Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Black box of crashed military jet located

11/20/2011

The "black box" of a military training aircraft that crashed into the Gulf on Friday near the Palm Deira has been located and will be retrieved today. The retrieval of the crash recorder from the wreckage of the Italian M-346 will bring an end to the search operations.

Costly Aircraft Suggests Cuts Won’t Be Easy

11/20/2011

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta shoved his head into a snug aviator helmet topped with goggles one September morning and swooped into Lower Manhattan on a V-22 Osprey, a $70 million aircraft that Marines use for battlefield assaults in Afghanistan.

Costly Hybrid Craft Symbolizes Hurdles to Military Budget Cuts

11/20/2011

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta shoved his head into a snug aviator helmet topped with goggles one September morning and swooped into Lower Manhattan on a V-22 Osprey, a $70 million aircraft that Marines use for battlefield assaults in Afghanistan. “How’d you like that gizmo?” Mr. Panetta said after landing at the Wall Street heliport in the Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter, flies like an airplane — and has been responsible for the deaths of 30 people in test flights.

Military plane crashes in Dubai

11/19/2011

A military training aircraft returning to Italy after the Dubai Airshow crashed in the sea near Deira about midday yesterday, less than half an hour after take-off. The two pilots from the Italian-made trainer M-346 ejected from the aircraft just before it went down in the Gulf near the Palm Deira, which is under construction.

Indonesia to buy 24 refurbished US F-16 fighters

11/19/2011

The United States plans to supply 24 refurbished F-16C/D fighter aircraft to Indonesia, the presidents of the two countries announced in Bali on Friday on the fringes of an Asia-Pacific summit.

Israel has fingers crossed on F-35 deal

11/19/2011

Israeli defense officials say they're confident the first squadron of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be delivered on time in late 2016 despite problems that have set back the project for at least two years. The officials' optimism, reported in Israel's media, flew in the face of the constant technical setbacks that have plagued the development of the stealthy fifth-generation fighter and suggestions in Congress the high-profile project be scrapped because of massive cost overr

India to wrap up MMRCA deal in four weeks: IAF

11/19/2011

The IAF will make public in four weeks the winner of India's biggest-ever Rs 42,000 crore military contract to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA), Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said.

MacKay dismisses fears about F-35 jet program

11/19/2011

Fears that the F-35 fighter jet program is in jeopardy are nothing more than "clatter and noise," says Defence Minister Peter MacKay. MacKay, who is meeting with U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta in Halifax Friday, said the program is vital to Canadian security and will proceed despite concerns about the cost and need of the 65 jets Canada plans to purchase.

U.S. tests hypersonic weapon

11/19/2011

The U.S. Army has conducted the first flight test of a new weapon concept designed to fly within the earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range, the Pentagon said. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command launched the Advance Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), “a first-of-its-kind glide vehicle,” at 17:30 GMT Thursday from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. It hit its designated target at the Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll, about 2,300 miles away.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Review

11/18/2011

After months of average titles and mediocre releases, the Nintendo 3DS is finally beginning to morph into the handheld system that Nintendo always claimed it was. The biggest issues was (and continues to be) the software, but that is slowly beginning to change as more and more franchises are looking to dip their collective toes into the potentially lucrative pool of Nintendo’s waters.

Russia's MiG Aircraft Company develops 3D flight simulator for the MiG-29 Jet Fighter

11/18/2011

MiG is claiming a major first in military aviation with the launch of a 3D flight simulator at the Dubai Air Show, providing volumetric visualization of beyond-the-cockpit space for trainee top guns. The simulator comes complete with the MiG-29's cockpit and actual control systems.

Australia requests C-17 buy

11/18/2011

Australia has asked the United States for the sale of one C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support.

Sikorsky Meets Accelerated UH-60M BLACK HAWK Helicopter Deliveries for Sweden

11/18/2011

Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), today delivered to the U.S. Army the fourth of 15 UH-60M BLACK HAWK aircraft for further transfer to the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV).

Kenya asks U.S. for help with Somalia offensive

11/18/2011

Kenya's government has made an urgent appeal to the Obama administration for the Pentagon to provide intelligence and logistical support to Kenya's faltering month-old military operation in Somalia against the Shabab, a powerful Al Qaeda-linked militia.

House panel urges President Obama to sell Taiwan newest version of F-16

11/18/2011

A House panel on Thursday approved two measures urging the White House to sell Taiwan the newest version of the F-16 fighter jet.?? The bills were approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee weeks after the Obama administration announced in September it was moving forward with a $5.9 billion arms package for its Asian ally.

Gripen Finds Its Flaws In Combat

11/18/2011

The Swedish made JAS-39 Gripen jet fighter [PHOTO] got its first combat experience over Libya recently, as part of the UN sponsored humanitarian bombing campaign. As with most aircraft, the first time in combat, problems show up that were not revealed during tests or training. For example, the encrypted radios, fitted out to communicate with NATO aircraft (Sweden is not a member, but is equipped to operate with the alliance), had problems.

Defending Defense: Defense Spending, Super Committee, and The Price of Greatness

11/18/2011

The future of America’s national security hangs in the balance. Facing a looming Thanksgiving deadline, a select bipartisan panel of 12 lawmakers is struggling to hammer out legislation that would reduce the federal deficit by more than $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. However, it remains unclear if they will succeed.

ADASI joins alliance to support ScanEagle

11/18/2011

Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Company signed a deal at the show to create an alliance with American unmanned air systems(UAS)specialist Insitu to provide support and sustainment of Insitu's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) UAS products and services in the Middle East.

UAE commander confirms Rafale deal is a non starter

11/18/2011

The supreme commander of the UAE armed forces and Crown Price of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nayhan spoke publicly about the collapsed deal between Dassault and the UAE Defence Force for its Rafale fighter aircraft saying all the diplomatic and political will in the world would not overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms.

Mexico takes delivery of its first Airbus Military CN235 MPA

11/17/2011

The Mexican Navy has taken delivery of the first of four CN235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) ordered from Airbus Military through a contract with EADS North America under the Mérida Initiative, a joint program between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Mexico. The remaining three aircraft will be delivered in the first half of 2012.

Tekkenize Your Planes in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon's DLC

11/17/2011

If there's one problem with today's aircraft it's that they aren't colorful enough. Why fly the skies in a camoflaugh or silver covered aircraft that people have a hard time seeing? You want to be bright, colorful and gaudy as possible so those bogies see you coming a mile away. That way - they know you mean business.

Azerbaijan interested in purchase of Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 combat aircraft

11/17/2011

As Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), which displayed its products in Dubai Airshow-2011 in UAE, told APA, Azerbaijan shows interest in JF-17 Thunder combat aircrafts jointly produced by Pakistan and China and announced its intention to purchase aircrafts of this type.

UAE says Rafale proposal 'unworkable'

11/17/2011

A long-awaited French deal for Dassault to sell at least 60 Rafale fighter jets worth an estimated $10 billion to the United Arab Emirates hit a new snag on Wednesday when it said proposed terms were "uncompetitive and unworkable."

Beyond Australia, U.S. quietly builds military capabilities in Pacific

11/17/2011

The U.S. military gave new details Wednesday of U.S. military capabilities in the Pacific, amid fresh warnings that China continues to upgrade its navy and weaponry. The details follow the announcement earlier Wednesday by President Obama of new military cooperation with Australia, including the rotation of U.S. Marines to an Australian base near Darwin.

Skyhawk fighters finally sell to US buyer

11/16/2011

The Government may finally get some money out of the long-stalled sale of its mothballed air combat aircraft. A US company JDI Holdings has bought the last eight of its mothballed Skyhawk fighter bombers for $7.9 million and says it is planning to use them for aerial displays and for US Defence Department contracts. JDI has paid a $1m deposit but the deal, which includes spare engines and parts, depends on approval by the US Government.