Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

U.S. Air Force receiving E-3 simulators

12/07/2011

Combat Electromagnetic Environment Simulators for E-3 aircraft are being provided to the U.S. Air Force by Northrop Grumman. The CEESIM system will be used to support maintenance of the U.S. Air Force E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, Electronic Support Measures Operational Computer Program software.

United States DoD contracts for December 5, 2011

12/07/2011

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $835,000,000 firm-fixed-price, time-and-material and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Foreign Military Sales Program which will provide the government of Iraq with the following: 18 F-16 C/D Block 52 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (12C models and 6 D models); support equipment; technical orders; integrated logistics support; and contractor logistics support.

Defense Budget Cuts Will Devastate America’s Commitment to the Asia–Pacific

12/07/2011

The Department of Defense is already preparing for more than $400 billion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, and if the automatic reductions dictated by the 2011 Budget Control Act are not reversed, that number will increase by an additional $500 billion–$600 billion.

Boeing Receives Contract for 1st Major Upgrades to Malaysian F/A-18D Hornets

12/07/2011

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Nov. 28 received a U.S. Navy contract under the Foreign Military Sales Program to provide the first major upgrades for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet of eight F/A-18D Hornet fighter aircraft.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - Legacy review - air power

12/06/2011

Although it's by no means out of the woods yet it seems clear now that the 3DS is having a good Christmas. Key games Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 are both excellent and to judge by the charts they seem to be selling well. But while Nintendo has been shocked into action with their own games they’ll need to rely on other companies to pad out the rest of the system's release schedule. Something this new Ace Combat manages surprisingly well.

Unmanned Combat Aircraft Tests Move Quickly

12/06/2011

Spring 2012 at NAS Patuxent River, Md., and an unusual shape joins the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying the pattern at the U.S. Navy’s test center. The tailless flying wing is Northrop Grumman’s X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D), being prepared for autonomous landings on an aircraft carrier in 2013.

New Delhi’s sea-blindness is hurting our navy

12/06/2011

The Indian Navy briefly touches upon the national consciousness every year on December 4 when it celebrates Navy Day to commemorate its successful sea-borne bombing of the Karachi harbour in the 1971 war with Pakistan. Similarly, it now makes news whenever its warships successfully interdict Somali pirates and rescue merchant vessels off the Gulf of Aden or elsewhere.

Facelift for two Mirage 2000 jets in French Riviera

12/06/2011

The first set of two Mirage 2000 combat jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have flown out for upgrade at the facilities of Thales, the French defence and aerospace giant, as part of a $1.35 billion deal for the 51-aircraft fleet. "Two aircraft - a single seater and a double-seater - have flown out to the French Air Base near Istres. The aircraft will reach Monday-Tuesday after halts in two countries in the Gulf and two in Europe," Thales country director Eric Lenseigne said.

Buzz of Israel's drones resonates throughout region

12/06/2011

Service in the drone squadrons of Israel, the world's oldest military operator of pilotless aircraft, sometimes begins on the fields of teenaged model plane enthusiasts. Veteran air force officers scout new talent among radio-controlled model clubs, a drone commander said Monday during a rare media tour of his unit.

Shrinking Budgets Could Bring New Military Specialization

12/06/2011

The global economic crisis and the pressure it creates on defense spending means the U.S. and its allies must agree on new ways to split and share their military responsibilities, a top former U.S. defense official said.

C-27J battle splits Air Force, Guard

12/06/2011

An interservice battle fueled by disagreements over the purchase and operation of small, fixed-wing cargo planes has divided the Air Force from its own National Guard component and the Army. The debate between the parties over the future of the C-27J cargo aircraft, built by L-3 Communications and Alenia, has intensified in recent weeks in advance of the Pentagon finalizing its 2013 budget proposal, which is expected to determine the fate of the program.

On Defense, Silver Linings, Golden Opportunities

12/06/2011

Gloom and doom from one side, glee and visions of sugar plum fairies from the other: As usual, the Pushmi-pullyu beast that is America’s political elite has it exactly wrong as it weighs the dire (or wondrous) implications of “Draconian” cuts facing the U.S. armed forces over the next decade.

U.S. Military Sources: Iran Has Missing U.S. Drone

12/06/2011

A U.S. super-secret spy plane believed to be in Iranian possession could be a major loss for the U.S. military -- and a major gain for Iran. According to a senior U.S. military source with intimate knowledge of the Sentinel drone, the aircraft likely "wandered" into Iranian air space after losing contact with its handlers and is presumed to be in tact since it is programmed to fly level and find a place to land, rather than crashing.

Lockheed Martin Awarded Contracts Totaling $30.6 Million for Marine Corps Targeting System

12/06/2011

Lockheed Martin received two contracts totaling $30.6 million from the Naval Surface Warfare Center for the Target Sight System (TSS), the fire control system for the U.S. Marine Corps’ AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter.

Defense cuts are too risky

12/05/2011

The congressional supercommittee concluded its work without an agreement on $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade. The impasse could lead to automatic cuts to national defense, which accounts for 20 percent of federal spending. Congress has already cut $460 billion from the defense budget over the next decade; automatic triggers could allow an additional $600 billion in cuts.

Iran claims to have brought down U.S. spy drone; U.S.-led forces say UAV went missing in western Afghanistan

12/05/2011

The United States on Sunday appeared to give credence to Iranian state media reports that Iran had come into possession of a downed U.S. surveillance drone. The American-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) in Afghanistan issued a brief statement Sunday saying that an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance aircraft had gone missing while on a mission in western Afghanistan late last week.

US plane arrives to airlift Shamsi airbase officials

12/05/2011

An American special plane arrived in Balochistan on Sunday to airlift American military personnel from Shamsi airbase after the government sought its vacation by December 11. The government had asked the U.S. to vacate the airbase hours after NATO fighter jets and helicopters bombed two border posts in Mohmand agency near the Afghan border and killed 24 soldiers on November 26.

Sikorsky S-92® "Legacy of Heroes" Demo Helicopter on Display in Malaysia

12/05/2011

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s S-92® "Legacy of Heroes" demonstration helicopter will be shown on static display at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition beginning Dec. 6. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp..

'Combat aircraft contest not over'

12/05/2011

There are celebrations at Linkoping, the home of the Gripen NG fighter, which is barely two hours from Stockholm in one of Sweden’s ultra-friendly inter-city trains. On Tuesday, the Swiss government announced its selection of the Gripen fighter for the Swiss Air Force, turning away the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale.

Swiss socialists want public vote on fighter jet deal

12/04/2011

Swiss socialists want to hold a referendum on the government's 3.1 billion franc (2.5 billion euro) purchase of a new fighter jet fleet if the deal affects spending elsewhere, it was reported on Saturday. The Federal Council revealed on Wednesday its proposal to buy 22 Swedish-made Gripen planes to replace its ageing F5 fighters.

2 More 'Physiological Incidents' Related to F-22

12/04/2011

The U.S. Air Force's fleet of stealthy F-22 Raptor fifth-generation fighters has suffered two additional "physiological incidents" since Nov. 21, the service confirmed Dec. 2. "Since 21 Nov., there have been two physiological incidents and no events of interest," said Air Combat Command spokeswoman Kelly Sanders in an emailed statement.

Brown Fights Air Force Proposal to Eliminate C-27J Program That Could Hurt Mansfield ANGB

12/04/2011

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today vowed to fight an Air Force proposal, currently under consideration at the Defense Department, to eliminate the C-27J program. The elimination of the C-27J could have a serious impact on the 179th Airlift Wing at the Mansfield Air National Guard Base. The C-27J, in addition to being used in overseas operations, is also used domestically for disaster relief and other missions.

Lockheed F-35 output should slow: program chief

12/04/2011

Production of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the costliest arms purchase in history, should be slowed because of the potential number of airframe cracks and "hot spots" turning up in testing and analysis, the Pentagon's F-35 program director said.

How the pending defense cuts could play out

12/04/2011

Congress’ failure to make a deficit deal could cut the number of soldiers by up to 25 percent, leaving the smallest Army since just before World War II. That, in turn, means you stand a good chance of deploying more often. You will do so with older gear, weapons and vehicles, and your pay and benefits — which are protected right now — are likely to see changes in the near future. For military leaders, the choice comes down to cutting soldiers, cutting programs or reducing pay and benefits.

MiG-21 combat aircraft crashes in Sirsa

12/03/2011

A MiG-21 combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Friday crashed near Mangalia village of Rania Mandi in Sirsa but the pilot managed to eject moments before the plane went down. The combat aircraft of AIF took off from Sirsa Air Force station base around 10am for its regular practise. The plane crashed around 1pm in the fields of Mangalia village.