Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

F-35 Jet Blast Deflector Testing Underway at Lakehurst

07/08/2011

F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft CF-2 is performing Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) tests at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The JBD, located behind the catapults aboard aircraft carriers, deflects high energy exhaust from the engine to prevent damage and injury to other aircraft and personnel located in close proximity.

Russia charges Chinese man with contraband of military equipment

07/08/2011

Customs authorities in Russia's Far East have launched a criminal case against a Chinese citizen who attempted to smuggle spare parts for Russian MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters last year, a customs' spokesperson said on Friday.

Hide and Seek

07/07/2011

In the wake of the raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden, many have been wondering whether a “stealth” helicopter was involved and have been asking the question: how does one make a helicopter stealthy?

Japan grounds F-15 fighter fleet after crash

07/07/2011

Japan has grounded its entire F-15 fighter fleet following the crash of one of the jets into the East China Sea. Japan's Defense Ministry on Wednesday ordered the fleet to remain on the ground pending an investigation into the cause of the crash Tuesday, when an F-15 based on the island of Okinawa went down during a routine training mission.

Aerosonic Announces New Order from Korea Aerospace Industries

07/07/2011

Aerosonic Corporation (AMEX:AIM), a leading supplier of precision flight products for commercial, business and military aircraft, today announced that it has received a new purchase order from Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. ("KAI") in support of its T50 Golden Eagle jet trainer sale to Indonesia.

Military aircraft crashes near Roswell

07/07/2011

A pilot with Holloman Air Force Base is safe after he was ejected from a Vietnam Era fighter jet Wednesday morning. Holloman Air Force Base officials say the manned fighter jet crashed around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday west of Artesia, near Hope, NM.

Risk-Free And Above The Law: U.S. Globalizes Drone Warfare

07/07/2011

Last week the Washington Post, the New York Times and other major American newspapers reported that the U.S. launched its first unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) missile attack inside Somalia. The strike was the first acknowledged Pentagon military attack inside the Horn of Africa nation since a helicopter raid staged by commandos in 2009 and the first use of an American drone to conduct a missile strike there.

India is a partner in Russia’s modernisation

07/07/2011

Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra is upbeat about the prospects of relations between India and Russia in all areas, ranging from defence and trade to culture and tourism. In this wide-ranging interview with Rossiskaya Gazeta, the Indian envoy assures that despite increasing competition, India and Russia have “a dynamic and growing defence relationship, not a waning one.

Camp Pendleton Marine helicopter crashes

07/07/2011

About noon Pacific Time a Marine helicopter crashed at Camp Pendleton, California. All six crew members had injuries and have been taken to local hospitals. Initial reports say three of the injured Marines were taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, about 30 miles south of the base. No fatalities were reported and few details have been released including where the other three military personnel were taken for treatment.

UAE May Buy More F-16s

07/07/2011

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now talking with Lockheed Martin about buying more F-16 fighter aircraft because France's offer of an advanced version of the Rafale combat jet is seen as too expensive, said a source familiar with the negotiations in the gulf.

Russia plans to rent naval pilot training facilities in Ukraine

07/07/2011

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov formally asked on Wednesday his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Yezhel to rent facilities on Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula for naval pilot training. In line with a 1997 bilateral agreement, Russia occasionally uses the Nitka Naval Pilot Training Center in Ukraine as the only training facility for its naval pilots.

Pressure builds for F-16 sale to Taiwan

07/06/2011

Taiwan and its supporters in Congress are pressuring the Obama administration to sell new F-16 fighter jets to the island, with one senator vowing to hold up the confirmation of a new deputy secretary of state if there is no progress on the issue.

Russia: All arms shipments to Syria legal, will continue

07/06/2011

Russian arms shipments to Syria are legal, beneficial to regional stability, and will continue as planned, a senior Kremlin official said in a Tuesday interview. 'We do not see signs the Syrian government has lost control of the situation,' said Mikhail Bogdanov, special advisor to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for Africa and the Middle East.

The Morality of Drones

07/06/2011

When people look back at the history of the 21st century, the hum-drum attention paid by the U.S. media to the “drone war” over Pakistan may be viewed as something of an inflection point. America, somewhat past its height in terms of relative omnipotence, nonetheless retained its lead in automated forms of combat. The guided missiles of the 1960s morphed into cruise missiles in the 1970s, then smart bombs in the late 1980s and, by the turn of the century, Predator drones.

RAF tackles Taliban in Afghanistan – using joysticks in Las Vegas

07/06/2011

In a corner of Creech air force base near Las Vegas, Nevada, an RAF flag marks the home of 39 Squadron, an elite unit formed in some haste during 2007 and yet to return to the UK. Bolted to the ground around the flagpole stand three identical sand-coloured metal containers of the kind transported by lorries and ships all over the world.

France adds new wrinkle to Libya conflict

07/06/2011

The driving force in NATO's bombing campaign against Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi has brushed aside a U.N. resolution and supplied arms to rebels. French government officials, following a report in the Paris newspaper Le Figaro, said tons of small arms -- rifles, machine guns, anti-tank rockets -- and ammunition had been airdropped early in June to rebels in the Nafusa Mountains, a Berber tribal area, under pressure from Gadhafi forces.

Boeing Awarded $99.5M Contract to Upgrade US Air Force B-1B Bomber

07/06/2011

Boeing today announced it has been awarded a $99.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to integrate three major modifications on the B-1 Lancer bomber fleet. This contract is for the first lot of modification kits of a planned multi-lot production contract to upgrade the service’s B-1s.

Libyan Operation Demonstrates U.S.-Europe Capabilities Gap

07/05/2011

One of the eye-opening features of the three month old NATO air campaign in Libya is the hollowness of the world’s premier military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Let’s be honest, this is not a major conventional war against a capable adversary. The real challenge for NATO airpower is finding targets to hit.

Japan fighter jet pilot missing after crash

07/05/2011

A Japanese fighter jet pilot was missing after his F-15 crashed in the East China Sea during a training flight on Tuesday, the Defence Ministry said. Thirteen military aircraft and several ships as well as three Japan Coast Guard patrol ships were deployed to search for pilot Yuji Kawakubo, 37, the official said.

Russia outlines defence export ambitions

07/05/2011

Russia expects to sell military equipment worth $11 billion in 2011, with aviation activities likely to account for up to 50% of this total. Sergei Kornev, head of the Rosoboronexport delegation at last month's Paris air show, said deliveries of Russian-made combat aircraft and air-launched weapons are continuing to Algeria, India and Vietnam.

Asia Needs a Larger U.S. Defense Budget

07/05/2011

In Washington the season of budget cuts is in full blossom. Unfortunately, leaders of both political parties may soon agree to further slash the defense budget. Yet this comes as the military is fighting an ongoing war against jihadi terrorists while also confronting a China that is using its growing military power more aggressively.

US still flying strike missions in Libya

07/05/2011

US Air Force and Navy aircraft are still flying hundreds of strike missions over Libya even though the US government claims it is only playing a support role in the NATO-led operation.

Global race on to match U.S. drone capabilities

07/05/2011

At the most recent Zhuhai air show, the premier event for China’s aviation industry, crowds swarmed around a model of an armed, jet-propelled drone and marveled at the accompanying display of its purported martial prowess.

Fighting for freedom on the Fourth of July

07/04/2011

Watching fireworks or attending the family reunion are Independence Day traditions that U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jacob Wolfe of Lake City will miss during the holiday this year. Wolfe, 24, is serving his country on a seven-month deployment in Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan.

Europe asks Korea to join Eurofighter program

07/04/2011

A multination consortium in Europe has invited Korea to join its high-end jet production project in an apparent attempt to win what would be Korea’s biggest arms-procurement deal. The move came following Seoul’s announcement that it would purchase 60 advanced fighter aircraft in line with its push to shift the country’s military posture from passive defense to proactive deterrence with a projected budget of up to 10 trillion won ($8.96 billion).