Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Turkey Plans to By US-Made F-35 Fighter Jets

02/24/2012

Turkey is planning to purchase 100 multi-purpose F-35 fighter jets worth $16 billion, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said, reported the daily Milliyet. The first two of the military aircraft will be delivered by 2015, he said. The decision to order two F-35s was made last month.

Boeing touts aircraft deliveries

02/24/2012

Boeing is highlighting its production and delivery of combat aircraft to the U.S. Navy under a multiyear procurement contract. From 2007 through 2011, the company delivered to the Navy a total of 257 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growler electronic attack planes - all ahead of schedule and within budget.

India needs greenfield defence investments

02/24/2012

As defence aviation experts (and losing competitors) debate India’s selection of the Dassault Rafale, our decision makers should utilize the final phase of medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) negotiations to bolster India’s aerospace manufacturing and services infrastructure. This will entail fresh thinking and policy reform.

UAC chief Pogosyan details Russian military aircraft production

02/24/2012

Russia's United Aircraft Corporation expects to sustain the annual production of between 70 and 90 fixed-wing combat aircraft for the next few years, in line with its performance in 2011. Military sales accounted for 80% of the 102 aircraft produced last year, said company president Mikhail Pogosyan.

South Korea Becomes Next Fighter Battleground

02/24/2012

The gloves are coming off. International fighter competitions are rarely gentlemanly affairs, but with U.S. and European defense spending in decline, the pressure to succeed overseas has aircraft makers and equipment suppliers becoming more aggressive in the push to secure crucial foreign orders.

British Test Pilot Marks Milestone in the Joint Combat Aircraft

02/24/2012

A royal Air Force (RAF) squadron leader became the United Kingdom's first military test pilot to fly the F-35C, the carrier variant of the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, Feb. 21. As an international program, the F-35 has eight cooperative partners working with the United States; the United Kingdom was the first country to join the program in January 2001. The UK is planning to purchase the carrier variant to enter service as the joint combat aircraft (JCA).

Boeing Awarded Performance Based Logistics Contract for Sustainment of Korea F-15Ks

02/24/2012

The Boeing Company has received a Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to ensure the long-term, affordable sustainment of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) fleet of F-15K fighter jets. The five-year contract, valued at approximately US$300 million, also brings new opportunities to local industry. Hyundai Glovis will provide in-country logistics handling and supply chain distribution activities.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Flight Test And Production Progress Report

02/24/2012

Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] F-35 program continues to build on its 2011 flight test success. For 2012, the baseline F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flight test plan calls for the accumulation of 1,001 test flights and 7,873 test points. However, growth in test point requirements throughout the year is anticipated, and the plan will be adjusted as needed.

Israel-Iran Conflict: Military Movements in Gulf Region Suggest Imminent Strike

02/23/2012

Recent indications and military movements from the Gulf region point to worsening hostilities between Iran and Israel, which by default involve Israel's ally, the United States. A senior U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, had recently said that Israel is considering a military strike against Iran seriously, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers haven't decided whether to attack or not.

9 crew escape burning Canadian military plane in Florida

02/23/2012

Canadian military investigators are trying to determine whether an RCAF Hercules aircraft damaged extensively by fire and forced to land in Florida Tuesday will ever fly again, the Toronto Star has learned. The multi-million dollar plane, which was on a training exercise, was ablaze when it landed at the U.S. Naval Air Station Key West, forcing the crew to scramble to safety while an emergency crew at the airbase doused the blaze. Damage was reported as extensive.

Russia revs up arms exports

02/23/2012

In 2011, Rosoboronexport, Russia’s main arms exporting agency, fetched $13.2 billion from its arms and military equipment sales, which exceeded the initial goal by $1.6 billion. Russia is the world’s second biggest arms exporter. By 2012, experts predict its turnover to surge even higher, surpassing the $14 billion mark.

Anglo-French UAV cooperation progresses

02/23/2012

The governments of Britain and France are moving forward with plans to acquire a range of unmanned aerial vehicles. Of special short-term interest are medium-altitude, long-endurance vehicles and later unmanned combat aircraft systems.

Boeing Completes F/A-18E/F, EA-18G Multi-Year Procurement II Deliveries Ahead of Schedule

02/23/2012

Boeing today announced that it has completed delivery of 257 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft to the U.S. Navy. Each aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule and within the contract budget.

Lockheed Martin Foliage Penetrating Reconnaissance Radar Deployed to Support U.S. Southern Command

02/23/2012

After successfully completing operational demonstrations, Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] penetrating radar capable of detecting objects that are buried, camouflaged or concealed under dense foliage was deployed to support U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Lockheed Martin’s Tactical Reconnaissance and Counter-Concealment-Enabled Radar, TRACER, will support SOUTHCOM missions in counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Russia to Rebuild Military Airfields near NATO Borders

02/23/2012

The Russian Defense Ministry will modernize two airfields in its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, Commander of the Baltic Fleet Vice Adm. Viktor Chirkov said on Wednesday. “We are planning to increase the length of the runway to 3,500 meters at the airfield in Chkalovsk so that it would be able to receive any kind of aircraft, including Boeings and Airbuses,” Chirkov said. The reconstruction will take about two years.

Russian Military Plans to Buy Foreign Helicopters – Media

02/23/2012

The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to buy at least 45 light multipurpose helicopters from a foreign manufacturer, Vedomosti daily said on Wednesday. The paper cited a defense industry source as saying that a contract worth over 6 billion rubles ($201 mln) for the purchase of fifteen AS350 and thirty AS355 Ecureil helicopters made by Eurocopter is in the works.

Air Force Names Top Fighter Squadron

02/22/2012

On Feb. 16, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced that Kadena's 67th Fighter Squadron earned the Raytheon Trophy for 2011. The annual award, originally started by the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1953, is now sponsored by Raytheon Systems Corporation and is given to the top air superiority or air defense squadron in the Air Force.On Feb. 16, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced that Kadena's 67th Fighter Squadron earned the Raytheon Trophy for 2011.

India to develop next generation electronic warfare systems

02/22/2012

India is planning to develop sophisticated state-of-the-art next generation electronic warfare (EW) systems which would be mounted on to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft and satellites to see deep into the enemy territories.

Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System Scores Successful First Time Demo on Fixed-Wing Aircraft in Record Time

02/22/2012

The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) recently achieved a first shot success from a fixed-wing aircraft, BAE Systems announced today. The semi-active laser guided version of the U.S. military's Hydra rocket successfully hit within inches of the center of its laser spot target after it was fired off a Hawker Beechcraft AT-6C from a range of three miles.

Indo-Russian fighter jet better than US, Chinese aircraft

02/22/2012

The Indo-Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) is superior than the similar Chinese and American rival fighter jets which include the J 20 Black Eagle and the F-22 Raptor, a top Russian military commander has claimed.

Boeing, U.S. drone makers may face future Europe competition

02/22/2012

U.S. drone makers like Boeing Co. have dominated the rapidly growing market for unmanned aerial vehicles, and they're expected to hold sway in coming years. But Europe may provide competitors in the next decade. Last week, Britain and France reached a military cooperation deal that included a joint combat drone program.

Pakistan receives US surveillance aircraft

02/22/2012

Pakistan said the P3C aircraft, modified with the latest avionics, are designed to improve surveillance in the North Arabian Sea, one of the world’s most important shipping routes deeply troubled by Somali piracy. “The two aircraft have been delivered to the Pakistan navy. These aircraft have been provided under the foreign military funding programme,” a spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad, told AFP.

Unmanned version of A-10 on way

02/21/2012

Aurora Flight Sciences has been selected to work on a U.S. military project for an unmanned version of the A-10 close support aircraft. Its selection as a team member in the Persistent Close Air Support program of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was made by Raytheon, which is leading the effort. Aurora, with extensive experience in robotic aerial vehicles, will be responsible for developing the demonstrator aircraft.

Boeing, Bell, Eurocopter set sights on multi-billion-dollar Asia military market

02/21/2012

Boeing Co., Sikorsky, Eurocopter and Bell, the top four helicopter makers, are focused on Asia as 1,000 orders from states spanning India to Korea are set to make it the fastest growing military-chopper market by 2015. Tenders in half a dozen nations should produce sales worth $10 US billion over the next three years, Norbert Ducrot, executive vice president for the Asia-Pacific region at Eurocopter, the world’s No. 1 manufacturer of rotorcraft, said in an interview.

Fearing West, Putin pledges biggest military buildup since cold war

02/21/2012

Russia needs to launch a major military buildup to prepare for life in a dangerous world where international law is breaking down, the West feels free to intervene in sovereign countries, and rivals could invade Russia to seize its rich trove of natural resources, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned.