Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

PLA Air Force launches military-civilian joint air projection for plateau training

06/06/2012

An air projection for plateau camping training conducted by the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was unveiled at 05:00 on May 29, 2012 at an airport in the hinterland of central China. A total of 5 military and civil airplanes were mobilized for this air projection mission from the hinterland of central China to the snow-covered plateau.

Red Flag training exercises begin Thursday over Fairbanks

06/06/2012

The tail markings on the warplanes flying overhead in Fairbanks starting Thursday might be unfamiliar. Military aircraft from South Korea, Japan, Poland, Germany and the states of Washington and South Carolina will be stationed at Eielson Air Force Base with Alaska forces in the first Red Flag-Alaska exercise of the year. The exercise begins Thursday and runs through June 22.

Japanese Scholar Says Scrap U.S.-Japan Alliance; Recognize U.S.-China Co-Dependency

06/06/2012

Last Saturday U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced in Singapore that by 2020 the U.S. will be deploying “six aircraft carriers, a majority of our cruisers, destroyers, combat ships and submarines” in the Asia-Pacific region. This armada will constitute 60% of U.S. naval power, a “rebalancing ” from the current 50% of naval resources currently committed to the region.

US refuses to let money matters affect military buildup in Asia

06/06/2012

Proclaiming its fate to be strongly tied to Asia, the United States unveiled on Saturday detailed plans to build and strengthen its military presence in the region. Time will tell whether the growing US presence becomes a positive force for the peace, development and prosperity of Asia, or simply heightens the tensions in a region already convoluted by an arms race.

Canada’s military hunting for seven new foreign bases

06/06/2012

The military is hunting for seven strategically placed nations willing to host a network of Canadian bases aimed at cutting costs and boosting response times to future wars, disasters and humanitarian crises. Two of those bases — in Germany and Kuwait — have already materialized, but the full extent of the plan to create overseas beachheads for military planes, ships and equipment has not been previously acknowledged.

Massive military helicopter buys allow for indigenisation

06/06/2012

The Indian Air Force (IAF) purchase of 126 Rafale fighters has made global headlines, and the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) could be another jaw-dropper. But Indian military aviation could see an even more prominent growth area in helicopters, where the defence services are poised to induct well over 1,000 rotary wing aircraft in the coming decade, the majority of them developed and built in the country.

Upgrades Revitalize B-1B Lancer Fleet

06/05/2012

B-1B Lancers are currently undergoing their most advanced hardware and software upgrades to date as part of the Sustainment-Block 16 program. Sustainment-Block 16 upgrades include a fully integrated data link in the aft station and vertical situation display upgrade in the front station as well as updates to navigation, radar and diagnostic systems.

South Korea Names Three on Shortlist for Attack Helicopters

06/05/2012

South Korea announced its shortlist of contractors in competition for a multi-billion competition to supply 36 attack helicopters on 29 May. The attack helicopters will be used to strengthen the South’s ability to contend with Pyongyang’s fast gunboats often deployed in the Yellow Sea.

Canada turns its military focus to the Asia-Pacific rim

06/05/2012

Canada’s military focus appears to be turning increasingly westward, as evidenced by Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s attendance at a major Asia-Pacific security forum over the weekend and the announcement 1,400 Canadian military personnel will be participating in a major exercise later this month.

Boeing Delivers Final Wedgetail AEW&C Aircraft to Australia

06/05/2012

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on May 2 delivered the sixth and final Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Boeing Phantom Eye Completes 1st Autonomous Flight

06/05/2012

Boeing's Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system (UAS) completed its first autonomous flight June 1 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The 28-minute flight began at 6:22 a.m. Pacific time as the liquid-hydrogen powered aircraft lifted off its launch cart. Phantom Eye climbed to an altitude of 4,080 feet and reached a cruising speed of 62 knots. After touching down, the vehicle sustained some damage when the landing gear dug into the lakebed and broke.

China stealth combat jet videos pose defence questions

06/04/2012

An email from Air Power Australia earlier today links to a series of You Tubes of China’s Chengdu J-20 fifth generation stealth jet which raises a whole set of questions for defence experts to consider.

PHILIPPINES DIVERSIFY ARMS PURCHASES

06/04/2012

The Philippines will be looking to non-U.S. sources for combat aircraft, and officials want to equip two squadrons to enhance the nation’s war-fighting capabilities, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. One of the primary concerns is China, which is encroaching in areas of the South China Sea that Philippines officials claim as being their territory.

Hawker Beechcraft Down, Not Out

06/04/2012

Hawker Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 on May 3, and if activity at the recent European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition is any indication, the Wichita aircraft manufacturer may be down, but it is definitely not out.

Military boost outlined in plans for China conflict

06/04/2012

Details of the potent military Australia would need to fight a possible war with China were contained in a secret "force structure review" prepared with the Rudd government's 2009 defence white paper, analysts say.

Alaska's senators question Air Force over new aircraft

06/04/2012

The F-16 move is not the only Air Force policy that has Alaska’s senators on the defensive. In addition to opposing the Air Force’s plans to move Eielson Air Force Bases’ F-16 fighter planes to Anchorage, U.S. Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski are second-guessing the way the military deploys a new aircraft, the KC-46A.

U.S. drone strike kills 10 suspected militants in Pakistan as they 'console' family of commander killed in attack the day before

06/04/2012

A U.S. drone strike today killed 10 suspected militants in Pakistan as they 'offered condolences' to the family of a commander who died in an attack 24 hours earlier. Four missiles were fired at the tribal village of Mana Raghzai in South Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan, intelligence officials reported.

Panetta: U.S. shifting 60% of warships to Pacific by 2020

06/04/2012

The Pentagon will shift more Navy warships to the Asia-Pacific region over the next several years and by 2020, about 60% of the fleet will be assigned there as part of a new strategy to increase U.S. presence in Asia, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Saturday. While noting it may take years to complete the transition, Panetta assured his audience at a security conference in Singapore that U.S. budget problems and cutbacks would not get in the way of changes.

Canada to Participate in Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2012

06/04/2012

The Government of Canada today announced that over 1,400 Canadian sailors, soldiers, and airmen and airwomen will participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 combined and joint exercise taking place near the Hawaiian Islands from June 29 to August 3. RIMPAC is the world's largest multi-national exercise and is designed to prepare military forces from Pacific Rim nations to work together in missions ranging from providing humanitarian aid to full-combat operations.

Isolate Syria?s Arms Suppliers

06/04/2012

Governments and companies around the world should stop signing new contracts with arms suppliers such as the Russian firm Rosoboronexport that are providing weapons to the Syrian government. In light of compelling evidence that the Syrian army is responsible for crimes against humanity against Syria?s people, the Russian state-owned arms trading company?s continued dealings with Syria place the company at risk of complicity in these crimes.

Missing Vietnam pilot's remains to get burial

06/03/2012

After more than 46 years of heartbreaking uncertainty, the remains of a U.S. Air Force colonel who served in Vietnam are coming home to America. Col. Derrell Jeffords, a Florence native, was 40 when the AC-47D aircraft he commanded and piloted disappeared on Christmas Eve 1965. A mayday signal was sent from the plane, known as “Spooky,” which was carrying six men over southern Laos while on a combat strike mission.

US Pacific build-up gets nod in Beijing snub

06/03/2012

AUSTRALIA has thrown its support behind a ''rebalancing'' of American military might in the Pacific region, which promises to deepen strategic rivalries with China. Defence Minister Stephen Smith yesterday spoke of the ''positive impact'' of the United States on regional security, just hours before the US presented its most detailed plan of how it will bulk up military might into the Pacific region while making budget cuts elsewhere.

U.S. unveils military boost in Asia

06/03/2012

U.S. Defence Secretary Leon E. Panetta, seeking to persuade a sceptical audience of Asian officials that the United States is committed to enhancing its military presence in the region despite coming budget constraints, unveiled here on Saturday the most detailed inventory to date of planned new weapons for the region. The Navy, Mr. Panetta said, would reconfigure its forces from a 50-50 split between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific to 60 per cent of the Navy's assets assigned to the Pacific

Experts to appraise risks of Su-24 flights over Urals city

06/02/2012

A regional court ordered an expert appraisal in a lawsuit filed by Chelayabinsk residents to stop Su-24 bombers from flying over the city. The residents allege that the noise exceeds permissible levels, the court reports on Friday. Experts will establish the noise level and the health hazards for the local population.

Weapons School begins Mission Employment phase at Nellis

06/02/2012

Southern Nevada residents may notice increased military aircraft activity as the United States Air Force Weapons School begins its Mission Employment phase. Ninety aircraft from both the Air Force and Navy will participate in the two-week-long event, held on the Nevada Test and Training Range. 90 students from 23 separate combat specialties will take part in the exercise.