Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Sikorsky's X2 Technology helicopter demonstrator program ends

08/01/2011

Officials at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced that company's X2 Technology demonstrator made its final flight, marking the end of the program. The X2 Technology demonstrator helicopter program will be transitioning to its first application, the S-97 Raider.

UK's first Stealth fighter in successful catapult test

07/31/2011

The tailhook version of the F-35 Lightning II stealth combat aircraft – which, following the recent UK defence review, is now planned to fly from new Royal Navy carriers in years to come – has successfully completed its first catapult launch test.

China to give squadron of J10-B fighters to Pakistan

07/31/2011

Taking bilateral defence relations to a new high,China will givePakistan a squadron of the advanced J-10B fighter aircraft, a media report said. The offer was made by senior Chinese military leaders to visiting Pakistan Army's Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen.Waheed Arshad, the Urdu daily Jang reported on Saturday, quoting defence sources.

Taiwan Insists It Will Buy U.S. Military Aircraft Despite China’s Objections

07/31/2011

The government of Taiwan said it will follow through on its commitment to purchase F-16 jet fighters from the U.S., despite fears that such a transaction would anger Mainland China. "The defense ministry has constantly appealed to the U.S. to sell the F-16 C/D jets through various channels. Our determination to maintain self-defense has never changed," the Taipei government said in a statement.

Number of dogfights between Greece, Turkey hits record low

07/31/2011

The number of dogfights between the military planes of Turkey and bailed-out Greece hit a record low this year. While the annual number of dogfights was between 300 and 500 in previous years, this number is currently at 79 and is not expected to exceed 100 by the end of the year.

NATO fights on though Libya coalition shrinks

07/31/2011

NATO allies are in a hurry to bring the air war in Libya to a victorious end but are having to carry on with a shrinking alliance after Norway withdrew its jets and Italy pulled an aircraft carrier. Norway’s departure this weekend leaves the 28-nation military club with combat planes from seven nations instead of eight to finish a job begun four months ago that some hoped would last just weeks.

Boeing Delivers UAE Air Force and Air Defence's 3rd C-17

07/31/2011

Boeing on July 28 delivered a third C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence at the C-17 program’s final assembly facility in Long Beach.

Boeing-built C-17 Dedicated to the Spirit of the Medal of Honor

07/31/2011

Boeing joined the U.S. Air Force today at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to help dedicate a C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the members of the U.S. armed forces who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Flight Test Progress Report

07/31/2011

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 flight test program moves closer to achieving year-end milestones since the last update issued June 13. The F-35 Lightning II 5TH Generation multirole fighter conducted 107 test flights, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 518.

Russian fifth-generation fighter to make first public flight at Moscow air show

07/31/2011

Russia's Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter, also known as PAK-FA, will perform its first public flight at the MAKS-2011 air show near Moscow in August, Nikolai Zanegin, Deputy General Director of Russia's Aviasalon company, said on Wednesday.

Americans deny Iran's shot down drone claim

07/31/2011

The US based association for the unmanned aerial systems industry has reported US denials of an Iranian report that the country's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone (unmanned spy plane.

Malaysia keen on purchasing Typhoons but concerned about hefty price tag

07/26/2011

Malaysia's Defence Ministry is looking into purchasing Typhoon fighter jets, reports the New Straits Times. The ministry had set up an evaluation team to consider buying the multi-role combat aircraft from the Eurofighter company, although Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has admitted that its development and production cost (it has an estimated price tag of RM600 million or S$243.5 million) is prohibitive.

Chinese fighter jets ‘repel’ US aircraft

07/26/2011

Two Chinese fighter jets crossed an unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait late last month in pursuit of a US spy aircraft, according to defence sources in Taipei and Beijing.

You don’t wait for war to buy fighter jets, says Gen. Museveni

07/26/2011

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, yesterday conceded calls by opposition for the government to give priority to infrastructure and healthcare ahead of military hardware are plausible but said defence cannot wait for war to purchase equipment.

IAF pushing opening of aircraft bids to replace MIG 21 fleet

07/26/2011

Keen on getting 126 combat aircraft as early as possible, the Indian Air Force is pushing for the commercial bids of the two contenders - Eurofighter and Dassault - to be opened before the end of this month.

Russia enters S. Korean tender with 5th-generation fighter

07/26/2011

Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter has been placed on a short list of a South Korean tender for the delivery of advanced fighter jets, a Russian arms industry think-tank said on Monday. Korea is seeking to buy 60 fighters with advanced stealth capability from a foreign aircraft maker in the biggest arms-procurement deal ever for the country with an estimated budget of $7.86 billion under a program code-named FX-III.

China Combat Pilot Training Upgraded

07/25/2011

China is revising its combat pilot training program. The existing system takes ten years of academic and flight training. The new program cuts that to 5-7 years, while increasing flight hours by over 40 percent. This is more in line with Western methods, while the existing system owes more to the one the Russians developed during the Cold War. The new system puts more emphasis on trainee pilots demonstrating combat flying skills before they can graduate.

Eurofighters might replace MiGs, says Zahid Hamidi

07/25/2011

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) might replace its MiG aircrafts with the Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA). Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the 10 Russian-made MiG-29s were nearing the end of their service period and the RM3 billion Eurofighter may fit the bill.

France to purchase Israeli military vehicle

07/25/2011

Israel Aerospace Industries continues to fortify its presence in Europe after it beat out an American bid to sell strategic unmanned aerial vehicles to the French military. Last week, the French Defense Ministry announced its decision to purchase IAI’s Heron TP long-endurance UAV that entered the Israel Air Force service in 2010. The Heron TP will replace the smaller Heron 1, which has been in French service for a number of years.

America needs a strong Navy, now more than ever

07/25/2011

It's Navy Week in Los Angeles, not a routine event in a city currently without a coastal Navy base. However, L.A. is rich with naval influence and heritage nonetheless. In a very real way, the citizens of L.A., like all Americans, have a vested interest in having a Navy - one that is fast, flexible, powerful and global.

The China challenge: a strategic vision for US-India relations

07/25/2011

India is keeping a wary eye on China's rapid global ascent. Unresolved border issues that resulted in the Sino–Indian War of 1962 have been heating up again in recent years. Indian policymakers are scrambling to develop effective policies to cope with a rising China by simultaneously pursuing both a robust diplomatic strategy aimed at encouraging peaceful resolution of border disputes and forging strong trade and economic ties and an ambitious military modernization campaign that will build Indi

U.S. To Decide on Taiwan F-16s Oct. 1

07/23/2011

The Obama administration will make a final decision on the sale of 66 F-16C/D fighter jets to Taiwan by Oct. 1, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on July 21. Since 2006, the U.S. has repeatedly rejected Taiwan's letter of request (LOR) for new F-16C/D fighters. China has called the proposed sale, estimated to be worth more than $8 billion, a "red line."

From Russia without love

07/23/2011

The recent cancellation of two scheduled bilateral exercises by the Russian side has brought to light the existence of some strains in the otherwise robust Indo-Russian defence partnership. An assertive Indian officialdom aggravated by indifferent Russian sales support is causing the latter to resort to short term pressure signaling.

Army manned surveillance plane gets fresh start

07/23/2011

The Army has relaunched its program to deploy a manned airborne intelligence and reconnaissance gathering platform. Working on a tight development schedule, the effort will turn more than 30 commercial turboprop aircraft into flying sensor platforms that will support ground forces by searching out and pinpointing enemy activity.

Libyan army, rebels face common enemy in the mountains

07/23/2011

Accidents caused by lack of training and the mishandling of weapons are common among the rebels of the Western mountains. But negligence might also be an 'invisible enemy' among Moammar Gadhafi's troops.