Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China test its J-10 fighters near borders with India

03/22/2012

China has conducted a massive military exercise in the high altitude Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, close to the disputed borders with India, during which it has for the first time tested the multi-role J-10 fighter jets. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force have conducted ground attack training over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the “first operation of its kind”, official media here reported.

Russia Orders 30 Su-30SM Fighters

03/22/2012

Russia's Defense Ministry has signed an order with aircraft-maker Irkut for 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft, a military spokesman said on Thursday. "According to the contract, the company will deliver 30 of these aircraft to the Russian Defense Ministry by 2015," he said. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

US F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korea

03/21/2012

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed into a South Korean rice paddy Wednesday, about 150 miles south of Seoul, near Kunsan Air Base. The fighter jet crashed after the pilot safely ejected, and no injuries were reported, according to a 51st Fighter Wing news release.

F-22 fighter jets retrofitted after Alaska crash

03/21/2012

The Air Force is replacing handles that engage the F-22 Raptor fighter jet's emergency oxygen system after pilots reported feeling lightheaded and the death of a captain whose $143 million aircraft took a nosedive into a mountain range in Alaska. Capt. Jeffrey Haney was killed in November 2010 during a night mission about 100 miles north of Anchorage.

Deal for mid-air refueller aircraft in last phase

03/21/2012

The deal for procuring six mid-air refueller aircraft for the Air Force has entered its last phase with the IAF completing the field trials of the planes on offer. Airbus Military, one of the contenders of the deal, on Wednesday said the winter trials of the aircraft were concluded by the end of the last year during which the IAF checked the planes against all its specific requirements.

British business pins Gulf hopes on mega fighter jet deal

03/21/2012

As the British defence sector prepares to submit what could be one of the most significant deals in defence contracting with the UAE Air force, the British government is stepping up efforts to court its Gulf partners.

Pentagon’s Iran Buildup Call for Adding Laser Weapons

03/21/2012

The U.S. Central Command plans to bolster military capabilities against Iran by fielding new laser target-trackers for machine guns, enhanced sensors for underwater vehicles, improved protection against drone attacks and upgrades of U-2 spy planes. The Tampa, Florida-based command, which is responsible for U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region, also wants to shift $5.5 million in previously approved funds to buy Gatling guns for Navy coastal patrol craft, according to budget documents.

Korean Air delivers rewired F-15 fighter

03/21/2012

Korean Air on Tuesday made its first delivery of a rewired U.S. fighter plane from its Busan Tech Center under a $400 million order it won from the U.S. Air Force last September. Under the deal, Korean Air will work on 60 F-15 fighters stationed in the Pacific region by 2016, replacing their tail wings and re-wiring them in line with the U.S. military’s project to improve its combat strength. Korean Air will also carry out maintenance work.

Aquino says US drone strikes banned, more US troops welcome

03/21/2012

The Philippines is allowing US drones to conduct reconnaissance flights over its territory but strikes from the unmanned planes are banned, President Benigno Aquino said Tuesday. "For reconnaissance," Aquino told AFP in an interview when asked if US drones were operating in the southern Philippines where hundreds of American troops have been helping to contain an Islamic militant threat for a decade.

Troops who 'telecommute to the war zone' feel its effects

03/21/2012

Drone crews protect U.S. ground troops by watching over them 24 hours a day from high above. Sitting before video screens thousands of miles from their remote-controlled aircraft, the crews scan for enemy ambushes and possible roadside bombs, while also monitoring what the military calls "patterns of life." Only rarely do drone crews fire on the enemy. The rest of the time, they sit and watch. For hours on end. Day after day.

Russian Air Force Adopts New Cruise Missile

03/21/2012

A new cruise missile has entered service with the Russian Air Force’s strategic long-range arms division, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Tuesday. He did not provide any details, only saying it was an air-launched long range missile. AF chief Col Gen Alexander Zelin previously said the new cruise missile was developed by the Taktitcheskoye Raketnoye Vooruzhenie (Tactical Missile) defense corporation and that its specifications were secret.

Russia Agrees to Pay More for Crimea Airbase

03/21/2012

Russia has offered to pay $2 million a year for the use of a training airbase in Ukraine’s Crimea, up from $700,000, the Kommersant-Ukraina newspaper reported on Tuesday. Ukraine said last April that India and China were showing interest in the training facility, after which Russia offered to pay more in rent.

Boeing Statement on Death of Former McDonnell Douglas CEO Sandy McDonnell

03/21/2012

“The people of Boeing extend our deepest sympathies to the McDonnell family, and join them in mourning Sandy’s passing. Sandy’s commitment to his colleagues and customers, his country, and his community during his 40-year career and throughout his lifetime, was extraordinary,” said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney.

Air Force changes name of MC-130J

03/20/2012

Officials announced a popular name change for the MC130J here March 9 that honors the Air Commando legacy and capitalizes on the versatility of the aircraft. "Air Force Special Operation Command MC-130Js will be equipped to fly various missions and will be called Commando II," said Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, the AFSOC commander, in the memorandum requesting the change. "This name best reflects the multi-mission role of the aircraft and the units that will fly them."

U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike Against Iran

03/20/2012

A classified war simulation held this month to assess the repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran forecasts that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to American officials.

Insitu signs deal with Netherlands

03/20/2012

Bingen-based Insitu Inc. has signed a contract to supply its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft to the Netherlands to fly surveillance missions for the nation’s Ministry of Defense. The Netherlands’ military has been using a different unmanned system, which will soon be replaced by the ScanEagle, said Jill Vacek, a spokeswoman for Insitu, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co. She would not disclose the number of aircraft ordered or the dollar amount of the Netherlands’ contract.

Cameron's warplane shot down as cost of converting aircraft carriers to fly them trebles

03/20/2012

David Cameron will perform a humiliating U-turn over the warplanes that will fly from the Royal Navy’s planned new aircraft carriers. Military chiefs have advised him to axe plans to buy the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter after the cost of converting the carriers to fly them trebled to £2billion.

U.S., Turkish Air Forces Complete Anatolian Falcon 2012

03/20/2012

Anatolian Falcon 2012, a bilateral training exercise between the Turkish and U.S. air forces, ended here March 16. The exercise was designed to strengthen military interoperability between the two nations and test the air forces' abilities to conduct a variety of air missions to include interdiction, attack, air superiority, defense suppression, airlift, air refueling and reconnaissance.

Israel Worried Over Syrian Hezbollah Missiles - Haaretz

03/20/2012

Syria has supplied Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia with advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft missile systems and is training operators how to use them, Israel’s Haaretz daily reported citing a high-ranking military source. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is worried that Syrian deliveries of huge quantities of surface-to-air missiles could change the balance of power in the region and jeopardize Israel’s aerial supremacy.

Budget 2012: Where is the fire power?

03/20/2012

India has not paid sufficient attention to its defence and security needs. Faced with deteriorating finances, acute fiscal distress, huge shortfall in tax collection and disinvestment, as well as miscalculation of subsidies, the government had decided on an unusual step: cutting the defence budget for this fiscal. The Centre proposed a cut of ‘a few thousand crores’ in the defence budget of 2011-12.

India World’s Top Arms Importer – SIPRI

03/20/2012

India has topped a rating of the world's largest heavy arms importers, released on Monday by the independent Stockholm-based International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), researching into conflicts, arms control and disarmament. According to the report, India, the largest arms recipient, accounted for 10 percent of global arms imports between 2007 and 2011.

Defence boost heavy-lift and amphibious capability with new ship, C-17 aircraft

03/19/2012

AUSTRALIAN Defence Force heavy-lift and amphibious capability has been boosted with the purchase of a sixth C-17 Globemaster cargo plane at a cost of $280 million and an off-shore support ship for $130 million. The additional C-17 purchase will bring to six the number of Globemasters available to the Royal Australian Air Force for military deployment support or disaster relief, Defence Minister Stephen Smith said.

China's Share of Global Arms Imports Falls, Sipri Says

03/19/2012

China, the world’s top weapons importer for much of the past decade, fell to fourth from second on an annual list from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as it produces more arms at home. China received 5 percent of the volume of international transfers of “major conventional weapons” from 2007 to 2011, Sipri said in a report released today.

Boeing moves Apache Block III attack helicopter program forward with $187 million Army contract

03/19/2012

Military helicopter experts at the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in Mesa, Ariz., are moving forward with the Apache Block III attack helicopter program with a $187 million contract Friday from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., for development, integration and testing requirements on the Apache Block III program.

Tahir Rafique Butt takes over as new PAF chief

03/19/2012

Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt took over as the new chief of the air staff of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at a ceremony held here at the Air Headquarters on Monday. Born in 1955, Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt received his early education at PAF Public School, Sargodha. Subsequently, he joined Pakistan Air Force and graduated from PAF Academy, Risalpur in March, 1977.