Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Air Force to Get 400 Modernized Mi-8 Helicopters by 2020

08/03/2012

The Russian Air Force will take delivery of up to 400 modernized Mi-8 battlefield support helicopters by 2020, service spokesman Col.Vladimir Drik said on Thursday. “By the end of the year, up to 50 of the latest Mi-8 models will operate, and by 2020 the air force plans to have more than 400 new Mi-8s,” he said.

Boeing, Super Hornet Suppliers Present Prospects for Brazilian Industry at Porto Alegre and São José dos Campos Conferences

08/03/2012

Boeing and a dozen of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet suppliers highlighted opportunities available to Brazilian industry at conferences on July 31 in Porto Alegre and Aug. 1 in São José dos Campos. A wide-ranging industrial participation program is part of Boeing's Super Hornet offering in Brazil’s F-X2 fighter competition.

Boeing to Present Variety of Unmanned Systems and Technology at AUVSI 2012

08/03/2012

Boeing will spotlight several unmanned systems that meet a variety of customer needs during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems North America 2012 conference and exhibition. This year's event takes place Aug. 6-9 in Las Vegas.

Lebanon requests Huey IIs to augment helicopter fleet

08/03/2012

Lebanon's defence force has called on the US Government to allow the sale of six Huey II helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support. US Congress has been notified of the request by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) which says the contract would be worth around $63 million to manufacturer Bell Helicopters

German pilots claim dogfight victories over US in Alaska war games

08/02/2012

A German Luftwaffe fighter pilot who participated in the recent Red Flag war games in Alaska is claiming that the Eurofighter Typhoon was able to get the better of the U.S. Air Force's vaunted and super-expensive F-22 Raptor fighter in simulated close-range combat. "We had a Raptor salad for lunch," one German pilot allegedly said.

Luke AFB selected for F-35A pilot training

08/02/2012

Air Force Secretary Michael Donley announced today that Luke AFB has been chosen as the location of the Air Force's F-35A Lightning II pilot training center. The base will receive 72 aircraft for a total of three fighter squadrons. "This is a great day for Luke," said Brig. Gen. JD Harris, 56th Fighter Wing commander. "Our selection for F-35 training ensures the long-term viability of our mission of training the world's greatest fighter pilots, which we've been doing at Luke for seven decades."

Near misses over Scotland during Nato war games

08/02/2012

Two near misses involving military aircraft occurred over Scotland during Europe's largest military exercise, it has emerged. A Tornado GR4 jet and a Merlin helicopter were involved in the first incident over Skye and a Tornado and a C130 plane in the other over Moray.

Should You Believe the F-22 Doom and Gloom?

08/02/2012

The U.S. Air Force's premier air-to-air combat aircraft was just getting back to normal flight operations following an investigation into hypoxia-like (oxygen-deprivation) symptoms among pilots when it got more bad news: The F-22 Raptor is facing new questions over its vaunted air-combat capabilities.

Iran to Drop $4-bln Claim if Russia Delivers S-300 Missiles: Envoy

08/02/2012

Iran will withdraw its $4-billion lawsuit against Russia if it delivers S-300 air-defense systems to the Islamic republic, the Iranian ambassador to Russia said on Wednesday. Iran sued Russia’s state-run arms corporation Rosoboronexport in the international arbitration court in Geneva last April.

Czechs, Swedes to negotiate Gripen lease

08/01/2012

The Czech Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces will enter negotiations for continued leasing of Saab 39 Gripen aircraft. The Czech military flies 14 of the Swedish company's fighter aircraft under an agreement signed in 2004. A Swedish news report said the Czechs were balking over the cost requested to continue the arrangement.

Military dismisses islands war fear

08/01/2012

The military dismissed conjecture that Beijing is preparing for war to defend national territory in the South China Sea, saying the PLA opposes any armed intervention in the region. Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng was speaking on Tuesday at a news conference on the eve of the 85th anniversary of the PLA.

Why have F-22 pilots passed out at the controls? Pentagon solves mystery.

08/01/2012

Why have US military pilots been passing out at the controls of their F-22 fighter jets? That has been the mystery vexing Pentagon officials for more than a year. On Tuesday, they announced the results of a wide-ranging investigation into dangerous malfunctions surrounding the most expensive fighter jet in military history.

Rolls-Royce Snecma powers up next-generation military engine study

08/01/2012

A new era of Anglo-French co-operation in military combat aircraft technology has been underpinned by a bilateral contract placed with Rolls-Royce and Snecma by the UK Ministry of Defence.

Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes

08/01/2012

Syrian combat aircraft and artillery pounded Aleppo late into the night as the army battled for control of the country's biggest city, where rebel fighters said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had been forced to retreat.

U.S. Marine Corps to Keep K-Max Unmanned Cargo Re-Supply Helicopter in Theater for Second Deployment Extension

08/01/2012

For the second time this year, the U.S. Marine Corps has approved the deployment extension of K-MAX Cargo UAS, the first unmanned helicopter to deliver cargo and resupply troops in a combat zone. By supplying forward operating bases with K-MAX instead of ground convoy or manned aircraft, the Marine Corps has reduced the threat posed to personnel by improvised explosive devices by thousands of hours.

Boeing Completes Major Join of India's 1st C-17 Airlifter

08/01/2012

Boeing today in Long Beach integrated the forward, center and aft fuselages and the wing assembly of India's first C-17 Globemaster III during the airlifter's "major join" ceremony. Embassy, senior Indian Air Force and local elected officials drove ceremonial rivets into the aircraft as they celebrated the achievement of this key program milestone.

Autonomous Unmanned Combat Aircraft, X-47B, Makes Successful First Flight

07/31/2012

Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator has successfully completed its first flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent (Pax) River. The unmanned aircraft launched from Pax River and flew for 35 minutes, and reached an altitude of 7,500 feet at a speed of 180 knots before landing back at Pax River.

F-22 Fighter Loses $79 Billion Advantage in Dogfights: Report

07/31/2012

The United States has spent nearly $80 billion to develop the most advanced stealth fighter jet in history, the F-22 Raptor, but the Air Force recently found out firsthand that while the planes own the skies at modern long-range air combat, it is “evenly matched” with cheaper, foreign jets when it comes to old-school dogfighting.

Air Force drones replacing fighter jets

07/31/2012

Strapped into the cockpit of an F-16 jet fighter, Air Force Col. Scott Brenton has dropped bombs over Bosnia, screamed over the desert in Iraq and strafed Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. But on a recent morning, Brenton flew his combat mission from a leather easy chair in a low-slung cinder block building on the edge of Syracuse.

New Russian bomber: needless expenditure or future necessity?

07/31/2012

There was at least one thing on which all the participants of the round table, which was held in the Rosbalt information agency, have agreed upon: Russia should continue maintaining the existing fleet of strategic aircraft in a proper condition and continue to upgrade them. The resources for the Tupolev Tu-95MS, Tu-160, and Tu-22?3 allow these aircrafts to remain in service for many years. In these conditions, the improvement of their equipment and weapons is one of the key tasks.

Eurocopter Delivers Two NH90s to French Army and Navy

07/31/2012

Eurocopter has delivered two NH90s to France’s DGA for their deployment by the French Army and Navy. The ceremony celebrating this dual delivery was held at Marignane, the manufacturer’s headquarters, and was attended by the DGA, Dominique Maudet, Eurocopter Group’s Executive Officer for France & Vice President of Global Business and Services, and a number of representatives from France’s armed forces.

China keen to sell indigenous combat helicopter to India

07/31/2012

China would be keen to sell an indigenously developed combat helicopter to India, a senior officer of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aviation regiment said on Tuesday. Z-9WZ, designed and manufactured in China, was part of a show organised for foreign and local media that included displays and maneuvers by the helicopters on Tuesday.

Whoops. Germans say they were able to handle stealthy F-22s in mock combat just fine

07/31/2012

In mid-June, 150 German airmen and eight twin-engine, non-stealthy Typhoons arrived at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska for an American-led Red Flag exercise involving more than 100 aircraft from Germany, the U.S. Air Force and Army, NATO, Japan, Australia and Poland. Eight times during the two-week war game, individual German Typhoons flew against single F-22s in basic fighter maneuvers meant to simulate a close-range dogfight.

Typhoon's bid to UAE will include new radar technology

07/31/2012

The UAE will get the benefits of a new technology development in the Eurofighter Typhoon if it selects the aircraft for its multi-role combat type, the European partnership said today. On behalf of the four core nations in the Eurofighter programme, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been issued by NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) to Eurofighter GmbH for the development of an Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (E-Scan).

Boeing eyes India as US cuts defence spending

07/30/2012

Inside a spotless hangar here, technicians work on three gleaming new Boeing 737s, painted in the drab grey favoured by the world’s navies. While two of these are marked with the US Navy logo, the third bears markings unusual for this hangar: the Indian Navy’s Devanagari logo: ‘Nau Sena’ (Navy).