Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Pilot error on Sunwing flight caused CF-18 fighter jets to scramble

02/28/2013

Pilot error was the reason two Canadian CF-18 Hornet fighter jets scrambled to intercept a Sunwing Airlines flight near Quebec City, after the Toronto-bound aircraft lost contact with air traffic control for more than an hour, a CTV News investigation has learned. The jets were under the command of NORAD, the military command responsible for the defence of North American airspace.

$427 million military plane manufacturing contract includes Jacksonville

02/28/2013

The U.S. Department of Defense has issued a $427 million contract to a Nevada plane manufacturer for construction of military aircraft in Jacksonville. Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., partnered with Brazilian plane maker Embraer to build fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force in 2011. A Defense Department contract awarded to Sierra Nevada was voided last year in a dispute over the bidding process with Hawker Beechcraft for the plane contract.

Spending cuts mean Congress is grounded from military planes

02/28/2013

Members of Congress will not be allowed to travel by military aircraft once the forced spending cuts set to take effect on Friday kick in, House Speaker John Boehner told Republican members at a meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Chiefs to Congress: Fiscal Crisis Threatens U.S. Military Edge

02/27/2013

America’s military superiority is founded on training and readiness, and the fiscal crisis facing the country threatens to strip away that edge, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress today.

U.K. Defense Budget Gap Set to Widen, RUSI Says

02/27/2013

Spending cuts under consideration by the U.K. government threaten an 11 billion-pound ($16.7 billion) hole in the defense budget, a research organization said. “If the 2013 spending review leads to further defense spending cuts, the extent of the prospective gap between planned spending and available resources could be significant,” Malcolm Chalmers, research director at the Royal United Services Institute, said in a report published in London today.

Rumble Over Russian Aircraft Reliability

02/27/2013

The Indian Air Force lost another of its Russian made Su-30MKI jet fighters on February 20th. This is the fourth loss since 2009. Two years ago the commander of the Indian Air Force took an hour-long flight in one of India's Su-30MKI to reassure Indian pilots that the Su-30MKI was safe. Two had crashed in 2009 due to mechanical failures and there were widely publicized reliability problems with the engines and many of the other Russian designed and built components of the aircraft.

RAAF's next Top Gun could be a robot

02/27/2013

The days of Top Gun fighter pilots in tight flying suits and Ray Bans might be numbered, as support grows for unmanned combat aircraft to lead future air wars. Defence Minister Stephen Smith yesterday revealed that unmanned combat aerial vehicles were under active consideration by the government.

10 best air shows around the world

02/27/2013

You don't have to be an aviation enthusiast to appreciate the mid-air stunt shows that headline the world's biggest and best air shows. Dozens of such events take place each year around the globe, and we've scoped out the best of the bunch.

U.S. Military Happy With Lithium-Ion Batteries As Dreamliners Remain Grounded

02/27/2013

As Boeing continues to address a series of problems related to the use of lithium-ion batteries in its Dreamliner fleet, the Pentagon has announced that it will continue to use the power source as part of its F-35 fighter jet program.

The Military Is Already Trying To Replace Aircraft That's Only Five Years Old

02/27/2013

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the main research arm of the military, just released some details of a new experimental aircraft program "to develop the next generation of vertical flight." DARPA hopes the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) X-Plane can go beyond the current offerings, such as the V-22 Osprey.

Thunder Over Louisville air show may lose military planes to budget cuts

02/27/2013

Federal budget cuts may prevent military aircraft from flying in the Thunder Over Louisville air show, prompting local officials to sign up more civilian air acts to fill out the April 20 event. In past years, the military has contributed more than 50 fighter jets, helicopters, cargo planes and others to the popular air show. But the sequester’s automatic military cuts are threatening events around the nation, including canceling the Indianapolis Air Show scheduled for June.

Boeing Phantom Eye Completes 2nd Flight

02/27/2013

Boeing's liquid hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system completed its second flight Feb. 25, demonstrating capabilities that will allow it to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions for up to four days without refueling. During the flight, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Phantom Eye climbed above an altitude of 8,000 feet and remained aloft for 66 minutes at a cruising speed of 62 knots before landing.

Boeing Brings Advanced Training Capabilities to US Navy's T-45 Fleet

02/27/2013

Four operational flight trainers built by Boeing [NYSE: BA] are up and running at Naval Air Station Pensacola (Fla.), allowing the U.S. Navy to shift some training for its T-45 aircraft to the ground and thereby improve safety and save money. The flight simulators use high-fidelity, state-of-the-art visuals to train naval flight officers (NFO) on the ground, saving time and freeing up the aircraft for live flight instruction.

First operational KC-135R Stratotanker retires

02/26/2013

After more than 50 years of service and 22,500 flying hours, the first operational KC-135R Stratotanker retired from service, Feb. 21, 2013. The aircraft made one last high-speed pass on the runway before heading to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., better known as the "Boneyard," where Air Force aircraft go to provide parts to satisfy critical supply needs without any major holds.

Pratt & Whitney expects to test AETD adaptive fan in ‘about a month’

02/26/2013

Pratt & Whitney expects to test a new adaptive fan design for its version of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) adaptive engine technology development (AETD) variable cycle engine programme within the next 30 days, a top company official says."Our AETD configuration features an adaptive fan," says Bennett Croswell, president of P&W military engines. "It's a three-stream fan and our initial test of that piece is coming up in about a month."

Grounding, Budget Woes Cloud F-35 Warplane Sales Push In Australia

02/26/2013

This year’s second grounding of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 warplane, plus looming U.S. defence cuts, will complicate a push this week by Lockheed and U.S. officials to convince Australian lawmakers and generals to stick to a plan to buy 100 of the jets. Australia, a close American ally, is considering doubling its fleet of 24 Boeing Co F/A-18 Super Hornets amid delays and setbacks in Lockheed’s $396 billion F-35 project.

Sequester to cut pay 20% for most military civilian staff

02/26/2013

Most of 800,000 Department of Defense civilian employees will see their work weeks shortened and their pay cut by 20 percent from late April through September if Congress, as expected, fails to stop $46 billion in indiscriminate defense budget cuts set to take effect March 1.

Beechcraft Features T-6C Military Trainer and King Air 350i Turboprop at Avalon in Australia

02/26/2013

Beechcraft today announced it plans to display its T-6C military trainer Feb. 26 through March 3 at the 2013 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (Avalon) in Geelong, Victoria. Additionally, the company will exhibit a Beechcraft King Air 350i turboprop at the nearby Hawker Pacific static display TA16-18.

Air Force gets two Sukhoi jet fighters, waits for four more

02/26/2013

Two out of the six Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 jet fighters ordered by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) arrived at Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base in Makassar late on Friday evening. A spokesman from the base, Maj. Muliadi, said on Saturday the two jet fighters were part of an order of six Su-30 MK2s arriving in batches. “The remaining four jet fighters will arrive in June and July,” he said.

Cloaking Device's 'Ghost Images' May Add Stealth To Military Aircraft

02/26/2013

Ghostly illusions could one day help disguise military aircraft for greater stealth, researchers say. In the last eight years or so, scientists have discovered cloaking devices are possible, which can bend and twist light completely around objects, rendering them invisible. Cloaking devices that work against other kinds of waves are possible as well, such as the acoustic waves used in sonar.

Lockheed Martin Completes 400th MH-60 Digital Cockpit for Installation on First Australian Romeo Helicopter

02/26/2013

Lockheed Martin has completed the 400th Common Cockpit™ avionics suite for the U.S. Navy’s MH-60 Seahawk helicopter program. The digital cockpit will be installed aboard the first of 24 MH-60R (Romeo) anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopters to be acquired by the Royal Australian Navy via the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program.

Lockheed Martin Announces 2013 Avalon International Airshow Media Briefing Schedule

02/26/2013

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced its media briefing schedule for the 2013 Avalon International Airshow and Aerospace & Defense Exposition in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

Boeing, Israel Aerospace Industries' Arrow 3 Interceptor Successfully Completes 1st Flight Test

02/26/2013

The new Arrow 3 interceptor, which Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are co-developing to enhance Israel's ballistic missile defense, today successfully completed its first flight test. Arrow 3 is the next-generation interceptor for the Arrow Weapon System jointly developed by Israel and the United States. It can be launched earlier and engage threats at higher altitudes outside the Earth's atmosphere than previous interceptors.

China disarming India without fighting

02/25/2013

More than 2,000 years back, Sun Tzu, the author of the Art of War wrote, “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” If I was a Chinese general and keen to defeat India without combating, do you know what I would do? I would provide ‘proofs’ that foreign arms dealers have corrupted some Indian officials or politicians by paying hefty ‘commissions’.

U.S. Budget Cuts Could Shift COCOM Requirements

02/25/2013

The U.S. Navy has had two aircraft carriers steaming in Middle Eastern waters for most of the past three years. And despite warnings from the Navy that maintaining the two-carrier presence there over an extended period could have drastic effects on the fleet, they stayed for one simple reason: a general believed they were necessary.