Military Aviation News Archive

Multibillion-dollar fighter jet buy ‘best value for Canada’: General

01/22/2011

Canada’s top soldier is defending a multibillion-dollar deal to buy U.S.-made fighter jets even as the Liberals zero in on the issue as Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s potential Achilles’ heel in the next campaign.

Hawker Beechcraft eyes special missions opportunities in the Middle East

01/22/2011

The Wichita, US-based company is forecasting strong growth in the private aviation sector in the region but sees a special emphasis in special missions such as maritime patrol and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance to commercial applications such as photographic, air ambulance, flight inspection, weather modifications and transportation for government officials.

Iraq air force plan slowed by budget shortfall

01/21/2011

Officials acknowledged that the Iraqi Defense Ministry has suspended or slowed down procurement of combat air and other platforms. They said the move reflected a dwindling procurement budget as well as the underestimation of costs.

CAE gets $140 million in contracts

01/21/2011

Flight training giant CAE Inc. said yesterday it has won military simulation equipment contracts from several countries together worth about $140 million.

Congress told Taiwan needs aircraft

01/21/2011

A US congressional committee was told on Wednesday that Taiwan needed more advanced fighter aircraft and diesel submarines to defend itself against a possible attack by China.

Airbus tanker plane for Australia damaged in test

01/21/2011

Airbus Military is investigating the loss of part of a refuelling boom over the Atlantic during testing of a tanker plane being developed for the Royal Australian Air Force.

U.S. Nears Deal for Russian Copters

01/21/2011

The U.S. military plans to award an exclusive contract to Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport to supply helicopters for Afghanistan's military, speeding a deal that was outlined as part of a "reset" of U.S.-Russia relations.

Boeing Confirms P-8A Poseidon Airframe's Structural Integrity with Full Scale Static Tests

01/21/2011

Boeing today announced that it completed full scale static testing of the P-8A Poseidon’s airframe on Jan. 7. The series of tests, which began in May 2009, confirmed the airframe's structural integrity.

Boeing C-17 Program Enters 2nd Phase of Production Rate and Work Force Reductions

01/21/2011

As part of a transition announced last year, Boeing [NYSE: BA] today confirmed it will deliver 13 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters in 2011 as the company moves to a new production rate of 10 C-17s per year. Boeing will reduce the production program's work force by approximately 1,100 jobs through the end of 2012. The company delivered 14 C-17s in 2010.

Lockheed Martin Receives $218 Million for Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) Demonstrations

01/20/2011

Lockheed Martin has received two contracts totaling $218 million for the Demonstration Phase of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program.

Turbulence ahead for Indian fighter jet: analysts

01/20/2011

India's homegrown fighter jet, the Tejas, has finally been cleared for operations but analysts say any celebration of India's entry into an elite club of military hardware producers is premature.

Russia, EADS continue fight for Indian aerial tanker

01/20/2011

Russia's Il-78 Midas and the EU's Airbus A330 MRTT are the only competitors in a re-tender to supply six aerial tankers to the Indian air force (IAF), the India Strategic defense magazine said.

Bring Back The F-22

01/20/2011

Only two years after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ decision to end production of the F-22 Raptor at 187 aircraft, the program may be poised to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. When Gates made his decision, it was on the assumption that other countries - notably Russia and China -- would not develop their own fifth-generation fighters for at least another decade or more.

Telecom tech could protect aircraft

01/20/2011

Infrared supercontinuum laser technology could soon help protect military helicopters from heat-seeking missiles designed to home in on IR radiation emitted by a helicopter’s engine. Built with off-the-shelf telecom fiber optics, the laser technology operates in the mid- and longer IR wavelengths.

Bolivia to receive combat aircraft from China

01/19/2011

BOLIVIA is set to receive six Chinese-made combat aircraft to be used to fight drug trafficking, the head of the Bolivian Air Force said on Tuesday.

New problems disclosed on 2 models of F-35

01/19/2011

The F-35 Lightning II strike fighter has previously undisclosed problems with its handling, avionics, afterburner and helmet-mounted display, according to a report by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.

Kingdom to manufacture 70% of military hardware locally

01/19/2011

Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday its plans to produce most of the military hardware and spare parts within the Kingdom by transferring foreign technology.

Arms race is back on the radar

01/19/2011

The world may be in turmoil, but in the defense business there are signs of a return to normalcy. After dreary decades in which the U.S. military had to live without a presentable threat with which to justify its spending on high-technology weapons, the Chinese stepped up to the plate. With ominous talk gaining currency in Washington of actual cuts in the U.S. defense budget, our Asian friends have suddenly offered a titillating peek from an airfield in Chengdu at their newest warplane, describe

U.S. pitches jets to Japan

01/19/2011

Acting on his administration's drive to bolster military cooperation with Japan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested Tokyo consider buying U.S. combat aircraft.

IAI delivers 12 UAVs to Russia in key deal

01/18/2011

Israeli Aerospace Industries has delivered a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia under a $400 million contract that will eventually allow Moscow to manufacture advanced drones that will significantly enhance its military capabilities.

Chinese jet fighter highlights need for intelligence, dialogue

01/18/2011

As far as stealth fighters are concerned, the Chinese prototype J-20 is perhaps too eye-attracting. On Dec. 22, 2010, photos of a taxiing test at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the fifth-generation twin-engine fighter aircraft emerged on the Internet and triggered a firestorm in the international media. On Jan. 11, hours before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing, the prototype was taken for a 20-minute test flight.

KC-135 readied for anti-missile system

01/18/2011

Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air National Guard are modifying a KC-135 air refueling aircraft for testing of an infrared anti-missile system.

Chinese Plane Spurs Interest in U.S. Fighter .

01/18/2011

New evidence of China's military buildup has spurred interest in sales of the U.S.'s next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, U.S. defense and industry officials said.

India lucrative military aircraft market: analysts

01/18/2011

Aviation companies have set their sight on India to expand their military aircraft businesses in Asia.

Attack of the drones

01/17/2011

There is a second-and-a-half delay between the RAF operator pressing his button and the Hellfire rocket erupting from the aircraft he is controlling, circling in the sky above Afghanistan.