Kyodo News quoted unnamed "senior Chinese military officials" admitting for the first time that it happened - but only by accident, they said.

Majoring in Drones: Higher Ed Embraces Unmanned Aircraft

03/20/2013

Zachary Waller always wanted to be a commercial airline pilot as a kid. The prestige and paycheck associated with being the captain of a huge airliner appealed to him. But shortly after he arrived at the University of North Dakota in 2008, he realized he could actually take to the skies and secure a good job without having his feet leave the ground.

Top commander says NATO making contingency plans for possible military involvement in Syria

03/20/2013

The top U.S. military commander in Europe said Tuesday that NATO is conducting contingency planning for possible military involvement in Syria and American forces would be prepared if called upon by the United Nations and member countries.

Researchers seek to reduce ear-splitting jet engine noise

03/20/2013

Virginia Tech's College of Engineering is one of several U.S.-based research teams tasked with finding a solution as part of a three-year project funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research's Hot Jet Noise Reduction program, related to a broader Navy initiative known as the Noise Induced Hearing Loss program.

Russia to Get First 3 New Il-476 Cargo Planes in 2014

03/20/2013

The first three modernized Ilyushin heavy-lift transport planes will be delivered to the Russian Defense Ministry in 2014, the aircraft’s designer said on Tuesday. Ilyushin Aviation Complex said the prototype Il-476, also known as Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A, made the first in a series of trial flights on Monday at a testing center near Moscow. “The flight lasted one hour and 55 minutes at altitudes between 2,000 and 10,000 meters,” the company’s press service said.

Russian Air Force Readies for Massive Drills

03/20/2013

More than 70 aircraft and some 1,000 troops will be deployed in a series of tactical drills in preparation for a large-scale exercise next week in northwest Russia, military officials said on Tuesday. Preparations for the exercise, codenamed Ladoga-2013, have begun in the Republic of Karelia, and the Leningrad, Smolensk and Tver regions with tactical drills by fighters, bombers and army aviation.

Iconic war veteran MM Alam passes away

03/19/2013

Celebrated war veteran air commodore (retd) Mohammad Mahmood Alam, popularly known as MM Alam, died in Karachi on Monday after a protracted illness. He was 78. The hero of the Pakistan-India 1965 war, who inspired several generations to join armed forces, breathed his last at the PNS Shifa, where he had been under treatment for several weeks.

Saab in reopened fighter competition

03/19/2013

Saab of Sweden says its Gripen fighter is one of four aircraft under consideration in Denmark's reopened competition for new aircraft. Other aircraft under consideration are Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin.

Pakistani Buying of Chinese Arms Makes Beijing 5th Biggest Exporter

03/19/2013

New research shows Pakistan's growing purchases of Chinese military hardware have helped Beijing become the world's fifth biggest exporter of conventional arms, overtaking Britain. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says Pakistan bought 55 percent of China's weapons exports in the years 2008 to 2012. Pakistan and China are longtime allies.