Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Soon, Rs 2,900cr deal for trainer jets for rookies

09/19/2011

India is swiftly moving towards inking another major deal for training aircraft to teach rookie pilots the intricacies of combat flying before it stitches up the over $10.4 billion (Rs 42,000 crore) project to acquire 126 top-notch fighters. The Rs 2,900 crore deal for acquiring 75 Swiss Pilatus PC-7 turbo basic trainers is in the final stages now, with the "note" prepared for the Cabinet Committee on Security being "vetted" by the finance ministry at present, say defence ministry sources.

Romania cannot afford F-16 jets: president

09/19/2011

Romania cannot afford to purchase second-hand F-16 combat aircraft unless granted a long-term financing plan, Romanian president Traian Basescu said on Sunday. "We have no money and we cannot commit ourselves to such a contract without a long-term financing scheme," Basescu said during an interview on private TV channel ProTV.

Marines train with Russian aircraft

09/19/2011

Marines in Arizona will soon duke it out with a crop duster and a Russian helo in a new effort to understand enemy tactics and weaponry. The Antonov An-2, built after World War II, and the Russian Mi-24 Hind, a 1980s-era helo, will be flown at the biannual Weapons and Tactics Instructor course aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

Guard Aircraft Fleets Continue To Shrink

09/18/2011

Over the past decade, the Air National Guard has shrunk in size and continues to fly with some of the oldest aircraft in the Defense Department’s inventory. “I’m very concerned about the future of our Air Guard and the Air Force,” said Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau.

KC-46As to get touch screen control panels

09/18/2011

Boeing has selected BAE Systems to provide touch-screen control panels for the U.S. Air Force's KC-46A aerial refueling tanker. The panel allows control of a variety of interior functions on the aircraft, such as lighting, potable water and waste tanks.

Taiwan to ruin US-China relations sales?

09/18/2011

On Thursday, The Washington Times reported that President Obama has finally made a decision on the long-pending issue of arms sales to Taiwan. According to an unnamed official, the administration has approved the arms package worth $4.2 billion. The package is likely to include upgrading F-16 A/B fighter aircraft, but not the supply of 66 advanced F-16 C/D model aircraft requested by Taiwan.

We Will Do Anything

09/18/2011

Taiwan and Japan have been sending officers and NCOs to the United States to obtain useful tips on how to adapt American military experience from the last decade. China has also been mining this experience, but does not have the same close access to American troops that allies like Japan and Taiwan do.

Defense sector weighs future

09/17/2011

Increases in defense spending over the past decade have been good for the Indiana economy, boosting the state’s defense manufacturers and increasing its take of federal dollars. But with U.S. involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, and Congress looking to cut into the massive federal debt, the spending pendulum is swinging the other way.

US, Australia To Strengthen Military Alliance In Asia-Pacific

09/17/2011

The annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) have approved measures designed to further strengthen the alliance's cooperation, interoperability, and capabilities of the two nations' military resources.

iPads Now Helping Marines Unleash Hell

09/17/2011

When Marines are in a firefight in Afghanistan and need back up, they call in helicopters to blast the enemy from the sky. Sounds simple enough, but it’s not — according to current standard operating procedures for close-air strikes, ground troops radio coordinates to a pilot who then has to rifle through 60 to 80 pounds of maps to find the building he’s supposed to hit.

Boeing Marks 20th Anniversary of C-17 Globemaster III's 1st Flight

09/17/2011

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Sept. 15 celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the C-17 airlifter. On Sept. 15, 1991, test aircraft T-1 took off from the Boeing Long Beach site on a two-hour flight that proved the engineering and design concepts of the aircraft and marked the beginning of the program.

Belarus may buy outdated Su-30 fighters from Russia

09/17/2011

Eighteen Su-30K fighter jets which were delivered by Russia to India in the 1990s could end up in service with the Belarusian air force, respected Russian business daily Kommersant said on Friday.

EADS Awaits Fighter Radar, UAV Decisions

09/16/2011

With two flagship programs in the balance, EADS is awaiting formal government endorsement of both its Eurofighter Typhoon active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and Talarion unmanned aircraft endeavors.

US Senate seeks four-year F-35 production rate freeze

09/16/2011

F-35 production could be frozen at around 32 aircraft for four years, if a US Senate committee's version of the fiscal year 2012 defence budget is signed into law. The Senate's defence panel, on the appropriations committee, recommended a $695 million reduction in the F-35 programme, and freezing new production orders at 32 aircraft through FY2013.

2 pending orders could extend F-16 production past 2013

09/16/2011

The F-16 production line at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics ' Fort Worth plant could see extended life beyond 2013 should pending orders from Iraq and Oman come through as expected. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the company is close to landing orders from the two nations.

Iraq F-16 buy looks ‘promising,’ Air Force says

09/16/2011

The potential sale of 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters to Iraq looks “very promising,” according to the senior Air Force general in the country. “We are hearing very encouraging words and we certainly hope that that will be soon,” Maj. Gen. Russell Handy, commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Iraq and Director of the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq, said Wednesday during a briefing at the Pentagon.

IRIAF's Commander: Iran drills render sanctions futile

09/16/2011

The major "Velayat 3" drills showed that sanctions imposed on Iran by the US and its European allies over the past three decades were futile, Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi told reporters, Press TV reported with reference to IRNA.

Israeli military eyes AirMule for medevac missions

09/16/2011

The Israeli military has identified an operational requirement for an unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) platform that will be used to perform resupply and medical evacuation tasks from the front line. Efforts are now being made to allocate a budget for the requirement in the services' new multi-year acquisition plan and the defence ministry will participate in the funding of the proposed solution.

Lockheed to assemble Korean T-50 jets

09/16/2011

Lockheed Martin will establish facilities in the U.S. for the final assembly of Korea’s T-50 supersonic aircraft to meet the possible U.S. demand for trainer jets, a senior official at the defense giant said last week. It has already reached an agreement on this with Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker which developed the T-50 with technological assistance from Lockheed Martin.

Power Politics, NATO, and the Libyan Intervention

09/16/2011

The recent NATO intervention against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya has been a considerable source of contention among many on the left, with self-proclaimed progressives, most notably Juan Cole, openly supporting this military action.

Deal near on more US military access in Australia

09/16/2011

An emerging defense agreement would let the U.S. expand its military presence in Australia as the Obama administration and its allies maneuver to counter an increasingly assertive China. It would include positioning U.S. equipment in Australia, increasing access to bases and conducting more joint exercises and training.

U.K., France Extend Drone Alliance to Fighter Craft

09/15/2011

Britain and France have extended their cooperation on drone technology to a possible unmanned replacement for fighter aircraft, Peter Luff, the U.K. defense- procurement minister, said today at a military exposition in London.

China’s Military Modernization: The Pentagon Report and Indian Fears

09/15/2011

The recent edition of Pentagon’s Annual Report on ‘military and security developments involving China (2011)’ received unexpected coverage in Indian media. In particular, the focus was on how the Chinese PLA has deployed advanced and survivable solid-fuelled CSS-5 medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) to strengthen its deterrence posture against India.

NATO balks at Libya nation-building, policing

09/15/2011

NATO, which has been bogged down for nearly 10 years in Afghanistan and more than 12 in Kosovo, is desperately seeking a mission it can end, quickly, cleanly and for good.

Defence Reforms and National Security: Managing Threats and Challenges to India

09/15/2011

South Asia is the second most unstable region in the world and is closely following West Asia in the race to reach the number one spot. Among the world’s major democracies India faces the most complex threats and challenges spanning the full spectrum of conflict from nuclear to sub-conventional.