Military Aviation News Archive
08/06/2012
Two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a small airplane near Washington, D.C. Saturday after the pilot failed to respond to radio communications, military officials said on Sunday. The aircraft was later allowed to proceed when contact was established.
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08/06/2012
Russia’s Baltic Fleet battleships and combat aircraft will take part in large-scale tactical drills in the country’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad on August 8 to land marines in rough terrain, the press office of the Western Military District reported. The drills will be held at the Baltic Fleet’s Khmelyovka firing range ahead of the celebration of the Russian Air Force centennial on August 12 and will involve 500 servicemen, warships, support vessels, combat aircraft and gunships.
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08/05/2012
The U.S. Air Force is training more drone “pilots” than those who will be at the controls of traditional aircraft, according to the Air Force chief of staff. To date, there are reportedly around 1,300 people controlling the Air Force’s arsenal of Reaper, Predator, and Global Hawk drones, and the Pentagon plans to add about 2,500 pilots and support crew by 2014, according to an article in published August 3 by The Times of London.
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08/05/2012
Even after 28,000 hours of flight time in Iraq and Afghanistan, the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft had to undergo yet another test flight today to prove its safety and reliability to the Japanese and bolster U.S. strategic planning for the Pacific.
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08/05/2012
Two F-16 fighters were scrambled in the Washington metropolitan area Saturday after a small plane that ignored attempts at radio contact, was detected in flight, the US military said. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the fighters intercepted the Beechcraft King Air airplane near the national capital region at approximately 7:00 pm (1100 GMT).
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08/05/2012
Air Chief NAK Browne today said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has identified a 'design flaw' with the Russian-made supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30 though nothing is wrong with its 'airworthiness'. "We have identified a Fly-By-Wire problem with the aircraft. It is a design issue and we have taken it up with the designing agency," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function held to mark Golden Jubilee celebrations of Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune.
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08/04/2012
Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat aircraft system demonstrator (UCAS-D) is about to begin ground maneuver trials at NAS Patuxtent River, Md., to evaluate deck handling procedures as it moves toward a landing on an aircraft carrier in 2013. The X-47B made its first flight from Pax on July 29, when air vehicle (AV) 2 completed a 36-min. flight over Chesapeake Bay, reaching 7,500 ft. altitude and 180 kt. airspeed.
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08/04/2012
An RAF fighter jet tasked with defending the Olympics against terror attacks was scrambled after an aircraft lost contact with aviation authorities, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The Typhoon was sent to intercept the aircraft after air traffic controllers lost contact. But the jet was able to return to its base at RAF Northolt, west London, shortly after taking off when communication was re-established with the pilot.
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08/04/2012
A Marine Corps F-18 fighter flying from Honolulu back to Iwakuni, Japan, made a precautionary landing on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge early today after experiencing a mechanical problem, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. The fighter, which had been taking part in Rim of the Pacific war games in Hawaii, landed safely at Henderson Airfield on Midway’s Sand Island, the federal agency said.
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08/04/2012
Taiwan's Navy will take delivery of two U.S.-built P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft next year, according to local media reports. The military's plan to build a hangar at an air base in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan to accommodate the advanced anti-submarine aircraft, however, has remained on the drawing board, the reports said.
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08/04/2012
When President Obama called on the U.S. military to shift its focus to Asia earlier this year, Andrew Marshall, a 91-year-old futurist, had a vision of what to do. Marshall's small office in the Pentagon has spent the past two decades planning for a war against an angry, aggressive and heavily armed China.
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08/03/2012
A UK-led campaign to sell 12 Typhoon combat aircraft to Oman could succeed in securing a deal before year-end, according to Eurofighter partner company BAE Systems. "The Royal Air Force of Oman is currently reviewing the Group's commercial response for 12 Typhoon Tranche 3 aircraft, plus associated support and training facilities," the UK company said in its half-year results statement on 2 August. "Contract negotiations have commenced, with contract award possible in late 2012."
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08/03/2012
A white paper published by Japan’s defence ministry has shed light on Tokyo’s views of military aviation developments in China and its decision earlier this year to select the Lockheed Martin F-35A for its 42-aircraft F-X requirement.
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08/03/2012
Navy officials unveiled their new drone strike fighter this week, the UFO-like X-47B. This remote-controlled vehicle will ultimately be flying missions from the deck of an aircraft carrier at sea. This first demonstrator model, now undergoing trials at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, isn't armed with weapons yet, but officials say it will have that capability.
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08/03/2012
As the 100th anniversary of the Russian Air Force approaches us, an increasing number of celebrations are being planned. The most prominent Russian Military Analysts recently took part in a round table conference in Moscow devoted to the potential development of a new bomber for the Russian Air Force. However, while analysing the need for “aircraft of the future”, the specialists have differed in their views.
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08/03/2012
The United States has provided over $25 billion in direct overt aid and military reimbursements to Pakistan since 9/11 according to updates released by the US Congress Research Service to a report released in April this year. Of this, nearly $17 billion has been under various security related programs and over $8 billion for economic support programs.
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08/03/2012
Russia could deploy a "sixth-generation" pilotless strategic bomber aircraft after 2040, Long-Range Aviation Commander Lt . Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev said on Thursday. "That could be around 2040-2050," Zhikharev said. Russia's Tupolev design bureau is currently developing a new-generation strategic bomber aircraft, PAK DA, due to be in service around 2025. The new aircraft will replace the existing fleet of Tu-160, Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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