Military Aviation News Archive

Some JSFs Return to Flying, Others Remain Grounded

03/16/2011

Seven test versions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) have been cleared to resume flight testing, but others remain grounded while investigators work to determine why one aircraft's primary generators failed last week, the program's top official told Congress March 15.

Read More...

Indian Defence Minister Resisting U.S. Lobbying on $ 10 bn Fighter Aircraft Deal

03/16/2011

India’s defence minister A.K.Antony is reported to be resisting American attempts to use an Indo-U.S. Strategic dialogue as a lobbying point to sell American warplanes in the $10 billion MMRCA deal.

Read More...

Air Force gets two more F-15K fighter jets

03/15/2011

The Air Force has received two more F-15K fighter jets from U.S. defense contractor Boeing, bringing the total number of the advanced aircraft in the country to 47, officials said Monday.

Read More...

BAE Systems signs up for UK-French drone

03/15/2011

BAE Systems has signed an agreement with French defence company Dassault to build a self-piloting drone which will be used by both countries' air forces, as part of the Government's plan to cut defence costs by purchasing more kit with other nations.

Read More...

China Takes The High Ground

03/15/2011

India believes that China now has five airfields in Tibet (Gongar, Pangta, Linchi, Hoping and Gar Gunsa) that are bases for military aircraft. India is also seeing more Chinese warplanes being based full time in Tibet. This was somewhat unexpected, and it's all about thin air.

Read More...

Support for a Libyan No-Fly Zone Comes with Questions about the Future

03/15/2011

More than half of Americans support U.S. participation in creating a no-fly zone over Libya, but support for unilateral U.S. military action is lower – and a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds substantial skepticism about the aims and outcome of political unrest across the region.

Read More...

U.S. Army Slow To Adapt Fly-by-Wire Controls for Helicopters

03/15/2011

Fly-by-wire technology has long been credited for enabling military fighter jets to maneuver through the air. As the advanced computer controls continue to migrate into the commercial airliner and business jet fleets — and more importantly, come down in cost — the digital-only revolution is finally gaining some momentum in rotary-wing aircraft.

Read More...

India tops global arms importers list - think tank

03/15/2011

India occupies the first place on the list of the world's largest importers of weaponry in the past five years, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said.

Read More...

Gaddafi using helicopters to quellrebels as officers fear ground troops will flee

03/14/2011

Colonel Moammar Gadhafi is curbing the use of ground troops as his commanders fear mass defections, military planners said on Tuesday. Britain's leading military think tank said Col Gaddafi could instead use fighter jets and, in particular, attack helicopters to inflict punishing damage on the rebel forces.

Read More...

IAF to procure 64 Light Combat Helicopters from HAL

03/14/2011

The Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is designed and developed indigenously by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in four years since the project began in 2006, and is likely to be ready for induction by the Army and Air Force before 2014, according to defense news.

Read More...

Prince Harry to learn how to fight in Apache helicopter

03/14/2011

The royal is off to a secret US experimental combat weapons base where he will learn how to hunt the Taliban in his attack helicopter.

Read More...

Middle East Receives One-Sixth of Global Arms Transfers

03/14/2011

In the last five years Middle Eastern states accounted for 17 per cent of international arms transfers, say researchers at Sweden's SIPRI.

Read More...

India to deploy BrahMos cruise missile in fighter planes

03/14/2011

India is planning to deploy its 290km range supersonic BrahMos cruise missile on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) being developed with Russia.

Read More...

Did China develop its deadly stealth fighter using parts from a downed U.S. bomber?

03/13/2011

When a U.S. stealth bomber was shot down over Serbia, agents from around the world descended to scavenge parts like these - and in China's case, build their own stealth programme. Live reports on the most expensive leak in the history of military technology.

Read More...

Sarkozy promises Brazil fighter jet technology

03/13/2011

French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised Brazil his government would support Dassault's proposed technology transfer of its new fighter jet as the company seeks an edge in its bid to win a multibillion-dollar Brazilian military contract.

Read More...

Arab League votes for no-fly zone over Libya

03/13/2011

Arab League foreign ministers voted on Saturday to ask the UN Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

Read More...

Joint strike fighter test flights suspended after generator failure

03/12/2011

Lockheed Martin said Friday that aircraft AF-4, one of four F-35A models flying at Edwards Air Force Base in California, "experienced a dual generator failure and oil leak during flight operations on Wednesday. The jet returned safely to base."

Read More...

Argentina dissolves U.S. military cargo plane dispute

03/12/2011

Argentine judge Marcelo Aguinsky dismissed charges against the U.S. after an American military aircraft was seized in the South American country for allegedly smuggling undeclared items, including weapons and surveillance equipment, local media reported Friday.

Read More...

Airbus Military to launch A400M series production

03/12/2011

Speaking on 9 March at parent company EADS's 2010 results presentation, chief executive Louis Gallois confirmed that the controversial aircraft - which has been dogged by delays and political fighting over funding - will finally start rolling off the production line later this year.

Read More...

NATO mulling 'range of options' in Libya

03/11/2011

NATO is considering a range of options, including humanitarian aid and military intervention, but any action should have a clear legal basis, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday.

Read More...

Pakistan plans to buy more F-16s

03/10/2011

Pakistan is trying to purchase used F-16 fighter jets from the United States to enhance its air capabilities, diplomatic sources told.

Read More...

No-fly zones

03/10/2011

What are they? As the name suggests, no-fly zones are geographical areas designated as forbidden to air traffic, and are instituted as a way of preventing rogue regimes from bombing their own people. In order to be effective, a no-fly zone must be patrolled by military aircraft that have the authority to shoot down unauthorized planes.

Read More...

Italians offer Turkey partnership on new military aircraft plan

03/10/2011

Italian defense giant Finmeccanica, a top international group operating in Turkey's defense and aerospace industries, is proposing a partnership to meet Turkey's future military aircraft requirements, a top company official has said.

Read More...

Boeing Begins Final Assembly of 1st P-8A Poseidon Production Aircraft

03/10/2011

Boeing today began final assembly of the first U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon production aircraft in the company's Renton factory. The P-8A is the first of six low-rate initial production aircraft that Boeing is building as part of a $1.6 billion contract awarded by the Navy in January.

Read More...

GCC overspends to counter Iran warns Forecast International report

03/10/2011

Forecast International has suggested that some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries may be susceptible to “over-buying for a certain kind of threat that is not readily apparent,” referring to Iran in its latest report on Middle East military spending.

Read More...