Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Another reason Israel can postpone attack on Iran

11/07/2011

When you add up F-4 (Phantom), F-16 and F-15, you get F-35. The next fighter plane of the Israel Air Force is taking shape on Lockheed Martin's production line and flight lanes here, in Dallas' sister city. The industrial and technological prowess of the largest military corporation in the world, with annual revenues exceeding $40 billion, cannot fail to impress visitors from Israel. The thorn in the rose is a financial one: The F-35 will be right on the money, but only if paid in full.

Brigadier General Dick Lord

11/07/2011

Brigadier General Dick Lord, the Fleet Air Arm pilot who has died aged 75, was instrumental in the development of America’s Top Gun fighter pilot academy, made famous by the film of the same name.

Multiple missteps led to drone killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan

11/06/2011

On the evening of April 5, a pilot settled into a leather captain's chair at Creech Air Force Base in southern Nevada and took the controls of a Predator drone flying over one of the most violent areas of southwestern Afghanistan. Minutes later, his radio crackled. A firefight had broken out. Taliban insurgents had ambushed about two dozen Marines patrolling a bitterly contested road.

Improving the F-18 Super Hornet

11/06/2011

The details are emerging as Boeing and rival Lockheed Martin, with its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), move from being cut out of the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft and look to non-JSF partners like Japan for new business. Along those lines, Boeing’s concept for a newer Super Hornet is intended to improve the basic airframe in terms of thrust/weight ratio, acceleration, agility, maneuverability, combat persistence, low-observable characteristics and sensor capabilities.

MMRCA deal: Europe versus France contest begins for world's biggest combat aircrafts

11/06/2011

Now, battle-lines for the Europe versus France contest, after elimination of US and Russia in earlier rounds, have been clearly drawn. India on Friday opened the financial bids of the two fighters left in the fray for the world's biggest combat aircraft deal, but promptly declared it would take at least two-three weeks to declare the eventual winner since tons of data had to be computed.

Last of Canadians enforcing Libya no-fly zone return home

11/06/2011

The last of the Canadian pilots and aircrew who helped enforce a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya have returned home to a military air base in Nova Scotia.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon PlayStation 3 Review

11/06/2011

The Ace Combat series has long been known for its heavy action bent and disregard for the more accurate side of flight sim territory, and the latest instalment, Assault Horizon, is no different, and once more discards any pretence at real flight mechanics in favour of total arcade thrills.

Air Force modernization takes B-2 to North Pole

11/05/2011

A B-2 Spirit flew from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to the North Pole and back Oct. 27 on a mission to test the aircraft’s hardware and software upgrades, endurance and its performance at extremely high latitudes.

Boeing Submits Multiyear Contract Proposal to US Army for CH-47F Chinook Production

11/05/2011

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Army for a multiyear contract for the production and delivery of 155 CH-47F helicopters.

India fighter jet deal soars to $20bn

11/05/2011

An Indian contract to buy 126 fighter jets from one of two European bidders could be worth more than $20bn, almost double the original estimate, according to government officials. The defence ministry revised up its initial $11bn estimate after opening bids on Friday from the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium and France’s Dassault, the maker of the Rafale aircraft, a ministry official told the Financial Times.

Ace Combat Assault Horizon Presents F-16C Patriot Skin

11/05/2011

Namco Bandai, in conjunction with the United States Air Force (USAF) and partner GameStop, have joined forces to bring even more intensity to Ace Combat Assault Horizon, the top-flight action shooter. Namco Bandai is giving fans even more than they already have – including exclusive video content and a custom aircraft skin, the F-16C Patriot.

Rethink U.S. military base plans for Japan

11/05/2011

On his inaugural trip to Asia as secretary of defense, Leon Panetta offered reassuring words throughout the region that America’s presence in the Western Pacific will not decline as a result of the ongoing military budget reduction process in the United States.

U.S. Air Force To Upgrade 300 F-16s

11/04/2011

The U.S. Air Force will upgrade between 300 and 350 F-16C Block 40 and 50 fighters with new avionics and increased airframe life, a three-star general said before Congress. Testifying Nov. 2, Lt. Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, Air Force deputy chief for operations, plans and requirements, also said the service doesn't have enough trained UAV pilots, and that the U-2 isn't quite ready for retirement.

Turkey seeks helicopter deal

11/04/2011

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency reports that Turkey is seeking the sale of Bell AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters. The total Foreign Military Sale package includes three AH-1Ws; seven T700-GE-401 engines; inspections and modifications; spare and repair parts; personnel training and training equipment; publications and technical documentation; U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics personnel support services.

Chinese State Media Threatens Military Action on South China Sea

11/04/2011

China's official media published a strongly worded article on Oct. 25, asking countries who have conflicts with China over the South China Sea region to get prepared for a military resolution. On the same day, however, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that they will “do their best to peacefully solve,” the conflicts in the South China Sea. The contradictory statements drew attention.

Recent Development Efforts for Military Airships

11/04/2011

During the past decade’s operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has come to rely heavily on the continuous or nearly continuous presence overhead of both manned and unmanned aircraft to support ground troops. Unmanned aircraft that remain aloft in particular locations (or “orbits”) have been primarily used to provide timely information about activities on the ground and to attack ground targets on short notice.

Pentagon chiefs: bigger defense cuts would hurt US

11/04/2011

Military leaders warned Congress on Wednesday that steeper cuts in defense spending, as either a policy choice or a consequence of political gridlock, will gut the armed forces and sap U.S. global influence.

Iran nuke fears may stir attack plans

11/04/2011

NATO has "no intention whatsoever" of intervening in Iran, the alliance's top official said in response to reports that some governments may be planning a military strike against Tehran's nuclear program. One of those reports came from the Guardian newspaper, which claimed the U.K. military is preparing "contingency planning for potential military action against Iran amid mounting concern about Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme."

Homing in on helicopter defense system

11/04/2011

The Army is looking for a lightweight way to protect its helicopters from shoulder-fired missiles such as those that went missing in Libya during the battles to overthrow Muammar Qadhafi.

A Brief History: One Century of Military Airpower

11/04/2011

Before humans were capable of heavier-than-air-powered flight, thinkers were already conceiving of ways that airpower could be used in warfare. Two years before the Wright Brothers conducted their first successful flights in December 1903, H.G. Wells published his bestselling work of futurology, Anticipations: Of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress Upon Human Life.

Lockheed Martin employees, suppliers and officials get a chance to fly fighter jet

11/04/2011

Step into the cockpit of the world's most advanced fighter jet. It's the F-35 Lightning II. Not only can the fifth-generation fighter cruise across the sky at more than 1,200 mph, but the aircraft's stealth capabilities also enable it to fly deep into enemy territory unnoticed.

Quick-acting, effective military doesn't come cheap: top soldier

11/04/2011

The country's top soldier says that the speed with which Canada contributed to the mission in Libya and post-earthquake relief in Haiti would not have been possible without a trained and well-equipped military. But Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynczyk, whose department is struggling with pending budget cuts during the first real lull in combat operations since 2006, said such capabilities do not come cheap.

Israel test fires missile; Iran in crosshairs

11/03/2011

An Israeli official said Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to persuade his Cabinet to authorize a military strike against Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program — a discussion that comes as Israel successfully tests a missile believed capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Iran.

Airbus Military Targets Southeast Asia

11/03/2011

Airbus Military is betting a new agreement with state-owned Indonesian Aerospace will revive the fortunes of its tactical transport business, by helping it to secure aircraft orders there and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region.

ISRAELI JETS IN ITALY NATO BASE SIMULATED LONG RANGE ATTACK

11/03/2011

Israeli jets exercised a long range attack simulation at the NATO Decimomannu base in Sardinia last week. Israeli media reported the event today after news emerged of a possible military strike by Israel against Iranian nuclear sites.