Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

BAE and L-3 Join Forces on Bidding Hawk Training Jet For U.S. Air Force Program

01/16/2012

BAE Systems, Inc. and L-3 Communications today announced that L-3 Link Simulation & Training, a division of L-3 Communications, is joining the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) team as an exclusive partner to compete for the U.S. Air Force’s T-X program. As a principal supplier to BAE Systems, Inc., L-3 Link will lead the design and integration of the Hawk AJTS Ground Based Training System (GBTS) for the United States Air Force.

Pentagon downplays reports of Mideast buildup

01/16/2012

The Pentagon said on Friday that Iran's "destabilizing behavior" was a factor in its planning in the Middle East but sought to discourage speculation the U.S. military was quietly building up forces in the region to counter any perceived threat. The number of U.S. forces in Kuwait has grown to about 15,000 in recent weeks, including two combat brigades, as troops have withdrawn from Iraq following the end of the war there.

The Short Life Expectancy of Iranian Nuclear Scientists: Assassinations with a Message

01/16/2012

Was it an accident that on January 11, 2012 in the Seyed Khandan neighborhood of northern Tehran an Iranian nuclear scientist was killed when a bomb was attached to his car by two passing motorcyclists? The fact that this attack was operationally similar to an attack on an Iranian nuclear scientist a year earlier suggests that it was not an accident but an intentional killing with a message.

French, Saudi warplanes collide in Saudi

01/15/2012

A French Mirage and a Saudi F-15 collided in the kingdom's northern region of Tabuk without causing casualties, state news agency SPA quoted a military official as saying on Saturday. "During a joint exercise on air engagement a French Mirage aircraft belonging to the French armed forces collided with a Saudi armed forces' F-15," said the statement.

U.S. Warns Israel Against Iran Strike

01/14/2012

U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard U.S. facilities in the region in case of a conflict.

East/West to help build next-gen helicopter

01/14/2012

Ronkonkoma-based East/West Industries has been tapped by a Connecticut helicopter design firm to join a team tasked with building the U.S. military’s next-generation helicopter. Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., recently selected East/West to join the team, bringing East/West’s patented, lightweight, energy-attenuating troop seats to the new aircraft, currently dubbed the S-97 Raider.

Unmanned aircraft puts future of pilots, training in question at Dyess, elsewhere

01/14/2012

Dyess Air Force Base is a premier B-1 and C-130 base, but the military is intent on expanding its fleet of unmanned aircraft remotely piloted from the ground. The base's role in a military future featuring more UAVs is uncertain, but these "remotely piloted aircraft" — the Air Force's latest moniker for them — only are expected to become more important.

Military helicopter upgrades worth $3.98 billion in 2012

01/14/2012

The military helicopter modernization, upgrade & retrofit market will reach a value of $3.98 billion in 2012, according to a report released by Visiongain, a market research company in London. The strains of recent operations combine with tighter budgets, and a need to maintain a qualitative advantage drive the upgrade and retrofit of existing helicopter platforms, the company said.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to open Marine aviation exhibit

01/14/2012

James Butcher was a 20-year-old lance corporal who had been in Vietnam only a couple of months, but that was long enough to realize that the scene in front of him — a Marine, sitting alone, waiting for his flight at the Phu Bai Air terminal in 1967 — was a powerful image of solitude and quiet that war so rarely affords.

V-22 Osprey Aircraft’s Reliability Improves in Pentagon Testing

01/14/2012

The Marine Corps V-22 Osprey’s safety, combat effectiveness and reliability have improved in the past year, according to the Pentagon’s test office. New aircraft software evaluated in tests from August through early November “performed largely as expected,” the test office found. The improvement gives Osprey pilots greater capability to track, monitor and communicate from their cockpit with U.S. ground forces and to avoid bad weather.

New F-35B Joint Strike Fighters Arrive at Eglin

01/14/2012

A resolution to be even more expeditionary will be met this year, now that Marines here received their first two F-35B Lightning II variants of DoD's fifth generation fighter Jan. 11. At the 33rd Fighter Wing, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 is the home for the new aircraft where its "Warlords," pilots and maintainers, reside with a team of other professionals in preparation to deploy out anywhere in the world for the nation's defense.

Princess Bassmah - Her Royal High-ness

01/14/2012

Jordan's Captain Bassmah Bani Ahmad, the Arab world's first female aerobatic pilot, former instructor with Ayla aviation academy and chief pilot at the Royal Aero Sports Club, yesterday became a real Royal Jordanian pilot without being involved with the airline as she married His Royal Highness Prince Hamzah Al Hussain.

Boeing Steady with Chinook Orders

01/13/2012

For foreign military sales (“FMS”), The Boeing Company (BA) has received a contract for the delivery of 14 CH-47F Chinook helicopters worth $370 million from the U.S. Army. Per the FMS contract, the U.S Army will deliver these to Australia and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”).

Why Russia's aircraft carrier visits Syrian port

01/13/2012

On Jan. 7, the politically unstable Syria received a special visitor – Russia's only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. The aircraft carrier's visit to Syria during such a sensitive period immediately sparked various reactions.

Netherlands asks Denmark, Norway to join F-35 buy

01/13/2012

The Netherlands has asked Denmark and Norway to join it in acquiring and maintaining future F-35 fighter jets, Dutch Minister Hans Hillen said Thursday after meetings at the Pentagon. The move was an example "of how far the Netherlands is prepared to go in cooperating with other countries in order to keep up NATO military capabilities," Hillens said at an address to the Atlantic Council during a brief US visit.

1 in 3 US warplanes a drone, congress report says

01/13/2012

Nearly one in three US warplanes is a drone, with robots accounting for 31 per cent of all military aircraft, according to a congressional report. The Congressional Research Service paper, obtained by Wired, said the US military had 7,494 drones and 10,767 traditional manned aircraft.

Panetta: Military Will Be Smaller, More Agile, Deployable

01/13/2012

To accomplish the new mission sets for the 21st century, the United States needs a smaller, quicker, more agile military, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today. That is the basis behind the recently released strategy review that will set the stage for the fiscal 2013 Defense Department budget request.

The Global Military Aircraft Market Will Be USD 71.9 Billion by 2021

01/13/2012

Top level overview of the global military aircraft market. A breakdown of the regional spending patterns for military aircraft over the forecast period 2011 through 2021. A breakdown of the military aircraft market by segment forecasted from 2011 through 2021. Insights on the armed forces modernization and defense spending pattern by region. Extensive analysis on the emerging technological and market trends in the military aircraft market

Growing Sino-Pakistan military ties ring alarm bells in India

01/13/2012

India Today reported on January 4, that a secret report prepared by the government's joint intelligence committee has confirmed India's worst fears - China is planning a military base in Pakistan. The paper said that the report, based on inputs from the (Indian Intelligence agency) Research and Analysis Wing, is meant for the Prime Minister, members of the cabinet committee on security and the national security adviser.

Unmanned aircraft popularity soars

01/13/2012

Sheppard Air Force Base is a premier pilot-training base with one of the busiest airfields in the Air Force, but the military is intent on expanding its fleet of unmanned aircraft remotely piloted from the ground. Almost all pilots trained at Sheppard go on to fly manned aircraft. Flying a UAV was considered a huge step down from being at the controls of a manned aircraft not long ago in Air Force culture.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Program Exceeds 2011 Flight Test Goals

01/13/2012

The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 System Development and Demonstration 2011 flight test program resulted in the completion of more test flights and test points than in any year.

Secretary Clinton condemns Marines behavior in Afghan video

01/13/2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed “total dismay” at a video appearing to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bloodied corpses of several Taliban fighters. The 40-second footage, which was posted on YouTube and other websites, features four men in combat gear standing over the three corpses with their genitals exposed as they relieve themselves. The men can be heard joking.

US offers Stinger missiles to India

01/12/2012

The United States has offered the air-to-air version of its famous Stinger missile to India as part of the weapons package proposed for the 22 attack helicopter deal of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The surface-to-air version of the Stinger missile is widely credited for the collapse of Russian helicopter fleet in Afghan war in 1980s and was also used by Pakistani troops to bring down an IAF Mi-17 helicopter during the Kargil war in 1999.

VP-16 ‘War Eagles’ train with Philippine military

01/12/2012

Sailors from VP-16 paid a visit to Diosdado Macapagal Airport near Manila, Philippines to participate in an exercise designed to build ties with the Philippine military Dec. 31-Jan. 4. “War Eagles” aircrew flew several flights in cooperation with the Philippine Navy.

Greece still splashes out billions on defence

01/12/2012

The man who goes in and out of Greece's Defence Ministry has the ministry’s wish list in his head: up to 60 fighter aircraft of the Eurofighter class, for perhaps €3.9 billion. French frigates for over €4 billion, patrol boats for €400 million.