Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Japan Selects Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

12/20/2011

The Japan Ministry of Defense has announced its selection of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II as the Japan Air Self Defense Force’s (JASDF) next generation fighter aircraft, following the F-X competitive bid process. The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant (CTOL) was offered by the United States government with participation from Lockheed Martin. The initial contract will be for four jets in Japan Fiscal Year 2012, which begins April 1, 2012.

North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies; South goes on high alert

12/19/2011

Seoul put South Korean forces on high alert and Pyongyang urged an increase in its "military capability" as the death of North Korea's enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il spurred fresh security concerns in the tense region.

Two upgraded early warning aircraft returned from U.S.

12/19/2011

Two early warning aircraft that were sent to the United State in June last year for upgrades have been returned and will be tested soon, military sources said Sunday. They have been retrofitted with more efficient eight-blade propellers and their radar and surveillance systems have been upgraded. The two aircraft, originally called E-2T, were sold to Taiwan by the U.S. in the 1990s.

Israel Air Force Plans Inviting Foreign Air Forces to a Multi-National Air Exercise in 2013

12/19/2011

The Israeli and Italian Air Forces on Friday completed a two-week joint training exercise involving fighter jets from both nations. The exercise involved pilots flying F-16A, F-16C and F-15Is from three Israeli squadrons, pitted against Italian Air Force pilots flying Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornado strike fighters.

Empires Don't Apologize: Iran in the Imperial Crosshairs

12/19/2011

After first denying that the Iranian military had captured the CIA's RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone, and then reluctantly acknowledging the fact only after PressTV aired footage of the killer bot, the Associated Press reported that "the Obama administration said Monday it has delivered a formal request to Iran" that they return it.

Last U.S. troops leave Iraq as war ends

12/19/2011

The last U.S. soldiers rolled out of Iraq across the border to neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday, whooping, fist bumping and hugging each other in a burst of joy and relief. Their exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered, with troubling questions lingering over whether the Arab nation will remain a steadfast U.S. ally.

High Levels Of 'Burnout' In U.S. Drone Pilots

12/19/2011

Around 1,100 Air Force pilots fly remotely piloted aircraft – or drones. These planes soar over Iraq or Afghanistan but the pilots sit at military bases back in the United States. A new Pentagon study shows that almost 30 percent of drone pilots surveyed suffer from what the military calls "burnout." It's the first time the military has tried to measure the psychological impact of waging a "remote-controlled war."

Fighter pilots on the RAF slow track Too many trainees for RAF’s fast jets

12/18/2011

The RAF faces a freeze on recruiting pilots after being forced to clear a three-year backlog of trainees caused by defence cuts, confidential documents show. Despite sacking 170 trainee pilots earlier this year, air force chiefs have found they still have 150 recruits “too many” for their flying programme, papers passed to The Telegraph disclose.

'Russia will stop any attack against Iran'

12/18/2011

Russia will try to stop any military attack against Iran as the two countries have mutual interests and any attack against Tehran would also be a serious problem for Russia, a Russian military analyst tells Press TV.

Nigeria’s First Female Military Pilot

12/18/2011

Miss Blessing Liman made history on Saturday, December 10, 2011, when she became Nigeria’s first female military pilot. 25-year-old Blessing was commissioned along with her male colleagues who completed the Direct Short Service Course 2010/2011 at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, Kaduna. It may be argued that the emergence of Nigeria’s first female military pilot is long overdue.

Serb air force seeks new fighter jets

12/17/2011

The Serbian air force, left with just a handful of operational planes after wars in the 1990s, wants to buy a dozen aircraft at a cost of around 1 billion euros (1.3 billion), a defence official said on Friday. "The procurement of two squadrons, weapons systems, spares and training will likely require additional borrowing," said the official, who asked not to be named. "Parliamentary approval would be needed."

Hack led to US drone capture, says report

12/17/2011

A hack led to the recent capture of a United States RQ-170 Sentinel drone by Iran, a science-oriented tech site reported. The Christian Science Monitor interviewed an Iranian engineer who said they exploited a vulnerability in the drone's system to fool it into landing in Iran. “The GPS navigation is the weakest point. By putting noise (jamming) on the communications, you force the bird into autopilot. This is where the bird loses its brain,” the Iranian engineer said.

Air Force orders single Predator C Avenger

12/17/2011

The Air Force is buying a single General Atomics Predator C Avenger jet-powered unmanned combat aircraft, the service said in a document posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website on Friday. According to the heavily redacted document, Lt. Gen. Thomas Owen, commander of the service’s Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, approved the procurement. The value of the sole-source contract was redacted.

India, Russia sign deal for another 42 Sukhoi combat planes

12/17/2011

India Friday signed a fresh agreement with Russia for the licensed production of 42 Sukhoi fighters for which the Russians will provide technical and equipment support. The new deal comes a week after an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi Su-30MKI crashed near Pune in Maharashtra following which the entire fleet of 120 planes in six squadrons has been grounded while the case of the accident is investigated.

Ottawa Citizen>Blogs >News>Defence Watch F-35 and V-22 Purchases Will Dominate Military Aircraft Purchases In the Next 10 Years

12/17/2011

The US has recorded budget cuts and is expected to also record budget cuts during the forecast period. Despite this, North America is expected to account for the largest share of 42.9%, of the total global expenditure on military aircraft during the forecast period. The high demand in the region is primarily driven by the development of 2,456 F-35 multi-role fighter aircraft as part of the Joint Strike Fighter program and 452 V-22 Osprey transport aircraft.

U.S. Army envisions the helicopter of the future

12/17/2011

The Army of today is making plans for the helicopter of tomorrow -- fast, tough, and even semi-autonomous. And with the Pentagon's target date of 2030 to begin fielding a fleet of these next-generation vertical-lift aircraft, one can only hope that the Army won't be overly beholden to designs based on the futuristic blueprints of today.

U.S. Military Formally Ends Iraq Mission

12/16/2011

U.S. officials in Baghdad have spoken of the sacrifices made by both Americans and Iraqis at a formal ceremony marking the end of U.S. military operations in Iraq after nearly nine years of war. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that "after a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real."

Oman to purchase 12 additional F-16s

12/16/2011

The US Department of Defense on December 14th, has announced that Lockheed Martin have been awarded $600M fixed-price contract for a Foreign Military Sales program that will provide the government of Oman 12 additional F-16 C/D block 50 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft.

Canada locked on to F-35 jet, no matter the cost: analysis

12/16/2011

There is no chance that Canada will cancel its order for about 65 F-35 joint strike fighters. That fact was underlined again this week with reports from Japan that before Christmas, Tokyo will announce its intention to buy as many as 50 of the state-of-the-art stealth warplanes.

Iran's flying high, but can it hack the drone code?

12/16/2011

The most interesting intelligence-related incident in recent times has been the loss of an American RQ-170 Sentinel ''stealth'' Unmanned Aircraft System to Iran earlier this month. Another term for the aircraft is ''low-observable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle'' or UAV. The ''RQ'' denominator indicates that it is not an armed aircraft, unlike the Predator or Reaper UAVs with their ''MQ'' prefix and air-to-surface-missile fits.

Koreas Is Caught in Arms Race Among Superpowers

12/16/2011

The raging arms race in the region between the U.S, China, Japan and Russia has shifted from naval weapons to fighter planes. The Japanese government says it will select Lockheed Martin's F35 stealth jet as its choice for the next-generation fighter plane. Tokyo will apparently announce its selection later this week. It will purchase four of the radar-evading fighters in 2016 and deploy a total of 50 in stages. The total cost is estimated at W10.23 trillion (US$1=W1,156).

Defence chief signals era of new military alliances

12/16/2011

The British government's most senior defence and security policy advisers are finally facing up to a fundamental shift in the world's military and economic balance. More than two decades after the end of the cold war, they are acknowledging some harsh realities - Europe will no longer be able to rely on the US, Europe is getting progressively poorer, and the people of Europe want to spend less on weapons, not more.

Air Force says pilot at fault in fatal F-22 Raptor crash

12/16/2011

The Air Force made public a long-awaited report about the death of a pilot who crashed in the Alaskan wilderness in the military's most expensive fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor. An Air Force accident investigation board issued a report that said Capt. Jeff "Bong" Haney, 31, was at fault when his F-22 crashed near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a test mission at night in November 2010.

Air Guard Unit Testing Ground for new Mask

12/16/2011

Develop one aircrew mask that can be used on over 100 different air frames. That is the challenge for researchers assigned to the Joint Service Aircrew Mask-Fixed Wing Program.

China Base a Threat to India Navy?

12/16/2011

There’s been much talk in the media of an apparent offer by the Seychelles of a base for Chinese ships deployed to the Gulf of Aden and the West Indian Ocean, to help combat piracy. While it’s not yet clear if the offer has been accepted, Chinese media reports suggest that Beijing is actively considering it as a “resupply” base.