Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

White House: U.S. drone killings legal to combat threats

05/01/2012

The U.S. campaign of drone strikes to kill militants in other countries is legal under international law, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser insisted on Monday in a rare public admission and justification of the controversial tactic. John Brennan's speech, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the U.S. killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan.

Lockheed Martin Delivers Last AMP C-5 To Air Force

05/01/2012

Lockheed Martin completed delivery of the 79th and final C-5 Galaxy aircraft of the current Avionics Modernization Program at a ceremony at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on April 27. “We are very proud of our AMP team,” said Greg Ulmer, vice president of the C-5 program, “This delivery continues the ever-growing legacy of the C-5 Galaxy and the critical role it plays in supporting the warfighter across the globe for many years to come.”

India to Work With Seychelles to Combat Piracy: Prez

04/30/2012

In the backdrop of the menace posed by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, India today said it was determined to work with Seychelles to ensure a secure environment for the benefit of the two countries. President Pratibha Patil, who arrived here to a warm welcome for a two-day state visit, said "India and Seychelles share the waters of the Indian ocean".

Brits do battle over buried Spitfires

04/30/2012

This is a story of buried treasure, a map with X marking the spot and the race to recover untold riches. The treasure in this case is of the winged variety, some 60 Spitfires fighter aircraft, maybe more, quite possibly in pristine condition, never flown in anger, interred in Burma at the end of the Second World War. There are only three dozen Spits in flying condition around the world, commanding prices of $2 million or more. So this is big money.

Sudan defends use of air strikes in South Sudan conflict

04/30/2012

Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations has defended his country's right to use air strikes against South Sudanese troops who Khartoum says are inside Sudanese territory. Dafallah ElHaj Ali Osman, however, stopped short of saying whether Sudan had carried out the air strikes over the past few weeks that Juba claims Khartoum had launched on its territories.

US Reportedly Moves Stealth Combat Aircraft Within Striking Distance Of Iran

04/30/2012

A prominent Iranian lawmaker says the reported basing of America's most sophisticated stealth jet fighters in the United Arab Emirates is a U.S.-Israel plot to create regional instability. The U.S. Air Force has moved several F-22 stealth combat aircraft to a base in the United Arab Emirates, 300 km (186) miles from the Iranian border, according to a report by the Aviation Report magazine on Saturday.

Obama's Mixed Message to Asia

04/30/2012

Two White House announcements last week illustrate the larger story. Some 9,000 U.S. Marines will leave Okinawa, with 2,500 of them to head to Australia on six-month rotations and most of the rest to be based in Guam and Hawaii. And in a letter to Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, White House official Robert Nabors promised that the Administration will give "serious consideration" to selling 66 new F-16 fighters to Taiwan.

Delhi scales down US war games

04/29/2012

he Centre recently turned down an air force request to participate in the war games with the US navy in the Bay of Bengal that concluded last week. The seven-day Malabar 2012 exercise involved the American and Indian navies. The Centre’s move followed a quiet policy decision in the defence ministry to scale down — but not stop — the friendly military engagements with the US armed forces, which have gathered pace and increased in complexity over the past decade.

Northrop seeks easing of export controls on drones

04/28/2012

The United States risks losing its current competitive edge in the unmanned aircraft market unless Washington acts soon to ease tough restrictions on their export for commercial use, the chief executive of Northrop Grumman Corp said on Friday. Wes Bush, chairman and chief executive of the leading U.S. unmanned vehicle maker, lauded the Pentagon's recommendation last week to ease export restrictions on satellite technology.

Base closings out, Global Hawk in _ House panel puts its imprint on Obama’s military budget

04/28/2012

Domestic military base closings are out. The Global Hawk drone is back in. The Pentagon wanted another round of base closings in this deficit-cutting era. The Readiness Subcommittee said no, with Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., calling the notion “flawed.” The Pentagon wanted to retire 18 of the Air Force’s Global Hawk drones from the Block 30 program. The Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee rejected that idea.

USAF Reviews CSAR Helo Fleet Plan

04/28/2012

The U.S. Air Force is reviewing its plans for combat search and rescue (CSAR), to determine whether current fleet-sizing assumptions for the HH-60G and replacement Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) still reflect operational needs. The baseline demand for the service has been for 148 rotorcraft, with a recognition that available funding only allows for 112 to be operated. An update of the core function master plan, due for completion in the fall.

US wants to share defence technologies with India: Shapiro

04/28/2012

Hoping to get a bigger slice in the pie of massive Indian defence modernisation efforts, the US has said the level of its willingness to share defence technologies with India has never been higher than it is now. "The level of our willingness to share technology with India has never been higher," Andrew Shapiro, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, said.

Russia – Kazakhstan: Enriching the Good Traditions of Military-Technical Cooperation

04/28/2012

From May 3 to 6, 2012, Astana, Kazakhstan, will be hosting the Second International Exhibition of Weapons System and Military Equipment (KADEX-2012). The organizers are the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazspetsexport Republican State Enterprise, Kazakhstan Engineering National Company, Kazahvzryvprom enterprise and JSC Kazakhstan GIS Center.

Air Force retires first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

04/28/2012

McDonnell Douglas essentially hand-built the first C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane for U.S. Air Force developmental testing and evaluation. The airplane, designated T-1, first flew on Sept. 15, 1991, six years before McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, and was expected to last about five years. On Wednesday, it finally made its last flight, into retirement at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, in Dayton, Ohio.

U.S. Considers Selling Taiwan New F-16 Jets

04/28/2012

The Obama administration will give “serious consideration” to selling Taiwan new Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets, a White House official said, creating a potential new flashpoint with China ahead of next week’s high- level meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials. A jet sale “warrants serious consideration given the growing military threat to Taiwan.

Phl to seek military equipment from US

04/28/2012

New military options and expanding trade and investment opportunities are likely the main issues to be discussed when the foreign and defense secretaries of the Philippines and the United States hold their first ever meeting here on April 30. The Filipinos are expected to submit a list of military hardware they need for a credible maritime defense while the US, to counter China’s military, will seek bilateral arrangements including rotating more troops in the Philippines.

Tejas & TJ’s 20-year graph

04/28/2012

The dog year, the mythical unit of time based on the theory that man’s best friend ages seven times faster than a human, can now be replaced by the Tejas year. The naval version of the Tejas, India’s indigenous fighter aircraft, took flight for the first time today. The 22-minute sortie — just a toddler step in the air — was more than 20 years in the making and its conception-to-sky life can be measured by the career progression of the chief test pilot.

Russia to Showcase 5-G Fighter at AF Festival

04/28/2012

Russia will display its much hyped fifth-generation fighter prototype, the T-50, at an air show in August, according to a document posted on the official legal information portal http://pravo.gov.ru on Friday. The jet, as well as other warplanes, including the Tupolev Tu-95MS, a modification of the Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber, will be shown at a festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Russia’s Air Force.

Bulgarian Military Jet Crashes Without Casualties, Ministry Says

04/27/2012

A Bulgarian military aircraft MiG-29 crashed during a training flight near the southern city of Plovdiv without casualties. The plane caught fire shortly after takeoff from the Graf Ignatievo air force base, the Defense Ministry in Sofia said in a statement today. Its two pilots were instructed to direct the aircraft toward an unpopulated area and eject. The MiG-29 fell between the villages of Tsarimir and Goliam Chardak and there are no civilian casualties, the ministry said.

Two charged with trying to smuggle U.S. aircraft to China

04/27/2012

The 41-year-old Taiwanese woman, having already arranged to smuggle a kilo of 93.7 percent pure crystal methamphetamine into the United States, was ready to move on to something bigger, authorities say. "I got a message for you: A guy want(s) to buy a plane," Huan Ling Chang allegedly said in September during a phone conversation being secretly recorded by the FBI. "It’s, uh, early warning aircraft," she added a beat later, authorities say.

F-16s and MiGs Engage Over Bulgaria

04/27/2012

U.S. pilots from the 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons based out of Aviano Air Base, Italy, have been given a rare opportunity to train and share experiences with Bulgarian air force MiG-21 and MiG-29 pilots during their deployment to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria, in support of Thracian Star 2012.

UAE-based F-22s A Signal To Iran

04/27/2012

As tensions between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv continue to mount over Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons technologies, the U.S. has quietly begun a deployment of its premier stealthy fighter, the twin-engine F-22, to the United Arab Emirates. Multiple Lockheed Martin aircraft will operate out of Al Dhafra Air Base there, industry sources say. This is the same base from which U.S. U-2s and Global Hawk UAVs have been launched since shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

US wants Brazil as defense partner

04/27/2012

The US is ready to transfer military technology to Brazil to be able to count the South American country as a strategic ally, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said here Wednesday. Panetta, in a speech before military officers at Brazil's Superior War College in Rio de Janeiro, committed himself to exerting every effort to facilitate the technology transfer to the giant South American nation.

Eurocopter and Kazakhstan: Partnership and capabilities on display at the KADEX-2012 military exhibition

04/27/2012

Eurocopter’s participation at the KADEX-2012 exhibition will underscore its helicopter product line capabilities to meet Kazakhstan’s military, government and public protection mission requirements, while also spotlighting the company’s commitment to industrial partnerships in the country.

Smart Defence – The Norwegian Perspective

04/27/2012

What is really new with Smart Defence?Doing things in a smart way was not something we started last year! The Nordic Defence Cooperation, our long-standing work with other Allies in the European Participating Air Forces F-16 cooperation and our participation in the development of common NATO capabilities were Smart Defence long before this term was introduced.