Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Colombia orders another Airbus Military C295

09/18/2012

Colombia has signed a contract with Airbus Military for the acquisition of an additional C295 aircraft in a tactical transport configuration. Delivery is scheduled for February 2013. The aircraft will be operated by the Colombian Air Force on military transport and humanitarian aid missions.

EUROPE YIELDS ON PRODUCTION OF FIGHTER JETS

09/18/2012

Production of America’s fifth generation jet fighter appears to be on the rise as Europe grapples with the prospect of not much else new being available, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. The Europeans are relying primarily on three types of combat aircraft: the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is built in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain; the Dassault Rafale built in France and the Swedish Saab Gripen.

Despite concerns, general confident in new F-35 fighter

09/18/2012

The deputy director of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program said Monday that he has "reasonable confidence" in the combat jet but still has concerns about hardware and software. Speaking publicly for the first time about the program he joined five weeks ago, Maj. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan said contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. is making progress in producing the aircraft but more rigorous testing is needed to see if it is combat ready.

Russia, S. Africa in Talks on Joint Weapons Development

09/18/2012

Russia and South Africa are discussing the possibility of joint development of defense-related products, Russia’s state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Monday. “There is a great potential [for joint projects] in the area of radar equipment and rocket engines,” Rosoboronexport said in a statement.

Iran Watching as U.S. Military Launches Exercise in Strait of Hormuz

09/17/2012

The United States, along with more than 27 other countries from four different continents, began Sunday the largest ever military exercise aimed at practicing how to find and destroy sea mines in the waters of the Middle East. “This is about exercising capabilities that we want to exercise with our partners in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman George Littler this week.” Earlier this summer Little stressed that this training was not aimed at delivering a message to Iran.

BAE-EADS merger would advance Europe's military goals

09/17/2012

Merging Britain's BAE Systems with EADS to create a global aerospace and defense giant would be a significant boost to European leaders' ambitions for a more efficient defense industry. The European Union has long sought to foster more cross-national cooperation on defense projects in Europe to plug holes left by shrinking military budgets and to eliminate wasteful duplication of effort.

“The New Simulators are Revolutionizing Pilot Training”

09/17/2012

“With regards to the field of aerial training and simulators, we are bringing a new development to the market,” claim Hellerstein and Shmuely. “One of our largest innovations is embedded systems utilized in aerial training. In an ordinary air exercise, you can’t bring twelve aircraft to simulate the enemy. However, with the embedded simulator, the aircraft can ‘think’ that it is surrounded by enemy aircraft.

Insight: China builds its own military-industrial complex

09/17/2012

When China turned to Russia for supplies of advanced weapons through the 1990s, it kick-started Beijing's military build-up with an immediate boost in firepower. It also demonstrated the failure of its domestic defense sector which was still turning out obsolete 1950s vintage equipment for the People's Liberation Army from a sprawling network of state-owned arms makers.

Coordinated Taliban Assault Penetrates Base

09/17/2012

The Taliban's weekend assault on a major coalition base was one of the most determined and effective in the Afghan war, according to details released Sunday, resulting in the biggest single-day loss of U.S. combat aircraft since the Vietnam War. The coordinated Taliban attack destroyed six Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump-jets and "significantly" damaged two others, as well as some hangars, the coalition said.

Armada of British naval power massing in the Gulf as Israel prepares an Iran strike

09/16/2012

An armada of US and British naval power is massing in the Persian Gulf in the belief that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike against Iran’s covert nuclear weapons programme.

Navy announces major changes to GW's carrier air wing

09/15/2012

The U.S. Navy announced a host of changes to the USS George Washington’s carrier air wing Friday, in what amounts to at least the third significant Navy airframe upgrade in the Asia-Pacific region this year. The HSL-51 Warlords squadron at Naval Air Facility Atsugi will swap their SH-60B and SH-60F Seahawk helicopters for newer MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks, officials from Commander Naval Forces Japan said Friday.

Swiss training planes conquer difficult market

09/15/2012

Swiss manufacturer Pilatus has little trouble selling its training aircraft to the world’s air forces despite operating in a shrinking market short on appeal for other constructors. A success that owes much to the technology it has developed over the years. Based in Stans, canton Nidwalden, Pilatus saw its sales jump substantially in 2011. It took in SFr781 million ($832 million) last year, up 14 per cent on 2010.

Syria No-Fly Zone Proposal Lacks Support

09/15/2012

For months, Syrian opposition forces fighting government troops have been calling - with very little success - for foreign military intervention. But Western defense experts are debating whether the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria might get more international support. Analysts said it is essential to first define the parameters and goals of a no-fly zone - an airspace in which certain aircraft, especially military ones, are forbidden to fly.

ILA: German air force details success during Red Flag exercise

09/14/2012

Germany's historic deployment of eight Eurofighter combat aircraft to Alaska earlier this year achieved its key objective of proving the Luftwaffe's ability to participate in a complex multinational air-to-air operation alongside its allies, the service says. "We can do that job. We are NATO Response Force-ready," says Lt Col Marc Grüne, the German air force's project officer for the Red Flag Alaska deployment to Eielson AFB.

Sikorsky explores broader Polish network

09/14/2012

European helicopter manufacturing and service companies have recently signed agreements to strengthen and expand their business portfolios. In Poland, Britain's Sikorsky Aerospace Services and PZL Mielec, the Polish manufacturer of Sikorsky Aircraft's S-70i Black Hawk helicopter, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wojskowe Centralne Biuro Konstrukcyjno - Technologiczne on the possible supply of ground support equipment to sustain an S-70i fleet Poland.

KC-130J Crew Escorts Ospreys to USS Iwo Jima

09/14/2012

Marines with Detachment A, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, primarily spend their day patrolling the skies of Afghanistan as an in-flight gas station for other aircraft. However, a five-man crew successfully completed a slightly different mission, Sept. 6. The KC-130J team spent the morning escorting four MV-22 Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 from Helmand province, Afghanistan, to the USS Iwo Jima in the Arabian Sea.

Calls for Phantom Defense Cuts Must Stop

09/14/2012

Fiscal restraint is en vogue and increasingly the cover many are using to push other agendas. Republicans spent a week in Tampa monitoring America’s mounting national debt at their recent convention. Democrats included a call for “tough” spending cuts, especially to the military, as part of their official party platform. The document indicates “outdated Cold War-era systems” should be favored for the chopping block.

Boeing Knocks F-35's 'Delays and Delays'

09/14/2012

ST. LOUIS: Boeing renewed its campaign to bash Lockheed Martin's F-35 and promote its F-18 fighters today, as the president of Boeing Military Aircraft slammed the Joint Strike Fighter while noting declining defense budgets here and abroad. "The F-35 continues to delay and delay," Christopher Chadwick told a group of reporters at Boeing's defense headquarters here. "Yes, the F-35 has all-aspect stealth, but that is used in a relatively small part of the combat envelope."

Embraer's KC-390 Military Aircraft to Adopt Northrop Grumman’s Navigation System

09/14/2012

Northrop Grumman has received a contract for delivering the hybrid global positioning system (GPS) and inertial reference system to be used in Embraer Defense and Security KC-390 medium-lift military transport aircraft. As per the contract, Northrop Grumman LITEF, which is the company's German navigation systems subsidiary, will supply the fibre-optic, gyro-compass LCR-100 Attitude and Heading Reference System.

ILA 2012 features US military aircraft

09/14/2012

More than 300 aircraft from about 50 different nations are on display this week at the Berlin Air Show, commonly know as ILA 2012. More than 50 U.S. military personnel are representing the Department of Defense at the show, which kicked off Tuesday. The Berlin Air Show is considered to be one of the premier air shows in the world and the U.S. military has five different types of aircraft on display this year.

Russia, Central Asian States to Hold Air Defense Drills

09/14/2012

Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan will conduct joint command-and-staff air defense drills on October 5-16, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The Chistoye Nebo (Clear Sky) 2012 exercise will be held in Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh airspace and involve the interception of cruise missiles. Russia will be represented by a group of experts from Air Force staff and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors and an A-50 Mainstay AWACS plane deployed at the Kant airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

Oman’s Super Hercules Homeward Bound

09/14/2012

The first of three C-130J Super Hercules for Oman departed the Lockheed Martin facility here yesterday en route to Oman.

EADS and BAE Systems in merger talks to create world's largest aerospace and defence company

09/14/2012

BAE Systems and EADS have told the London Stock Exchange that they are in talks over a possible merger that would create the world's largest aerospace and defence company. A merger would create a combined annual turnover business of more than $95 billion with almost 75% being in aerospace – it would also give EADS a solid position in the lucrative US market.

BAE in merger talks with Airbus parent EADS

09/13/2012

British defense contractor BAE said today that it was talking to EADS, the parent of aircraft maker Airbus, about a possible merger. Earlier today, Bloomberg News reported that the two companies were looking at a possible merger. In a statement, BAE Systems plc said its shareholders would own a 40 percent stake in the merged business, while shareholders of European Aeronautics Defense & Space Co. would own 60 percent.

Syrians Resort to Heavy Weapons in Sign of Assad’s Weakness

09/13/2012

The use by Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces of ever-deadlier weapons to crush the 18-month Syrian uprising at the expense of greater civilian casualties is a sign of the regime’s weakness, military and Middle East analysts say.Syria’s government has become more reliant on heavy weaponry including attack aircraft, helicopter gunships, artillery and tanks even as lightly armed rebels win and hold ground in the biggest cities - Aleppo, the business center, and suburbs of the capital, Damascus.