Military Aviation News Archive

Israel orders U.S. stealth planes to counter Iran, Syria threat

07/10/2009

Israel has ordered at least 25 U.S. F-35 stealth fighter aircraft to counter any potential threat from the delivery of Russian advanced air defense systems to Iran and Syria, an Israeli daily said on Friday.

Northrop Grumman Delivers Upgraded U.S. Navy Targets

07/09/2009

Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered to the U.S. Navy two retrofitted BQM-34 Firebee aerial targets, the first delivery in a series of BQM-34 targets retrofitted with current production avionics hardware and software capability from the BQM-74E product line.

Eurofighter Instrumented Production Aircraft Complete Key Flight Tests

07/09/2009

Eurofighter Typhoon’s Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) have been busy lately, pushing forward in the testing of the fleet of development aircraft. IPA 7 recently completed a Paveway IV bomb handling, qualities familiarising flight at EADS site in Manching. The flight which took two hours and seven minutes saw the aircraft flying with six Paveway IV bombs, four MRAMMs and two SRAAMs missiles on board.

India says satisfied with Su-30 fighter, despite recent crash

07/09/2009

India is satisfied with the performance of Russian Su-30MKI fighters, despite a crash in April, and plans to double the number in service with the air force by 2015, the defense minister said on Wednesday.

Moody A-10s to receive new sniper pods

07/09/2009

Moody Air Force Base A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots operating over Iraq and Afghanistan this fall will be armed with new targeting pods designed to increase the already lethal capabilities.

Boeing Debuts 1st Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet

07/09/2009

Boeing today unveiled the first of 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during a ceremony at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' production facilities in St. Louis. The aircraft will be delivered later this month, three months ahead of schedule.

Successful first operational NATO assessment of a Eurofighter Wing

07/08/2009

Excellent results were achieved after the first operational evaluation made by NATO of a Eurofighter Typhoon Wing. A NATO evaluation team certified the Italian Air Force’s 4th Fighter Wing at the Grosseto Base as a NATO Quick Response Force.

18th Air Force Commander C-130J Delivery Continues U.S. Air Force Build-Up Of Super Hercules Fleet

07/08/2009

Lockheed Martin yesterday delivered the 14th of 16 C 130J Super Hercules to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The aircraft will be assigned to the 41st Airlift Squadron, the first active-duty combat C-130J squadron in the U.S. Air Force. This latest C-130J Super Hercules was accepted by Major General Winfield W. Scott III, Commander 18th Air Force, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Modified Boeing Chinook Mk3 Successfully Completes 1st Test Flight

07/07/2009

Boeing Defence UK Ltd., a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, today announced that a UK Chinook Mk3 helicopter successfully completed its first test flight on June 6 at the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down facility during the flight testing and evaluation phase of the Mk3 reversion program.

Aerial gunners provide cover for lifesaving mission

07/06/2009

U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue crews on HH-60G Pave Hawks fly throughout Afghanistan to provide airlift and medical care to servicemembers wounded on the battlefield.

Program Aims to Deliver Unprecedented Surveillance Capability

07/06/2009

A giant, unmanned airship capable of hovering at about 70,000 feet promises to give future warfighters an unprecedented eye on the battlefield.

India Dumps Its MiG-21s

07/06/2009

India has decided to retire 60 percent of its 250 MiG-21 fighters over the next two years. The only ones remaining will be the upgraded MiG-21bis models. The reason is simple, the aircraft are too expensive to maintain and too dangerous to fly. Last month, India lost another MiG-21 to an accident. In the last few years, India believed it had cleared up many of the reliability problems with the MiG-21. Actually, they have, but the MiG-21 remains a dangerous aircraft to operate. India has been usi

Plan to Acquire MiG-29 Dropped

07/06/2009

Sri Lanka has dropped a plan to acquire the Mikoyan MiG-29, a fourth generation multi-role jet fighter currently in service in over 30 countries.

F-22's future still up in air Congress, Obama duel over funding for fighter

07/06/2009

Congress and the Obama administration are locked in a dogfight over the future of the F-22 fighter jet.

Pakistini army helecopter crash kills 26

07/04/2009

A military helicopter crashed in Orakzai Agency near the Afghan border on Friday, killing 26 security personnel.

Indian air force opts for US plane

07/03/2009

The Indian Air Force has chosen Boeing’s C-17Globemaster III for its strategic airlift capability, preferring the American aircraft over traditional supplier Russia.

Switzerland has been planning to buy Eurofighter aircraft

07/01/2009

Switzerland has been planning to buy 22 Eurofighter aircraft, a deal worth over $2 billion. But now, after a year of negotiations and flight tests, Swiss politicians have told Germany (the principal member of the consortium that produces the aircraft) that the deal won't go through unless there are some concessions on other matters (bank secrecy, taxation and air traffic). Linking defense sales to politics is nothing new, and shouldn’t surprise anyone.

MiG-29 jets to be sold off, replaced with interceptors

07/01/2009

The air force's MiG-29N jetfighters will be sold off and replaced with new aircraft, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

Guided Air-Ground Rockets: Program Halts & New Entries

07/01/2009

In “Hydra-70 Rockets: From Cutbacks to the Future of Warfare,” Sen. Leahy’s [D-VT] work to keep the Hydra 70mm rocket family alive through special appropriations was discussed, just in time for the Hydras’ potential on the battlefield to rise again. The key was the addition of low-cost precision guidance, which would expand the number of precision weapons carried by helicopters, aircraft, and even UAVs. “APKWS II… Hydra Rockets Enter SDD Phase,” discussed a laser-guided version from BAE, General

Boeing Wins $750M to Support the B-52H Fleet

06/30/2009

The Air Force is replacing Boeing’s current fleet support contract for the USA’s B-52 heavy bomber fleet, with a 10-year, $750 million firm-fixed-price Engineering Sustainment Program contract. All of the USAF’s 94 remaining B-52Hs were built at and delivered from Boeing’s Wichita, KS facility, and the ESP contract will support about 150 Boeing jobs.

Northrop Grumman and U.S. Air Force Unveil Next-Generation of High-Flying Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft

06/29/2009

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Air Force unveiled the next-generation of high-flying unmanned aircraft - the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk - in a ceremony today at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility.

Russia resumes Su-24 flights after 10-day suspension

06/29/2009

Russia's Air Force has resumed Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft flights after a 10-day suspension following two crashes in mid-June, a Defense Ministry official said on Monday.

Boeing Connects 1st F-15E Simulators to US Air Force's Worldwide Training Network

06/29/2009

Boeing has connected the F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON), enabling F-15E pilots at the base to train virtually with pilots located around the world for the first time. Mountain Home is the first of three F-15E training centers Boeing will link to the network this year.

Pakistan-made JF-17 to start flying by year-end

06/28/2009

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday that the first Pakistan-made JF-17 Thunder aircraft would start flying by the end of this year.

United States Air Force Fiscal Year 2010 Force Structure Announcement

06/27/2009

Air Force officials here announced June 26 its proposed force structure realignment for fiscal 2010.