Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Global Fighter Jets: Asia, The New Centre Of Gravity?

04/20/2011

Some of Asia’s aerospace industries are starting work on fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Despite huge technological hurdles, these countries could displace Western Europe as a leading centre of fighter jet development, and possibly one day give the United States some real competition in global markets.

Ma renews call for US fighter jet sale

04/20/2011

President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday renewed his call on Washington to sell Taiwan F-16C/D aircraft, while a Coast Guard Administration official announced “rigorous combat training” for coast guard personnel in the South China Sea.

Stealthy sabre-rattling: China's secret jet completes second test flight in latest show of military strength

04/20/2011

China has staged a second test flight of its new stealth fighter jet in its latest display of military strength. Scores of people watched the prototype J-20 take to the skies at an airfield in Chengdu, in Sichuan province. They cheered and applauded as it made several passes, waggling its wings ‘to salute the crowd,’ according to one onlooker.

Lockheed Martin Tactical Reconnaissance Radar Completes Unmanned Aerial System Test Flights

04/20/2011

Lockheed Martin’s Tactical Reconnaissance and Counter-Concealment-Enabled Radar, TRACER, has completed flight testing aboard a Predator B MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial System. TRACER is a dual-band (UHF and VHF) synthetic-aperture radar capable of detecting and geo-locating objects that are buried, camouflaged or concealed under foliage. Classified as a queuing sensor, TRACER processes images in real time, and can immediately down-link captured images to multiple ground stations. Prior to the MQ-9 UAS fl

Boeing Supports Australian Army Kiowa Fleet Through 60,000 Flight Hours

04/20/2011

Boeing earlier this month reached the milestone of supporting the Australian Army's 27 Bell 206B-1 Kiowa helicopters for more than 60,000 flight hours. The achievement includes 180 hours of relief efforts following the recent cyclone and flooding in Queensland.

U.S. Continues Support of NATO Operations in Libya

04/19/2011

A U.S. military fighter jet destroyed two of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s surface-to-air missile sites near the Libyan capital of Tripoli yesterday, continuing U.S. support of NATO operations there, officials reported.

The Strange Case of the (Nearby) But Missing F-22s Over Libya

04/19/2011

Retired Air Force lieutenant general Dave Deptula, a former fighter pilot, air war boss and Air Force intel chief, says politics kept the F-22 on the sidelines. "The F-22 could have established a no-fly zone over Libya without any other airplanes being required to overfly Libya," he says. "That would have obviated the need for any other coalition partner from participating, and therefore was not a desirable option politically."

Mystery jet 'flies' again

04/19/2011

Photos of China's J-20 stealth fighter prototype are all the rage on online military forums, after word emerged that another test flight was completed Sunday when officials in Beijing celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China's aviation industry.

Britain receives its largest military aircraft

04/19/2011

Britain's largest military aircraft, which is nearly 60 metres long and has a wingspan of 60 metres, arrived in the country from Madrid to undergo intensive trials, media reports said. This strategic tanker named Voyager will play the dual role of transport aircraft and an air to air tanker for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It can carry up to 290 troops. The aircraft is expected to replace the long-serving VC-10 and Tristar following its intensive testing programme.

Unmanned military aircraft get a boost with new contract

04/19/2011

Unmanned military aircraft running on lithium-ion batteries received a boost for future development with a new a U.S. Air Force contract designed to fund work on longer lasting and cheaper batteries of the mineral compound. Lithium-ion batteries are seen by military industry analysts as a major, stable source of power for operating small to medium-sized machines. Success with the ongoing research will mean that lithium-ion batteries could also run consumer items at lower costs and with greater

Czech Republic may sell combat jets to Iraq

04/19/2011

The Czech Republic is planning to offer Iraq a number of light attack aircraft and help Baghdad to modernize its helicopter fleet, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said. Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas will visit Iraq on May 23-24 to promote closer economic cooperation with Baghdad and sign an agreement on mutual protection of investments.

UAE's MRTT takes successful first flight

04/19/2011

The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT for the United Arab Emirates Air Force has successfully completed its maiden flight following conversion of the aircraft in Madrid.

Republic of Korea Air Force Receives First Lockheed Martin Sniper® Pods

04/19/2011

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) recently received Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Sniper pods for their F-15K aircraft. Delivered to Daegu Air Base, South Korea, these pods will be immediately deployed into full flight operations with the ROKAF F-15K fleet.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First F-35 Full Mission Simulator to Eglin Air Force Base

04/19/2011

Lockheed Martin marked the delivery of the first F-35 Lightning II Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system to Eglin Air Force Base’s 33rd Fighter Wing. Preparation and assembly is underway at the base’s F-35 Integrated Training Center (ITC) for training to commence this fall. The Joint Strike Fighter FMS includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system and a reconfigurable cockpit that simulates all three aircraft variants for U.S. and international partner services. The system is the high

Boeing, Australia Announce Order for 5th C-17 Globemaster III

04/19/2011

Boeing announced today that the Commonwealth of Australia has signed an agreement with the U.S. government to acquire a fifth Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter. The Foreign Military Sale allows the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to expand its C-17 fleet as it faces an increased demand for humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

The Afghan Syndrome Comes To Libya

04/18/2011

The Libyan rebels are complaining that the NATO air support is inadequate. While there were over a hundred fighters and bombers sent into action, by 17 nations (14 of 28 NATO members plus the UAE, Qatar and Sweden), most of the contributing nations have restrictions on how their aircraft could be used. As a result, six of the nations (mostly Britain and France) provide nearly all the actual bombing support to the rebels on the ground. The other nations restrict their aircraft to recon missions,

Forty nations made a pact on Libya – now they have to act on it

04/16/2011

At the last count, around 40 countries had committed themselves to support the Nato mission to protect Libya’s civilian population. But when it comes to the altogether more challenging business of launching air strikes, only a handful are prepared to allow their planes to take part.

Dyess would lose four B-1 bombers under Obama's proposal

04/16/2011

President Barack Obama’s proposed B-1 bomber cuts could shrink the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base by four aircraft. Abilene Rep. Randy Neugebauer made a case for not cutting B-1s at all during a hearing Thursday morning on Capitol Hill. “It’s the least expensive bomber in the fleet,” the Lubbock Republican told the House Armed Services Committee.

Typhoon factfile: the RAF's most deadly combat aircraft

04/16/2011

Costing £70 million each, they can reach a top speed of around Mach 2 (1,550 mph) making them considerably faster than the RAF’s workhorse Tornado jets, which can fly at just over Mach 1.

Spare parts shortage grounds RAF jets

04/16/2011

Pilots of the RAF's top fighter jets - currently in action over Libya - are being grounded as a lack of spare parts means they cannot put in the flying hours to keep their skills up to date, MPs warn.

Green Flag West military exercise runs through April 29

04/16/2011

Residents in Southern Nevada and areas of California can expect military aircraft noise to increase today through April 29 while Nellis Air Force Base conducts a Green Flag air combat training exercise.

Canadian suppliers working to make new fighter jet more affordable, says CEO

04/16/2011

Canadian suppliers are cutting expenses to help make the Joint Strike Fighter warplane more affordable, the head of landing gear company Heroux-Devtek said Friday.

Boeing to Promote Innovative Solutions at Army Aviation Exposition

04/16/2011

The Boeing Company will showcase a wide array of aviation, training, support and technology solutions at the 2011 Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Annual Professional Forum and Exposition. This year’s event takes place April 17-20 in Nashville.

INTERVIEW-UK's Hague hopeful on Libya combat planes

04/15/2011

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday he was hopeful other NATO members would provide more ground attack planes for the Libya mission, even though some have rebuffed calls to do more.

Pilot safe after jet catches fire on Navy carrier

04/15/2011

The engine of a jet fighter caught fire in the air over an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, but sailors quickly doused the flames after it touched down and the pilot escaped unharmed, the Navy said Thursday. The fire on the USS Carl Vinson on Monday was the second involving an F/A-18C Hornet aboard an aircraft carrier in less than a month. Authorities did not immediately indicate whether the causes might be related.