Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Defence Watch Hungary Extends its Lease of Gripen Fighter Aircraft Until 2026

02/01/2012

The Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency (FXM) has negotiated an extension of the JAS 39 Gripen agreement with Hungary. The new agreement is extended until 2026. The agreement was signed today in Stockholm by FXM Director-General Ulf Hammarström and Director-General Gyula Keszthelyi of Hungary’s Armament and Quartermaster Office.

Alaska's congressional delegation opposes closing of U.S. bases

02/01/2012

Members of the Alaska delegation and others in Congress are vowing to resist a recommendation from the Pentagon to close military bases around the country. Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich said it doesn't make sense to start a round of domestic base closures at this point. He said he has been calling for the Department of Defense to close bases overseas, some of which "are designed from a World War II model."

Puncturing the Hot Air Balloons on U.S. Defense Spending

02/01/2012

In November, when lawmakers were discussing the U.S. defense budget, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a dire warning: In a letter to Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, he wrote that a threatened deep reduction – about $1 trillion over the next decade – would create “an unacceptable risk in future combat operations.” It would, he said, leave America with the smallest Army since the eve of World War II, the smallest number of ships since World War I, and the smallest Air Force in its hi

General Dynamics Awarded $24 Million F-35 Lightning II Gun System Contract

02/01/2012

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), was awarded a $23.6 million contract by Lockheed Martin Corp. for production of more than two dozen GAU-22/A gun systems for the F-35 Lightning II.

MoD bosses praise BAE Samlesbury staff after fighter’s success in Libya

02/01/2012

Defence chiefs praised thousands of employees at BAE Systems for the success of the Typhoon Eurofighter during its first operation. Peter Luff, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, thanked BAE Systems’ military aircraft and marine engineers for their ‘tremendous support’ during Operation Ellamy in Libya.

EU: Members must share military resources to cope with change in US strategy

02/01/2012

European Union nations must increasingly pool their military resources, especially as individual members keep trimming their budgets and the U.S reshapes its military strategy to focus on regions beyond Europe, the bloc’s top defense officials said Tuesday.

Dassault Chosen to Bid on $10 Billion Indian Military Contract

02/01/2012

India had selected Dassault Aviation of France as its preferred bidder in a $10 billion contest to supply its air force with a new fleet of advanced combat aircraft, the French government said Tuesday. Dassault edged out a European consortium for the coveted contract with one of the world’s biggest arms importers.

Russia to Field Air-Launched Missiles for T-50 by 2014

02/01/2012

Russia will complete development of advanced tactical air-launched missile systems for the Sukhoi T-50 fifth-generation fighter within the next two years, the head of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), Boris Obnosov, told RIA Novosti. “The development of Kh-35UE (AS-20 Kayak), Kh-38ME, Kh-58UShKE (AS-11 Kilter), and RVV-MD (AA-11 Archer) class missiles will be completed in 2012-2013,” Obnosov said, adding the missiles were currently being tested.

Russia to Modernize 30 Tu-22M3 Bombers by 2020

02/01/2012

About 30 Tu-22M3 strategic bombers from Russia's Long Range Aviation fleet will be modernized by 2020, Russian Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Tuesday. "We plan to upgrade about 30 strategic bombers to the M3M standard,” Drik said. Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber that Russia uses mainly to patrol the skies over its southern borders, Central Asia and the Black Sea region.

5 A-10 squadrons to be cut

01/31/2012

The A-10 Thunderbolt II provides the type of close-air support that ground-pounders love and the Taliban dread. Although the A-10s are workhorses in the war on terrorism, the Air Force in its new budget request is planning to get rid of five squadrons. As part of the Defense Department’s efforts to trim close to $500 billion in spending over the next decade, defense officials said Friday that the service intends to cut five A-10 tactical squadrons and two other squadrons as well.

Swiss govt says has not had cheaper Dassault offer

01/31/2012

Switzerland's defence ministry has not received a second offer from aircraft maker Dassault that is cheaper than the type of fighter jet it is planning to buy, a spokeswoman said on Monday. "No official offer has been received here until now," a spokeswoman for the defense ministry said.

Loose Libyan missiles threaten air traffic

01/31/2012

With instability in the Sahel-Saharan region, fears are growing about the fallout from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's (AQIM) potential acquisition of portable surface-to-missiles from Libya.

Ejection Parachute Issue Grounds F-35As

01/31/2012

Fifteen new Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, some of which are participating in the flight testing so critical to moving the troubled Joint Strike Fighter program forward, have been grounded owing to improper loading of parachutes in their ejection seats.

Opinions Differ About Wisdom of Proposed Military Cuts

01/31/2012

As the Obama administration prepares to present a budget to Congress that includes $487 billion in military cuts over the next 10 years, some experts are warning that the downsized defense that is planned could severely jeopardize the nation’s security posture.

Boeing Selects Canadian Firms for Chinook In-service Support Program

01/31/2012

Boeing [NYSE: BA] has selected three Canadian firms to receive the first group of work packages for in-service support of 15 Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters, designated CH-147F for the Canadian Forces. Following an open competition, Boeing chose the following suppliers.

Lockheed Martin To Partner With King Abdulaziz City For Science And Technology (KACST) In Saudi Arabia

01/31/2012

Lockheed Martin and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) today announced the launching of a partnership to research and promote science, technology and innovation, continuing a 45 year relationship between Lockheed Martin and the Kingdom.

Lockheed Martin Delivers 2400th C-130 Hercules

01/31/2012

Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules program has reached yet another historic milestone with the delivery of its 2400th aircraft. The aircraft is an MC-130J Combat Shadow II assigned to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command and will be operated by the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

Russian Bombers Complete 16-Hour Arctic Patrol

01/31/2012

Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers have successfully completed a routine patrol mission over the Arctic Ocean, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. The mission - the first so far this year - began on the night of January 27-28 and lasted more than 16 hours. The bombers were refueled in mid-air from an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker.

Russia Pulls Out of S.Korea Fighter Tender

01/31/2012

Russia's main military aircraft maker has decided not to take part in South Korea’s largest-ever arms tender, for a new fighter aircraft, The Korea Times said on Monday citing the country’s military procurement authorities. The winner of the FX-III tender will sign a $7.3-billion deal to supply 60 advanced fighter jets with stealth capability for South Korea’s Air Force.

Rising risk of Western war on Iran

01/30/2012

The risk of the world being engulfed in a new and dangerous war is increasing. In recent weeks, Iran has come under greater pressure over its nuclear programme, and the chances of this leading to military conflict have escalated.

French jet firm makes Swiss new offer: report

01/30/2012

French aircraft maker Dassault has made a new offer to Switzerland for its Rafale fighter jets after the government decided in November to buy Sweden's Gripen planes instead, a report said Sunday. Dassault has sent a letter to parliament -- which has yet to approve the November decision - offering 18 Rafale planes for 2.7 billion Swiss francs (2.24 billion euros, 2.96 billion dollars), reported Le Matin Dimanche, which said it had seen the letter.

U.S. Drones Patrolling Its Skies Provoke Outrage in Iraq

01/30/2012

A month after the last American troops left Iraq, the State Department is operating a small fleet of surveillance drones here to help protect the United States Embassy and consulates, as well as American personnel. Senior Iraqi officials expressed outrage at the program, saying the unarmed aircraft are an affront to Iraqi sovereignty.

Lockheed Martin chooses LynxOS from LynuxWorks for United Kingdom AWACS radar aircraft

01/30/2012

Military avionics designers at the Lockheed Martin Corp. Mission Systems and Sensors Division (MS2) segment in Owego, N.Y., needed a real-time operating system (RTOS) and software-engineering tools for the United Kingdom Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) radar surveillance aircraft. They found their solution from LynuxWorks Inc. in San Jose, Calif.

Air Force drone crashes near Gedera

01/30/2012

An Eitan-type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Israel's largest drone, crashed near Moshav Yesodot on Sunday. No injuries were reported. An initial investigation suggests that the aircraft exceeded its flight restrictions. The damage is currently estimated at nearly $ 5 million. The investigation showed the incident was apparently the result of both a human error and a technical malfunction. The drone apparently crashed after one of its wings fell off, according to the initial investigation.

Use of US spy plane to continue in S. Korea through 2020

01/30/2012

The U.S. military will operate its U2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft in South Korea through 2020 by delaying its retirement by more than five years, scrapping its plan to replace the U2 with the high-altitude Global Hawk. The U2 has been used by U.S. forces in South Korea for the surveillance of North Korea.