Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China Takes Aim at U.S. Naval Might

01/06/2012

Now China is engaged in a major military buildup. Part of its plan is to force U.S. carriers to stay farther away from its shores, Chinese military analysts say. So the U.S. is adjusting its own game plan. Without either nation saying so, both are quietly engaged in a tit-for-tat military-technology race.

Pakistan to get new F-16s from US

01/06/2012

The US today said the last batch of new F-16 jets purchased by Pakistan is scheduled to start arriving in the country later this month and contended that there had been no stoppage in its programme to supply the combat aircraft to Islamabad. A statement issued by the US Embassy described reports in a section of the media about a stoppage in the US-Pakistan F-16 programme as "not accurate".

MCAS prepping for new fighter squadron

01/06/2012

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma began building for the future in 2011, in preparation for the arrival of the new vertical takeoff F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, which will begin arriving in phases starting in September 2012. It was also another busy year for deployments, with all four of the air station's squadrons either deployed to Afghanistan or serving overseas with various Marine Expeditionary Units. In all, about 900 Marines were deployed last year.

U.S. to cut armed forces – Obama

01/06/2012

The U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled on Thursday a new defense strategy that seeks to cut the country’s armed forces as a part of major cuts to the U.S. defense budget by almost $500 billion, RIA Novosti reported. "Our military will be leaner but the world must know – the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with Armed Forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats," Obama told a press conference at the Pentagon.

IAF Mirages to get new MICA missiles in $1.23 bn deal

01/06/2012

IAF has 51 Mirage aircraft acquired from France beginning 1985, and the Government cleared a $ 2.4 deal in July 2011 with the French firms Dassault and Thales to modernize them with newer generation avionics, Electronic Warfare (EW) suites, and advanced beyond visual range (BVR) capability. The weapons package was separate, and has been cleared now.

Lockheed reveals bold technology plans with 6th-gen fighter concept

01/05/2012

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division has revealed a conceptual next-generation fighter design that offers the first hints of an ambitious, long-term technology strategy for the new class of tactical aircraft that will emerge after 2030. The concept - published in a 2012 calendar distributed to journalists - indicates the company will continue to seek new breakthroughs in performance despite the risk-averse culture of today's weapons buyers in the US military.

Bulgaria Scraps Fighter Jets Buy for Culture's Sake

01/05/2012

Bulgaria will not purchase new military aircraft in times of crisis and unless the problems in the education and culture sectors are solved. The statement was made Wednesday by Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov. Speaking in the Black Sea city of Burgas, where he inspected and officially opened the renovated building of the city's theater, Borisov said there are a number of theater buildings in the country, which have not been repaired in the last 60 years.

Air Force stops Jacksonville military plane contract

01/05/2012

The U.S., Air Force has stopped work on the recently awarded Embraer S.A. contract that could be eventually worth up to nearly $1 billion to build aircraft in Jacksonville because of a legal action requested by former contract competitor Hawker Beechcraft.

FLYING LOW

01/05/2012

India has missed the aviation bus by refusing to invest in research and development. That the decks have been cleared for the Indian air force’s deal for trainer jets is good news in the ‘short term’. But strategically speaking, this is bad news for the country. Why? Because no nation can dream of being a superpower by depending wholly on imported military hardware. Such dependence gives leverage to foreign arms producers that can armtwist consumers like India during a crisis.

Defense Cuts May Not Slash Boeing and Lockheed

01/05/2012

As U.S. defense officials start getting used to the idea of dramatic cuts to military spending, major contractors like Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) are bracing for mandatory reductions of $600 billion in defense and national security budgets.

U.S. turns to drones to counter China

01/05/2012

A recent offer by the Seychelles to refuel and replenish Chinese naval ships on anti-piracy patrols in the northwest Indian Ocean was seen as the latest sign of China's expanding naval power. But it obscured an even more significant development: U.S. deployment of a mini-air force of long-range, remotely-piloted aircraft from a network of airfields in the Seychelles, the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to track and if necessary attack suspected terrorists on land and pirates at sea.

In New Strategy, Panetta Plans Even Smaller Army

01/05/2012

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has concluded that the Army has to shrink even below current targets, dropping to 490,000 soldiers over the next decade, but that the United States should not cut any of its 11 aircraft carriers, according to Pentagon officials and military analysts briefed on the secretary’s budget proposals.

LONGBOW LLC Receives $181 Million for Apache LONGBOW Block III Radar and Data Link Systems

01/05/2012

The LONGBOW Limited Liability Company, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Northrop Grumman Corporation [NYSE: NOC], received a $181 million contract from the U.S. Army for AH-64D Apache Block III LONGBOW systems. The contract includes the first international purchase of the Block III LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR) by Taiwan, which will receive 15 Block III LONGBOW FCR systems.

Kandahar Air Wing rings in New Year with Annual Open House

01/04/2012

About 350 school children and elders from Kandahar Province visited the Afghan Air Force Kandahar Air Wing January 1st during its third annual open house, where they had the opportunity to become familiar with the aircraft they often see or hear overhead.

National Guard Earns Seat at Joint Chiefs Table

01/04/2012

The chief of the National Guard Bureau joined the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Dec. 31, to formally sit alongside the four service chiefs for the first time in the Guard's history. The change became official when President Barack Obama signed the Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision institutionalizing the Guard's seat.

Darabos defends fighter jets

01/04/2012

Defence Minister Norbert Darabos has hit back after a fellow Social Democrat (SPÖ) suggested to sell Austria’s Eurofighter jet fleet. SPÖ General Secretary Günther Kräuter said on Sunday Austria could get rid of its 15 fighter aircraft due to non-existent war concerns. Kräuter argued the alpine country was under higher financial and economic risk these days. He said selling the "expensive" 15 jets might help the SPÖ-People’s Party (ÖVP) coalition to lower the state debt.

Iran military warns US aircraft carrier away from Gulf

01/04/2012

A US aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Middle East should "not return" to its base in the Gulf, the head of Iran's armed forces declared today, adding ominously there would be no repeat warning. We advise and insist that this warship not return to its former base in the Persian Gulf," Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi told reporters, according to the armed forces website.

Japan's JSF Buy Balances Economics, Industry

01/04/2012

As a Japanese weapon, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries F-2 fighter was built in Japan—and only for Japan. In 2011 the government, taking delivery of the last of 94 F-2s, looked at how much it would cost to build more. The answer: ¥15 billion ($193 million) apiece, more than the marginal price that any country has paid for any fighter from a mature production line.

IAF trainer race narrows, MOD chief flies to Seoul

01/04/2012

Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Udi Shani will leave Thursday morning for South Korea in a final round of talks ahead of an Israeli decision over an ongoing tender for the Israel Air Force's next trainer aircraft. Shani will meet top Korean defense officials in Seoul in an effort to nail down the level of industrial cooperation Israeli defense industries can expect to receive from Korea if the IAF selects Korean Aerospace Industries' (KAI) T50 Golden Eagle.

Major refit: Arming the army

01/04/2012

The collapse of the Soviet Union and its daunting military machine spelled the beginning of a process of decay for Russia's armed forces. Now, major reforms are underway to put the military back on track. Russia has revealed details of ambitious plans to spend over US $600 billion on upgrading its army over the next 10 years.

Air Force Buys Light Attack Planes For Afghans - Not U.S.

01/04/2012

Just before the New Year, the U.S. Air Force finally selected a new Light Air Support plane for ground attack in counterinsurgency, picking the Brazilian Super Tucano over the American AT-6– whose manufacturer, Wichita, Kan.-based Hawker Beechcraft, is filing suit over the decision.

F-15 Sale to Saudi Arabia Just Part of $60 Billion U.S. Sales of Aviation Capabilities to that Country

01/04/2012

The recently announced $29.4 billion sale of F-15SA fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia is just one part of a broader U.S.-Saudi military sales and defense cooperation effort that’s central to regional security, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

The Future Military: Your Budget Strategy

01/04/2012

The Pentagon has committed to $450 billion in reduced spending over the next 10 years, but may have to come up with a total of $1 trillion in cuts if Congress follows through with deeper reductions. Make your own plan to reduce the budget by choosing some of the most common, interesting or provocative cuts that have been proposed by various parties.

United States DoD contracts for December 27, 2011

01/03/2012

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $485,000,000 not-to-exceed cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract. A total of $131,500,000 is being obligated at time of award.

Air Force orders 20 planes for training, combat operations

01/03/2012

The Air Force has awarded a $355.1 million contract to buy aircraft that will be used for flight training, surveillance and combat operations. The contractor, Sierra Nevada Corp., is to deliver 20 of the Light Support Aircraft and related equipment including ground stations by April 30, 2014, the Defense Department announced. The planes are single-engine turboprop aircraft to be used for pilot training, surveillance, air interdiction and close air support.