Military Aviation News Archive
06/25/2011
The House voted against authorizing President Barack Obama to continue U.S. air support for allied bombardment against forces loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi and moved to try to restrict funds for the operation. After defeating, on a 295-123 vote, the Democratic- sponsored resolution to authorize military support for the bombing operation, the House debated separate legislation to bar U.S. forces from combat in Libya.
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06/25/2011
From its outset Tornado was designed as a world-class combat aircraft and it is a testament to the design and the outstanding military and civilian personnel who operate, maintain and support it that it continues to provide world class capability in the modern combat environment.
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06/25/2011
Lockheed indicated it could still be in the running for an $11 billion fighter jet sale to India despite the government rejecting its F-16 aircraft. Lockheed Martin's stealth F-35 Lightning II, still in the development stage, could be on the table if the foreign sale is approved by the U.S. government, although no firm decision has been made by Lockheed, a spokesman for Lockheed said at the Paris Air Show.
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06/24/2011
The United States and its allies are concerned that al-Qaida and other terrorist groups may have got their hands on scores, if not hundreds, of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles plundered from Libyan military bases after the civil war erupted there in March.
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06/24/2011
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 pilots and weapon systems operators conducted aerial refueling training with Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers here June 13. Aerial refueling extends the range of fighter aircraft on transits across great distances, increasing the operability of pilots and weapon systems operators to complete missions and training operations.
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06/24/2011
While there are many military aircraft on display from the U.S. and aroudn the world and the Eurofighter entertains the spectators with its aerial acrobatics, the Paris Air Show is all about the commercial jets.
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06/24/2011
With an eye on the future and fed up with the "bureaucratic culture" pervading Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the country's only aircraft manufacturer, IAF now wants the control of the navratna defence PSU.
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06/24/2011
Seeking to increase its share in the growing Indian defence spending, Finmeccanica, an Italian conglomerate, hopes that Italy could sell military and other equipment to India through the government instead of through the current commercial engagement.
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06/24/2011
Britain has sent its youngest female RAF (Royal Air Force) pilot to Afghanistan, to supervise the initial instruction of four Afghan women selected to train to be helicopter pilots. Afghans are, in general, not enthusiastic about women joining the military, or piloting aircraft.
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06/24/2011
Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day, when we celebrate the accomplishments of our servicemen and women. Yet it is also an appropriate time to reflect on the increasingly parlous state of our military.
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06/24/2011
A long-running US military project aimed at producing a "refrigerator sized" laser raygun capable of being mounted on US combat aircraft has received further funding of just under $40m.
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06/24/2011
Two pilots were killed on Thursday when a Russian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in the Astrakhan region on Thursday, law enforcement sources said. “At 4.43 p.m. the aircraft went off the radar screens around 43 km from the town of Akhtubinsk in Astrakhan region,” the source said.
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06/24/2011
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has launched a small, armed, unmanned helicopter which it says could prove attractive to Middle Eastern countries as an attractive alternative to the products being produced in Israel.
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06/23/2011
Syria's Soviet-era military systems breaking down under stress of clash with unarmed protesters.
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06/23/2011
The Russian defence market is set to expand considerably over the next decade, with the Russian authorities seeking to modernise and improve the capabilities of the Russian armed forces, and to cement Russia's place as a leading military nation.
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06/23/2011
The Defence Ministry today categorically stated that the process for procurement of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) was irreversible and the Government was moving ahead to the next stage of finalising the nearly $ 11 billion dollar, 126 aircraft deal.
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06/23/2011
Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc., an Aerospace/Defense Services contractor that offers tactical aviation services, aerial refueling, aircraft maintenance, and other Aerospace/Defense services to the United States and Foreign militaries and agencies, is pleased to announce that it is has secured a letter of intent from Cornucopia, Ltd. ("Cornucopia") to commit up to $8 million for the purchase of military aircraft and related parts and other aircraft assets.
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06/23/2011
Lockheed Martin and its U.S. military partners are attempting to counter at the Paris Air Show this week negative publicity over cost overruns and technical delays that have plagued the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter aircraft project. Senior project officials told reporters and analysts at a well-attended briefing here that they have "turned the corner" in the troubled development of the strike aircraft.
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06/23/2011
Alenia Aermacchi received military certification for its M346 jet trainer from launch customer the Italian Air Force on June 20, the firm said Wednesday. The Finmeccanica unit undertook 180 flights over the last five months, for a total of 200 hours’ flying time, to win the certification. The Italian Air Force will now start the acceptance procedure for the first two series aircraft, which it has named the T-346A.
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06/23/2011
If you needed any more evidence as to how important unmanned aircraft have become to the US military operations, the US Air Force today said drones have amassed over one million combat hours flown. While that number is impressive, it took the planes known as Global Hawk, Predator and Reaper, almost 14 years to do it, but it could take only a little over another two years to cross the two million mark according to Air Force officials.
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06/23/2011
As the dust over rejection of two U.S. companies from the Rs. 11,000-crore Indian Air Force tender for fighter aircraft settles, official sources said the United States would also have to reconcile with India's unwillingness to sign three military pacts. The U.S. was extremely upset after Boeing and Lockheed Martin were knocked out of the race for the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA).
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06/23/2011
The Boeing Company today announced the supplier team that will provide key components for the U.S. Air Force's KC-46 Tanker. The Air Force selected Boeing on Feb. 24 to replace 179 Eisenhower-era KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft.
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06/23/2011
Iraq's Air Force has followed on a contract with Hawker Beechcraft through the American Air Force Security Assistance Training command to support the force's fleet of King Air 250ER aircraft.
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06/22/2011
The US may be out of India's $10.4 billion MMRCA deal, the biggest in recent times, but its firms are making a last-ditch attempt to at least corner a slice of the pie. US defence major Raytheon announced here that it is willing to supply missiles and weapons systems which can be integrated into both Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Aviation's Rafale, the two jets which have been shortlisted by India for the project.
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06/22/2011
Pilots from the 60th Guard Air Base are now conducting training flights after sunset in spite of the rules held for the past 15 years. The air base command set the military pilots a task of intercepting a target in the air in complete darkness with zero visibility.
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