Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing showcases aircraft in South Korea

10/19/2011

Boeing is showcasing its F-15 Silent Eagle fighter jet and AH-6i attack/reconnaissance helicopter at an international exhibition in South Korea. In addition to military aircraft, Boeing will feature passenger aircraft such as the 787-9. 747-8 and 737 MAX at 2011 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition this week.

US Involved in Covert Mideast War Games

10/19/2011

The United States is reportedly launching major military maneuvers in the Middle East amid speculation that the Pentagon is preparing a response to Iran’s alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington.

China's 'peaceful' coercion

10/19/2011

A recent Pentagon report warns India about challenges posed by China's frenetic defence modernisation, after China launched its first aircraft carrier, the instrument of power projection. China's peaceful rise is best determined by distinguishing between its military capabilities and intentions.

‘Son of Osprey’ Could Replace All Army Copters

10/19/2011

The V-22 Osprey tiltrotor flown by the Marines and Air Force crashes or burns much more often than the military cares to admit. But that hasn’t stopped Osprey-maker Boeing from pitching a new tiltrotor for an ambitious Army program aimed at replacing almost everything the ground combat branch flies … with a single aircraft design.

Northrop remains committed to Dubai as it pulls out of Farnborough 2012

10/19/2011

Northrop Grumman Corp has pulled out of the 2012 Farnborough International air show as part of a drive to cut costs in what it describes as leaner times in the global defence market but it is honouring its commitment to the Dubai Air Show.

Northrop Grumman's X47-B flies in cruise configuration

10/18/2011

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corp. (Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., USA) announced on Oct. 10 that the X-47B unmanned combat air system (UCAS) demonstration aircraft reached a major milestone Sept. 30 when it retracted its landing gear and flew in its cruise configuration for the first time. The flight, conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, also helped validate precision navigation hardware and software that will allow the X-47B to land with precision on the moving deck of an aircraft carr

France 'near closing Emirates Rafale deal'

10/18/2011

France was reported Monday to be in the final stages of wrapping up a $10 billion contract with the United Arab Emirates for 60 Rafale combat jets. That would be a crucial breakthrough for French manufacturer Dassault Aviation, which has been struggling for years to find its first foreign buyer for the multi-role fighter. "We're in the final negotiations," French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told France's LCI television, adding that the prospect of a deal was "very strong."

British Vice Chief of Defence Staff on India visit

10/18/2011

Aiming to enhance mutual defence ties, British Vice-Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nicholas Houghton today began a three-day visit here today. During his visit, Gen Houghton met Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju and Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and discussed issues of mutual cooperation and ways for further enhancing defence ties between the two countries.

Jets, Submarines Lead Korea Push to Triple Defense Exports

10/18/2011

Armored vehicles, trainer jets and weapons will be on display this week at South Korea’s biggest aerospace and defense exhibition, as the nation works to triple annual military exports by the end of the decade.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First F-35 Weapons Load Training System to Eglin Air Force Base

10/18/2011

Lockheed Martin delivered and installed the first weapons load training device at the F-35 integrated pilot-and-maintenance training center (ITC) at Eglin Air Force Base’s 33rd Fighter Wing.

Team of Marines integrates ground, air forces in Afghanistan

10/17/2011

As the Marines and coalition and Afghan forces in the southwestern regional command of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force patrol the Helmand River valley, they do so knowing an overwhelming advantage is behind them. With air assets led by 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), the coalition can strike the enemy at will, move troops around the battlespace safely and quickly, and medically evacuate service members or Afghans in need.

Kenyan Troops Push Into Somalia

10/17/2011

Kenyan military forces moved into southern Somalia on Sunday, an official and residents said, a day after top Kenyan defense officials said the country has the right to defend itself after a rash of militant kidnappings inside Kenya. Late Sunday evening, a military helicopter crashed and caught fire inside Kenya from an apparent mechanical malfunction, a diplomat and a resident said. No civilian casualties were reported, but the status of the pilots on board wasn't immediately known.

America’s Secret Empire of Drone Bases

10/17/2011

They increasingly dot the planet. There’s a facility outside Las Vegas where “pilots” work in climate-controlled trailers, another at a dusty camp in Africa formerly used by the French Foreign Legion, a third at a big air base in Afghanistan where Air Force personnel sit in front of multiple computer screens, and a fourth at an air base in the United Arab Emirates that almost no one talks about.

S African military plane - a challenge to Western dominance?

10/17/2011

A South African firm has produced the continent's first indigenous aircraft, which its makers hope will revolutionize the military aviation industry while bringing in half a billion dollars a year to the local economy. The Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft (AHRLAC) was created by the Paramount Group, a South African defence company, together with Aerosud, an aeronautical engineering firm.

F-35’s neck on chopping block; outcry fierce

10/17/2011

There is a potential target among weapons systems. It’s the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the next-generation, supersonic aircraft for the Air Force, Marines and Navy, the biggest weapon procurement program for the Pentagon at a cost of $238 billion. The aircraft hasn’t lived up to its other name — Lightning II — falling behind schedule and rising over budget, with one variant of the plane suffering cracks in the bulkhead after it flew just 1,500 hours out of a planned 16,000.

Next step in infrared countermeasures development will involve protecting UAVs from missile attack

10/17/2011

Missile-defense experts at the Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., are offering their Common Infrared Counter Measures (CIRCM) system for a U.S. Army competition to protect combat helicopters and other aircraft by jamming the infrared guidance systems of heat-seeking missiles and diverting the missiles away from the aircraft.

US to help track down Libyan missiles

10/16/2011

THE United States is planning to send dozens of former military personnel to Libya to help track down and destroy surface-to-air missiles from Muammar Gaddafi's stockpiles, which US officials fear could be used by terrorists to take down passenger jets.

Historic 'Surge' Exercises C-5 Crisis, Contingency Response

10/16/2011

An historic "surge" of the nation's largest military airlifters will more than double their normal day-to-day workload, exercising the ability of United States Transportation Command and its air component, Air Forces Transportation, to rapidly provide strategic airlift in response to large-scale crises and contingencies, according to officials here.

Despite strong start to KC-46, delays possible

10/15/2011

The Air Force’s KC-46 tanker is a model acquisition program in several ways, yet four things may keep the aircraft from entering service on schedule, senior defense officials said.

China Military Planes Lead to Tripling of Japan Jet Scrambles

10/15/2011

While growing tensions on the high seas have been the main focus in recent territorial tensions between China and Japan, a report released by the Defense Ministry shows prickliness is escalating in the skies as well.

Lawmakers nix light-attack aircraft proposal

10/15/2011

Lawmakers continue to reject the Pentagon’s attempts to deploy light-attack aircraft to Afghanistan as part of a combat experiment. The House Appropriations and Armed Services committees and Senate Armed Services Committee rejected a $17 million U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) request for the Combat Dragon II program, according to a Pentagon reprogramming document.

NATO chief says Libya operation showcased Europe’s commitment to alliance

10/15/2011

The seven-month bombing campaign in Libya is a “positive story” that showcased the commitment of the alliance’s European members, who conducted most of the combat missions for the first time in the organization’s history, NATO’s top official said Friday.

China Expands Its Military Reach

10/15/2011

How far is China’s military reach? The answer depends on what it wants to do. A Chinese warship deployed to the Mediterranean this year, so, by that yardstick, global reach is at hand. But the isolated ship only supported civilian evacuations from Libya, and had no real military potential.

Cutting deeper would devastate the military, Pentagon leaders say

10/15/2011

Defense leaders said Thursday that the Pentagon must be spared from deeper budget cuts than those already planned, and the nation's top military officer suggested that three separate versions of the F-35 might be unaffordable. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee that he is "concerned about the three variants and whether we can go forward in this fiscal environment with all three."

Egypt’s air force chief says planes patrolling Sinai without Israel’s consent

10/14/2011

Egyptian warplanes are patrolling the Sinai without Israeli consent, despite a 1979 peace treaty limiting Egypt’s military presence in the peninsula, Egypt’s air force chief said on Thursday. Parts of the Sinai have been off-limits to Egyptian troops under the terms of the 1979 treaty by which Israel agreed to end its occupation but in recent months the army has deployed reinforcements with Israeli consent to tackle suspected Islamist militants.