Military Aviation News Archive

Airbus completes qualification of Mirage 2000 and F-16 for UAE in flight refuelling

03/27/2012

Airbus Military has successfully completed receiver qualification of the two primary aircraft-types that the UAE Air Force will refuel from the three A330 MRTT multi role tanker transports that it currently has on order.

Modernize Open Skies

03/26/2012

It may seem difficult to believe, but the United States can fly an unarmed military reconnaissance aircraft anywhere over Russia and 32 other nations, with only 24 hours notice of the intended flight plan. The Russian Federation has a reciprocal right to conduct aerial photography flights over the United States and other treaty members. Over 840 of these reconnaissance missions have been flown over Europe, Russia and North America since 2002 under the auspices of the Open Skies Treaty.

Why Can't the Air Force Build an Affordable Plane?

03/26/2012

Congress and the Pentagon are in favor of commissioning stealthy new bombers at $55 billion apiece. But it's not clear why we need so many expensive features. When the Obama administration dispatched three B-2 bombers from a Missouri air base on March 19 last year to cross the ocean and reach Libya, it put roughly $9 billion worth of America's most prized military assets into the air.

No Go On A Nuclear-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?

03/26/2012

There have been a number of articles lately about the U.S. developing a new unmanned aerial vehicle in secret. Dave Majumdar, at Air Force Times, recently had an article about how the U.S. Air Force’s decision to postpone development of a next generation unmanned combat aircraft suggests that service might be developing something else in the “black world.”

India triggers an arms race

03/26/2012

A recent study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates India was the biggest arms importer in the period 2007-11, accounting for 10 percent in the weapons volume. China, which in 2006 and 2007 was the world’s top arms importer, has now dropped to fourth place. Globally the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons was 24 percent higher during 2007-11, as compared to the 2002-06.

Boeing to Showcase Defense Portfolio for Indian Market at Defexpo

03/26/2012

Boeing will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of products and services at Defexpo India 2012, including the C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I, AH-64D Apache, CH-47F Chinook, V-22 Osprey, ScanEagle and 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control. Defexpo takes place March 29 to April 1 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

New delay over fighter jet choice

03/25/2012

A decision on the choice of the Royal Navy's new combat jet has been delayed yet again following disagreements between senior officers and defence ministers. The Government is poised to perform an about-turn on its choice of plane to fly from two new aircraft carriers that will enter service in 2020.

USAF fields first upgraded F-22 Raptors

03/25/2012

The US Air Force has begun to deploy Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors upgraded with enhanced air-to-ground strike capabilities to the operational fleet, starting with the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. "The 525th Fighter Squadron was the first Combat Air Forces squadron to receive an [Increment] 3.1 modified aircraft," says squadron commander Lt Col Paul "Max" Moga.

Flying to Pease? Base's Air Guard mission tied to new tanker

03/25/2012

With the guts of a Boeing 767 commercial airplane, the new KC-46A air refueling tanker, under development by the Air Force, will present a significant advancement in refueling technology when it rolls off the assembly line in four or five years.

Global Power Shift: West to East

03/25/2012

Media coverage of President Barack Obama’s high-profile visit to Australia and plan to boost U.S. presence in Asia may mask America’s shrinking global footprint. The combination of concern over China and the U.S. debt crisis could set Washington on a course to becoming a mere regional power in the Asia Pacific.

U.S. Air Force Tries Again for Combat Rescue Helicopter

03/24/2012

The U.S. Air Force has released a draft request for proposals (RFP) for the combat rescue helicopter (CRH) program, a successor to the ill-fated CSAR-X competition to replace the service’s Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk search-and-rescue helicopters. The CRH will be a scaled-back version of the $15 billion CSAR-X program. The Pentagon settled on Boeing’s HH-47 Chinook in 2006 for the program but ultimately cancelled the order in 2009 after successive protests, amended proposals and delays.

Iranian weapons help Bashar Assad put down Syria protests, officials say

03/24/2012

Iran is providing a broad array of assistance to Syrian President Bashar Assad to help him suppress anti-government protests, from high-tech surveillance technology to guns and ammunition, U.S. and European security officials say. Tehran's technical assistance to Assad's security forces includes electronic surveillance systems, technology designed to disrupt efforts by protesters to communicate via social media, and Iranian-made drone aircraft for overhead surveillance, the officials said.

Aircraft carrier costs will be half what you think, US tells ministers

03/24/2012

The US Navy has intervened over the adaptation of a British aircraft carrier for a new generation of fighter jets, to assure ministers that the cost will be less than half the Ministry of Defence’s estimate. Converting HMS Prince of Wales so that it can be used by the Joint Strike Fighter will require significantly less than the £2 billion quoted by officials, the assistant secretary of the US Navy, Sean J Stackley, insisted.

Sukhoi Promotes the Su-35 Fighter to the Latin American Market

03/24/2012

The Sukhoi Company will show off its multi-purpose Su-35 fighter of the 4++ generation at the upcoming on March 27 17th International Aerospace Exhibition FIDAE 2012 in Santiago, Chile. A model airplane will be presented on the stand of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which includes the Sukhoi holding company.

China takes military preparedness to a new high

03/24/2012

China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) conducted a first-of-its-kind live-fire air attack drill on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, state media reported on Thursday. The PLAAF's J-10 fighters conducted ground attack training in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), testing its capabilities at the 3,500-metre-high plateau amid freezing temperatures, the PLA Daily reported.

Norway Reaffirms Its Purchase of the F-35 But Looks to Spread Out Cost of Aircraft

03/24/2012

On Friday the 23rd of March, 2012, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence released the new White Paper for the Norwegian Defence Sector. The paper builds on the significant improvements made over the course of the previous years while ensuring that the Norwegian Armed Forces remain capable of meeting both current and future operational requirements.

Sukhoi Su-30SM: An Indian Gift to Russia’s Air Force

03/24/2012

Russia’s Defense Ministry has ordered 30 heavy Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter planes. Given that the same model has been exported to India for more than 10 years, this choice seems both logical and pragmatic. The Defense Ministry and the Irkut Corporation, an affiliate of the United Aircraft Corporation, have signed a supply contract for 30 Su-30SM multirole fighter aircraft, a Defense Ministry spokesman told journalists Thursday, March 22.

Selex Galileo Improves Grifo Radar for New Applications

03/24/2012

Selex Galileo has added new modes to the long-selling Grifo fire control radar and has also designed a pod-mounted version. Angelo Aprile, the company’s head of capability in Italy, told the Military Flight Training conference in London organized by Defence IQ that more than 450 “advanced but affordable” Grifo systems have been sold worldwide. Applications include the F-5E/F, Mirage III, L-159, F-7 (Chinese-built MiG-21bis) and Sikorsky HH-60 helicopter.

Russian MoD and Irkut Sign Contract on Su-30SM Fighter Aircraft Delivery

03/23/2012

Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and President of the IRKUT Corporation Alexey Fedorov, have signed a contract on Su-30SM multirole fighters delivery for the Russian Armed Forces. Under the contract, the IRKUT Corporation will supply to the Defence Ministry 30 aircraft of this type by 2015.

BRAC for 2013 is dead

03/23/2012

The actions of a Missouri senator effectively have killed any chances of a new round of domestic military base closures next year. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday she will kill any plan to set in motion another Base Realignment and Closure round in 2013.

Profit rises 10%, confident on fighter sales: Dassault

03/23/2012

France's Dassault Aviation on Thursday posted a 10 percent rise in net profit to USD 536 million and expressed confidence about foreign sales of its Rafale fighter plane. "Concerning military aircraft, there are decisive opportunities ... concerning the Rafale and drones," the company said in presenting its 2011 results.

Analysts predict military helicopter market downturn

03/23/2012

Analysts at Forecast International are predicting a downturn in the military helicopter market that will last for several years. The consulting company, which is based in Newtown, Connecticut, says that 4,384 medium- to heavy-lift military rotorcraft worth $104 billion will be built during the next 10 years.

India’s Military Inferiority Complex

03/23/2012

Indian officials are preoccupied by China’s growing military power. They would do better to fix their own incoherent defense establishment. Modern India is economically and strategically buoyant, and has every reason to feel confident as the 21st century progresses. So it’s strange to think that this same confident place is developing an inferiority complex over China’s military power.

Budget Contraints May Delay Aviation Programs

03/23/2012

Some modernization programs may be delayed, but not reduced or cancelled due to a tightening of the budget, senior Army leaders told senators Wednesday. Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno testified Wednesday morning to the Senate Appropriations Committee, subcommittee on Defense regarding the service's fiscal year 2013 budget request.

Europe's armed forces team up on refuelling aircraft

03/23/2012

The projects are part of the European Union's efforts to pool and share military resources as the debt crisis and a US strategic pivot towards Asia forces Europe's armed forces to band together. The ministers, who met in Brussels, emphasized in a statement "the urgent political necessity to retain and develop the military capabilities for sustaining and enhancing" their common security policy.