Military Aviation News Archive

IAF fighters to have on board oxygen generation system

04/11/2011

Indian Air Force fighters would soon be equipped with special gadgets for production of oxygen while in the air enabling them to be airborne for longer period and carry extra payload.

China sends fighters to Pakistan for exercise

04/11/2011

China and Pakistan have conducted a joint-air exercise called Shaheen-1, which saw the first ever deployment of a Chinese air force contingent to Pakistan. "A contingent of Chinese PLA air force comprising combat aircraft, pilots and technicians arrived at an operational base of the Pakistan air force," the latter service says. "The exercise has been designed to share mutual experiences, hone professional skills, and accrue maximum benefits from the expertise of the two air forces."

Fighter jet secrets out

04/11/2011

The revelation that the government is in the process of procuring six Su-30 MK2 fighter jets at $740 million has stirred a lot of controversy. The government says the major reason for the purchase is to guard against external military threats, but the opposition maintains that this is another case of wasteful expenditure. Edris Kiggundu and David Tash Lumu explore both arguments and dig deeper to reveal the characteristics of the fighter jets, their capacity, as well as interesting information a

Iran military plane crashes in country's south, killing pilot, injuring co-pilot

04/11/2011

Iran's state news agency reports that an Iranian pilot was killed and his co-pilot injured after their military plane crashed in south of the country. IRNA said Sunday a military delegation has gone to the site of the crash to investigate the reasons behind it.

Battle for Gripen Fighters

04/10/2011

It is yet to be seen whether Cabinet will approve the budget for the Armed forces to buy more weapons before House dissolution, but the value of six new Gripen jet fighters that arrived in Thailand recently also raises interesting questions. Approved by General Surayud Chulanont, the Bt19-billion Swedish-made fleet responds to and reflects Thailand's current needs perfectly, especially when the country's buzzwords are security, unity, sufficiency and education.

Why F-22s Did Not Come To Libya

04/10/2011

Conspicuously absent in the skies over Libya is the new American F-22. Despite modifying the F-22 to operate as a fighter-bomber, the F-22 was uniquely unsuited to operate as part of the international force assigned to stop Libya from attacking its own people. That job requires aircraft that can carry lots of smart bombs. Defeating the Libyan Air Force was not a major chore, and was easily handled by less capable (and cheaper to operate) air superiority fighters. Another problem was communicatio

India inches closer to major aircraft deal

04/10/2011

India's air force won't accept any last-minute offers from bidders in a 126 medium-multi-role combat aircraft deal expected to be worth around $11 billion. Planes in the running are the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from Boeing, the Rafale by French firm Dassault, the Eurofighter Typhoon from Europe's EADS, Lockheed Martin's F-16, the Russian-made MiG-35 and the Gripen from Swedish firm Saab.

Strapped in for ejection seat test – at 600 mph

04/10/2011

BAE Systems tested a new ejection seat that will be deployed on over 3,000 F-35 Lightning II combat jets around the world, using a 600-mph rocket car, a battery of sensors and one lucky mannequin. They captured it on video — but don't blink or you'll miss it.

British military jets strike seven tanks in Libya

04/10/2011

Fighter jets from Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) have destroyed seven tanks near the Libyan cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya, according the UK Ministry of Defense. The RAF’s sorties are part of NATO alliance's enforcement of a no-fly zone, as mandated by the United Nations, over Libya. Britain is using twenty fighter planes in the Libyan campaign.

Serbia chooses reliability

04/09/2011

According to the Serbian press, Belgrade wants to upgrade the country’s air force, air defenses and radar force. The Serbian Defence Ministry plans to buy the 4th generation MiG-29M and Su-30, and possibly, the S-300 air defense rocket or the S-400 export version as well as a radar station.

F-35 Stealth Coatings Applied to F-22

04/09/2011

The USAF has some of the most capable aircraft in the world within its fleet. Many of the aircraft that it fields in any conflict are older and were designed decades ago; but it also has some very capable next generation aircraft like the F-22 and the F-35 that will be coming online in the next few years.

RAF converts Typhoons so they can join Nato airstrikes on Gaddafi's forces

04/09/2011

The RAF is converting four of its new Typhoon fast jets so that they can take part in bombing raids in Libya amid concern expressed by rebel leaders that the military campaign against Colonel Gaddafi has stalled.

A400M backers agree profit-sharing deal

04/09/2011

The seven countries that are funding the latest Airbus military transport aircraft have agreed on a profit-sharing formula for its export sales. The contract, which was signed in Seville on Thursday by the countries’ armament directors, marks the final stage in the normalisation of the €31bn ($44bn) A400M project that is already four years late and more than €11bn over budget.

FACTBOX-NATO military operations against Libya's Gaddafi

04/09/2011

Following are latest available details of Western military operations in Libya. The following NATO countries are participating in the alliance's operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Britain, United States. NATO forces have total of 195 aircraft at their disposal.

India Secures The Seychelles

04/08/2011

India is sending a Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft to the island nation of Seychelles, to help in dealing with Somali pirates. This aircraft will remain for at least two years. Last year, India had offered to give Seychelles a Dornier 228 and two Chetak helicopters for anti-piracy duty, but tiny Seychelles preferred that India simply operate this equipment on their territory until the Somali piracy threat is gone.

Safety Investigation Board convenes for A-10 crash

04/08/2011

A Safety Investigation Board tasked with investigating the A-10 Thunderbolt II crash that occurred April 1 in a field outside Laufeld, Germany, a town north of Wittlich convened here April 5. The team, led by Col. Michael Winters, the 100th Air Refueling Wing vice commander and SIB president, will take investigative control of the crash site and begin the board's inquiry into the cause of the crash.

Norway is buying four F-35 jets

04/08/2011

Norwegian F-16 aircraft are ripe for replacement after 31 years of service. Norway's 72 F-16 aircraft were delivered between 1980 and 1984, while two attrition aircraft was delivered in 1989. Acquisition of the four planes is an important step to maintain a satisfactory operational combat aircraft capacity in the transition phase between the F-16 and F-35, says the defense minister Grete Faremo.

Jordan joins Libya mission in non-combat role

04/08/2011

Officials said Jordan's military was transporting non-combat equipment as part of humanitarian missions in Libya. They said the Jordanian role would continue indefinitely. On April 5, the Royal Jordanian Air Force transported 10 tons of medical and humanitarian supplies to Libya. Officials said two unidentified air transports arrived in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which has been under rebel control.

Libya forces David Cameron to rethink defence cuts

04/08/2011

The Prime Minister is “actively engaged” in a reassessment of Britain’s military capabilities and planned reductions in equipment and manpower, sources have disclosed. The rethink has raised hopes that some of the cuts to military aircraft and ships in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) could be postponed or even reversed. Insiders said it was not too late for a change of mind on the decision to cut the number of RAF Tornados and scrap surveillance planes. Some Royal Navy frigates

Eurofighter back in Danish jet competition

04/08/2011

The Eurofighter consortium wants back into the race to outfit Denmark's armed forces with a new fighter jet. "What we're saying is that while there is no official Danish tender at present, Eurofighter wants to participate in such a competition when the new tender is launched," military news Web site Defensenews.com quoted Eurofighter spokesman Marco Bonelli as saying.

Navy releases names of 2 killed in CA jet crash

04/08/2011

Navy officials on Thursday identified the two pilots who were killed when their fighter jet crashed in a field near a Central California air base. Lt. Matthew Ira Lowe, 33, and Lt. Nathan Hollingsworth Williams, 28, died when their F/A-18F Super Hornet went down during a routine training flight Wednesday, officials said. The jet crashed in a grassy field about a half-mile from the Naval Air Station in Lemoore.

Probe into Russian Su-27 jet crash could take 30 days

04/08/2011

It would take Russian investigators at least a month to establish the cause of an accident with a Su-27SM Flanker fighter jet that crashed in Russia's Far East on Wednesday, a military source said. The jet crashed during the landing at an airbase near Vladivostok after a routine training flight. The pilot ejected successfully and was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Nato 'apologises for hitting Libya rebels'

04/08/2011

Nato said it was investigating the incident, noting that the area where the attack occurred was "unclear and fluid with mechanised weapons travelling in all directions". Meanwhile, a different rebel spokesman said Thursday's fatal air strike was carried out by pro-government forces rather than by Nato. "This was not a Nato air-strike; on the contrary, it was conducted by Gaddafi's brigades using SIAI Marchetti SF-260 planes," Col Ahmad Bani told al-Arabiya television.

British Team Completes 600mph Ejection Tests for F-35 Aircraft

04/07/2011

A British industry team led by BAE Systems has completed the final tests on the ejection or escape system for all variants of the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft. The system has been certified as safe for flight after a series of rigorous tests. The escape system, used in emergency situations, ensures pilots can eject safely and will be fitted to all 3000+ F-35 aircraft which will be flown by armed forces across the globe.

T-38 arrives to supplement F-22 training

04/07/2011

Following a successful test run in March 2010 and approval by Air Combat Command officials, the first of several T-38 Talons from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., arrived here April 1 for the beginning of the 1st Operations Group's T-38 Adversary Air Program.