Military Aviation News Archive
08/29/2011
A major new Pentagon report on the Chinese military says China is on track to build a modern military by 2020 and that despite improvements in relations across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan remains the principal focus of the Chinese military. Fueled by its booming economy, China’s military growth in the past decade has exceeded most US forecasts.
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08/29/2011
B-52 flight and ground crew members from Minot, Barksdale's sister bomber base in North Dakota, wrote a new chapter in the history of Air Force Global Strike Command with a recent goodwill visit to Russia. Their bomber, "Wham Bam II," flew a route rarely used by aircraft, over the North Pole and the polar ice cap. It returned from its 10-day mission to take part in the MAKS 2011 International Aviation and Space Salon on Tuesday by way of an Air Force Base in Alaska.
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08/29/2011
Conservative lawmakers and analysts are seizing on the Pentagon’s finding that China is “closing the gap” with other militaries to criticize the Obama administration’s plans to pare U.S defense spending. The critics say the president does not fully grasp the Asian giant’s global ambitions.
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08/27/2011
If the bipartisan supercommittee assembled by Congress fails to agree on more than a trillion dollars in deficit reduction before Thanksgiving, federal spending will be slashed by that same amount in indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts. Fully half of those cuts would come out of defense.This is not a good way to make policy, for it does nothing to assess and deal with the emerging threats to our national security in a world where Iran is becoming a nuclear power and terrorist organizations are
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08/27/2011
Something has happened on the bombing runs over Libya. France played a major role in this war, winning grudging respect from a Pentagon that has long looked down on many European militaries. Although Americans led the way in knocking out Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s air defenses with volley after volley of Tomahawk missiles, French warplanes flew the first raid into Libya and, along with the British, have flown the bulk of the airstrike missions.
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08/27/2011
The Pentagon’s Report to Congress on China’s military and security developments has been constructed this year not as a criticism but rather as a series of questions in an effort to limit political backlash from Beijing.
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08/27/2011
"In normal times, the defense secretary's support for his department's biggest weapons program would be taken as a given. But these are not normal times. The federal government is borrowing billions of dollars each day, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was put in charge of the Pentagon with an eye to finding big savings. Panetta is well qualified for that role, having chaired the House Budget Committee while serving in Congress, and then run the White House budget office.
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08/27/2011
Moscow is ready to loan Venezuela $4 billion on purchases of military equipment, Russia's Kommersant newspaper said on Friday citing a diplomatic source. "Russia is ready to loan money to Venezuela," the source said. "Considering the current election campaign in the country, this loan would mean the opportunity to support our key ally in the region."
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08/27/2011
Russia has never transferred any stealth technology to China to assist it with its J-20 Black Eagle fifth-generation stealth fighter prototype, Russian plane maker MiG said on Friday.
"We are not delivering any equipment to China, and never have," MiG spokeswoman Yelena Fyodorova said.
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08/26/2011
Money alone cannot reinvigorate an air force after years of neglect—that is the painful lesson the Russian military is learning as it and the domestic industry work to modernize the country’s air force. The influx of funding in the past two years has undoubtedly benefited industry, triggering a reversal of fortunes. But it also has brought to the forefront a raft of new problems, including how to meet the timetable for replenishing the air force fleet.
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08/26/2011
After an inaugural four-day trial at sea, China’s aircraft carrier returned to the mainland’s northeastern port of Dalian on Aug. 14. A reincarnation of the former Soviet carrier Varyag, it was acquired from Ukraine in 1998. The carrier is expected to be enlisted into the Chinese navy in August of next year, to be christened afterwards in October.
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08/26/2011
China is continuing to make significant gains in developing submarine technology but is still dependent on Russia for its aircraft know-how, defense specialists at a recent conference here on the transformation of Brazil's military said.
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08/26/2011
Both politicians and the general public seem unable to focus on significant problems underlying our economic collapse (e.g., huge imbalance in cash flow between the U.S. and foreign nations). Instead, they discuss corporate jets, increasing taxes on the evil wealthy or even throwing more, steadily shrinking dollars at poorly managed, failing businesses and financial institutions.
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08/25/2011
Eastern Carolina military installations are taking no chances with Hurricane Irene. At Seymour Johnson Air Force Base dozens of jets are being moved to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The 78 jets include F-15E Strike Eagles and KC-135R Stratotankers. As the jets are being moved to safety the base says the 5,000 people stationed at Seymour Johnson are getting ready for possible high winds, and flooding.
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08/25/2011
As street fighting continues in Tripoli between Free Libya Forces and members of Colonel Gaddafi's former regime, British and NATO military aircraft are maintaining a presence in the air. In the lead up to Free Libya Forces entering Tripoli this weekend the RAF continued to strike at key Colonel Gaddafi targets within the city as part of NATO's Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR.
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08/25/2011
One of the U.S. military's newest aircraft made its debut over southern Idaho this month as part of a training exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Aircrews and maintenance teams from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif., flew missions from the base as part of a scheduled deployment here.
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08/25/2011
Boeing recently sent two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) on a mission using swarm technology. Although testing drones isn’t new, the fact that the two drones were two different types of aircraft is. Popular Science has more about what’s called the “swarm” concept: This project is unique because it integrates two disparate types of aircraft, which is likely to be necessary if drone swarms are ever called up for duty.
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08/25/2011
The Pentagon issued fresh warnings Wednesday that China's military expansion could stir up new tensions and provoke dangerous misunderstandings.
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08/25/2011
Lockheed Martin completed delivery today of the third production C-5M Super Galaxy to the U.S. Air Force. The sixth C-5M overall to be delivered to the Air Force, this aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., before traveling to its permanent home at Dover AFB, Del.
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08/24/2011
NATO succeeded in aiding the Libyan rebels in toppling Moammar Gadhafi despite early challenges in coordinating missions, and now the alliance and Libyans face an uncertain future, analysts and former officials say.
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08/24/2011
No large military contracts, though promised, were concluded or even announced at the MAKS-2011 international air show. The reason, experts believe, is the open conflict between buyers and sellers. The reluctance of manufacturers and the military to seek a compromise is the big story in combat aviation, even if the incident with the 5th generation fighter at the air show on Sunday steals the spotlight for a time.
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08/24/2011
China watchers have been fixated on the maiden voyage of Beijing's first aircraft carrier this month. However, U.S. and Asian defense planners should take care not to ignore another aspect of China's growing military might. The Chinese Air Force may one day play the most significant role in challenging America's military presence in the Asia-Pacific. At the same time, looming cuts to the U.S. Air Force may wind up reducing its ability to protect American interests.
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08/24/2011
Boeing on Aug. 20 delivered three F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base. The aircraft left the Boeing St. Louis facility on Aug. 16 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea.
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08/24/2011
Lockheed Martin recently delivered its third P-3 Orion with a new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) kit to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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08/23/2011
U.S. Navy officials are giving the go-ahead for the The Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis to begin full-scale development of an infrared search and track (IRST) system for the F/A-18E/F carrier-based jet fighter-bomber, which will give the combat jet the ability to detect enemy aircraft and missiles at long ranges without using radar.
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