Military Aviation News Archive
04/17/2012
The recent crash in Morocco of an MV-22 Osprey that killed two Marines will have no affect on operations or the planned expansion of the tilt-rotor aircraft fleet, said Marine Col. Greg Masiello, V-22 Joint Program Manager. The Osprey remains the “safest, most survivable aircraft we have out there," Masiello told reporters April 16 at the Navy League’s Annual Sea, Air and Space conference. “Our operations currently remain unchanged.”
Read More...
04/17/2012
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has again chosen Irish air space to undertake flight testing of one of its new aircraft. The company’s first military transport aircraft, the A400M Grizzly, spent several hours operating off the west coast yesterday. The four-engine turbo-prop transporter, or airlifter, is specifically designed to meet the needs of European Nato nations, as well as the requirements of international air forces.
Read More...
04/17/2012
One day in late November, an unmanned aerial vehicle lifted off from Shindand Air Base in western Afghanistan, heading 75 miles toward the border with Iran. The drone's mission: to spy on Tehran's nuclear program, as well as any insurgent activities the Iranians might be supporting in Afghanistan. With an estimated price tag of $6 million, the drone was the product of more than 15 years of research and development, starting with a shadowy project called DarkStar overseen by Lockheed Martin.
Read More...
04/17/2012
Military intelligence analysts could learn a thing or two from the people who produce popular reality TV shows like “Jersey Shore” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” according to an Air Force report. The Air Force asked RAND’s Project Air Force team to research reality TV show and closed-circuit TV productions to figure out ways to better analyze data collected by the service’s unmanned aircraft fleet.
Read More...
04/17/2012
I've been a long time fan of the Ace Combat series, but it has been showing weakness of late. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation felt to me like the finale of the current form of business this arcade flight combat simulator had to offer. Time has definitely come for something new to liven up the formula, to appeal to the new breed of military gamers. Tom Clancy has been trying to steal the crown of air combat away with their HawX series.
Read More...
04/17/2012
Inspired by neighbor Brazil's resurgent arms industry, Argentina is hoping to revive its defense manufacturing with the successful launch of production of Pampa combat and training aircraft. Initially the production will meet domestic demand for the aircraft in Argentina's air force and the navy but government planners are looking ahead to Argentina entering defense export markets, analysts said.
Read More...
04/17/2012
Unmanned aircraft are nothing new. What is very new is the use of these aircraft for logistical support in a combat zone. The K-Max Helicopter made its first flight in December of 2011 and is currently being used by the Marines to move supplies. The K-Max is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Kaman Corp (KAMN). According to Kaman's website the K-Max is capable of carrying a payload of 6,000 pounds and can operate for over 12 hours a day.
Read More...
04/17/2012
BK-1, the United Kingdom’s first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II production aircraft, flew its inaugural flight Friday. Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti took the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet through a series of functional flight checks during a sortie that lasted 45 minutes. The jet will complete a series of company and government checkout flights prior to its acceptance by the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
Read More...
04/17/2012
About 40 strategic bombers will participate in five-day drills in Russia’s Maritime Territory near the Japanese border, Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on Monday.
The long-range aviation exercise, which started earlier in the day, includes aerial bombing and launches of airborne cruise missiles at the Litovka test range, he said. Other training missions will include aerial patrol and midair refueling.
Read More...
04/16/2012
Lockheed Martin Corp on Friday won a US$259mil contract adding two more F-35 fighter jets to a fifth batch of jets being purchased by the US military, boosting the size of that order to 32 jets, the Pentagon and Lockheed officials said.
Read More...
04/16/2012
THE Royal Malaysian Air Force got a look at its future military transport capabilities yesterday when an Airbus A400M aircraft landed at the Subang air base for the first time. The plane - Grizzly 4 - is one of five developmental A400M aircraft and is on a tour of customer countries. It will be in Malaysia, its first Asian stop, for four days.
Read More...
04/16/2012
A massive military exercise involving troops from across Europe and North America is set to get under way. Joint Warrior will see warships, submarines and aircraft take to the west coast of Scotland for a two-week training exercise. The exercise is held twice a year to prepare forces from the UK, US, Denmark, Norway, France, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands for events and active service.
Read More...
04/16/2012
With reports of China and Russia trying to slip into the Pentagon’s information networks on a daily basis, U.S. security experts now rank the military threat from cyberspace just behind terrorism and nuclear proliferation. In that atmosphere, the people whose domain has been the cubicle and the computer room are getting a chance to be recognized as “warriors,” on par with those who shoot guns and fly fighter jets.
Read More...
04/16/2012
Along with the ICBM, it was one of the defining pieces of military technology during the Cold War: the B-52 bomber. Those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s knew the B-52 Stratofortress as a central figure in the anxiety that flowed from the protracted staring match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know that the Strategic Air Command was ready at a moment's notice to scramble its B-52s to counter any potential nuclear attack.
Read More...
04/15/2012
Thales UK is to sell its fixed-wing aircraft simulator production business and an aircrew training centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The company said all 400 West Sussex staff employed in civil aircraft training and simulation work would be transferred to L-3 Communications. The sale is expected to be completed during the summer. Consultation has started with the staff affected. Thales UK employs 2,500 people in Crawley, including the 400 staff in the business being sold.
Read More...
04/15/2012
Singapore's latest early warning surveillance jets were declared battle-ready on Friday, in a move that strengthens the Republic's air defences. The four Gulfstream 550s (G550s) - the same business planes used by the rich and famous - were converted for military purposes and will help combatants to spot and destroy enemy targets more quickly. They replace the Republic of Singapore Air Force's ageing E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, which had been in service since 1987.
Read More...
04/15/2012
A U.S. military aircraft crash that killed two Marines Wednesday will give new ammunition to critics of the V-22 Osprey, but the incident alone should not doom the controversial program. The Marines were killed and two others hurt when a V-22 tilt rotor aircraft went down in southern Morocco, where 1,200 U.S. troops are participating in African Lion, an annual exercise with local forces. Marine Corps officials are investigating the crash, and the cause it not yet known.
Read More...
04/15/2012
The media feeding frenzy sparked by the auditor general's devastating report on the F-35 has focused on the politicians, from the prime minister to the ministers of National Defence and Public Works. Rightly so. Also in the crosshairs has been the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, with many journalists calling for his head.
Read More...
04/15/2012
Despite widespread praise in Western capitals for NATO’s leadership of the air campaign in Libya, a confidential NATO assessment paints a sobering portrait of the alliance’s ability to carry out such campaigns without significant support from the United States.
Read More...
04/14/2012
It has been decided to equip current fighter models with available thrust-vectoring engines. The first batch of upgraded fighters will be handed over to the Air Force by late 2020. It is also planned that all new T-50 fighters will have become operational by then.
Read More...
04/14/2012
The U.S. Air Force will restart its stalled $1 billion competition to buy light attack aircraft for the Afghanistan military, it said today. The military will issue a draft request for proposals April 17 and a final version April 30, the service said in an e-mailed statement. A new award is scheduled for early 2013. The Air Force on Feb. 28 canceled a disputed $1 billion contract to Sierra Nevada Corp. after determining the documentation used to make the award was flawed.
Read More...
04/14/2012
The storm system headed to the valley hit northern California hard Thursday night with lots of rain and lightning. In fact, a United Airlines flight with 200 passengers on board was hit by a lightning strike just after takeoff in San Francisco over the ocean. "It happens a lot more frequently than people really realize," said SkyFOX Pilot Rick Crabbs.
Read More...
04/14/2012
Special operations forces have a dedicated fleet of tricked-out helicopters at their disposal, but as their workload grows, they are increasingly reliant on conventional aircraft to get their jobs done. A high operational tempo in Afghanistan has married conventional and special operations forces like never before, forcing a heightened level of cooperation at all levels, from commanding generals to aircraft pilots and crews.
Read More...
04/14/2012
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and its Super Hornet industry partners toured the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais March 20-22 to assess the aerospace capabilities of local companies and to identify opportunities for work with Boeing and its worldwide supply chain. Representatives from Boeing, General Electric, GKN Aerospace, Hamilton Sundstrand, Northrop Grumman, Parker Aerospace, and Woodward participated in the review.
Read More...
04/14/2012
Russian warships will be continuously deployed for patrol duty off the Syrian coast in the Mediterranean, a high-ranking source in the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. “A decision has been made to deploy Russian warships near the Syrian shores on a permanent basis,” the source said. The Russian Kashin-class guided-missile destroyer Smetlivy is currently deployed near the Syrian coast.
Read More...