Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing Receives JDAM Contracts Valued at $100M

05/03/2011

The Boeing Company today announced that it has received contracts totaling $100 million for two types of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on March 17 awarded the company an $8 million contract that represents the first major production order for Laser JDAM kits. The contract is for low-rate initial production of 700 laser sensor kits for the Navy’s direct-attack moving target capability weapons requirement.

Nuclear Signaling In South Asia – Analysis

05/02/2011

After the advent of nuclear weapons the security environment has changed. There is no global war like WWI and WWII. No direct confrontation between the two super powers in cold war. Deterrence has become the corner stone of strategy. Nuclear deterrence is the core of strategic stability in South Asia. One of the Requirements of deterrence is communication. Communication or signaling implies of demonstration of political will and resolve to use nuclear weapons to the adversary. Therefore nuclear

ADF assets exercise around Malaysia

05/02/2011

Australian Air Force multi-role F/A-18F Super Hornets will soar through the sky over Malaysia while Navy guided-missile frigates and a Collins class submarine will patrol the South China Sea in a major military exercise commencing today.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden dead - Obama

05/02/2011

The al-Qaeda leader was killed in a ground operation based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August. Mr Obama said after "a firefight" US forces took possession of his body. Bin Laden was accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.

Reliable military and aerospace communications depend on advanced military antenna technologies

05/02/2011

For network-centric operations to succeed on today’s digital battlefield, efficient, reliable, and real-time communications are crucial to deliver the right information to the right person at the right time. Military antennas are among the most important, if not often overlooked, component of aerospace and defense systems. “The most underappreciated component of a wireless sensor network node is often its antenna,” admits William Y. Chang in Network-Centric Service Oriented Enterprise. The anten

India eliminates U.S. firms in $11 billion fighter jet deal

05/02/2011

A decision by India to eliminate Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin from the highly sought-after $11 billion fighter jet deal competition has cost GE Aviation a much-needed slate of orders for its jet engines. GE Aviation, which has 300 employees at a facility in Vandalia, was expecting a big payday if either U.S. competitors would have been awarded the contract to supply 126 multipurpose fighter planes, according to this article in the Financial Times.

Why the critics of India's combat jet deal are wrong

05/02/2011

Following a raft of technical tests by the IAF, the Manmohan Singh government has shortlisted the Eurofighter consortium's Typhoon and the French-made Dassault Rafale for a multi-billion dollar fourth generation fighter deal. New Delhi will almost certainly come under intense pressure to review its decision.

Dutch fighter pilot detained on suspicion of spying for Belarus

05/02/2011

Dutch Special Services have detained an F-16 fighter pilot from the country's Air Force on suspicion of spying for Belarus, Radio Netherlands Worldwide website reported on Friday. The 37-year-old Dutch pilot is accused of passing state secrets to a foreign country.

Three Contenders Remain For Japan F-X

04/29/2011

Sometime this year, a Japanese technician will perform the final piece of work on the last F-2 fighter to leave the Nagoya works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. With that, Japan’s 45 years of post-war fighter production will cease and the progressive loss of skills already under way in systems manufacturing will have spread to every stage of building combat aircraft.

One dead in PAF fighter plane crash

04/29/2011

A trainer jet upgraded to a fighter plane by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) crashed yesterday afternoon near a beach resort in Bagac, Bataan, instantly killing the pilot and rendering his co-pilot unconscious. Lt. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said the S-211 trainer jet took off from the Clark Freeport in Pampanga.

Sikorsky looks to add to $3.5bn deal with Turkey

04/29/2011

American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky is looking to add to the $3.5bn deal to lead the production for 109 Black Hawk helicopters for Turkey's armed forces.

Lockheed Martin, U.S. Air Force Salute 50 Years Of The Hercules In Abilene

04/29/2011

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force celebrated 50 years of C-130 operations at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, today.

Israel Acquires Additional Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules

04/29/2011

Lockheed Martin has received an Undefinitized Contract Action from the U.S. Government for the Foreign Military Sale of an additional C 130J to Israel, with funding for advanced procurement items for a third aircraft.

Russia, Sweden, U.S. fall out of Indian fighter deal

04/28/2011

France's Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon look set to be on the final shortlist for a $10 billion tender for 126 fighter aircraft for the Indian air force, after Sweden's SAAB was dropped, the Times of India said on Thursday. With the Indian military due to disclose final commercial proposals from the manufacturers later today, it appears that the U.S. Lockheed Martin F-16I and Boeing Super Hornet, Sweden's SAAB Gripen and Russia's MiG-35 are also out of the running. The Indian milita

Gripen not on the shortlist for the Indian MMRCA programme

04/28/2011

Today defence and security company Saab AB has received information from the Indian Ministry of Defence that Gripen has not been shortlisted for the Indian Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme.

The era of unmanned aerial vehicles is approaching

04/28/2011

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, a big fan of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), gave a speech last week at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Washington. He tried to convince the audience that the use of UAVs opens more possibilities, including an assessment of the consequences of an impending strike, compared to manned vehicles.

Libya: 8 of 12 aircraft ready to leave made ??available from Italy

04/28/2011

"For the conduct of air operations for the imposition of the "No Fly Zone", until now Italian Country has provided 12 fighter aircraft per day". It reported the Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa in his statement, that followed the one of Minister Franco Frattini, referring to the Joint Foreign and Defence Committees of the Chamber and Senate. He stated that there are "4 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft type and/or F-16 for tasks of air superiority; 4 aircraft Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat and Recon

UAE pilot ejects on landing during Libya mission

04/28/2011

The pilot of a United Arab Emirates plane taking part in air operations over Libya on Wednesday was forced to eject while landing at an airbase in Italy, the official UAE news agency said. NATO had previously said the pilot of an F-16 fighter enforcing the no-fly zone ejected while nearing the outbound runway of Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily.

NATO says aims to stop violence, not to kill Gaddafi

04/28/2011

The NATO-led military operation in Libya does not aim to eliminate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the commander of coalition forces said on Tuesday. The Libyan authorities accused NATO on Monday of trying to "assassinate" Muammar Gaddafi after the coalition dropped at least two guided bombs on Gaddafi's compound in the heart of Tripoli.

US fires from Predator drone to protect Libyan civilians

04/28/2011

The US has stepped up its involvement in Libya this week as Washington confirmed that a U.S. Air Force Predator drone took out a rocket launcher used to attack civilians in the battle between Qadhafi forces and civilians in Misrata. NATO confirmed the strike. This is the first use of the unmanned aircraft in Libya since President Obama gave his approval late last week.

Lockheed Martin Delivers Second Mid-Life Upgrade P-3 Orion To U.S. Customs & Border Protection

04/28/2011

Lockheed Martin has delivered the second P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade enhancements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Boeing Vigilare System Completes Operational Testing in Australia

04/28/2011

The Boeing Vigilare network centric command and control system has passed its last formal operational test. Testing took place at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown's Eastern Regional Operations Centre (EROC) from March 28 to April 8.

Eurofighter, Rafale make Indian MMRCA shortlist?

04/28/2011

Has India downselected Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale for the $ 10 billion MMRCA fighter aircraft procurement project. Informed sources told defenseworld.net that two of the vendors, Eurofighter and Dassault have been invited to the Indian MoD for further discussions on their commercial bids on April 28. The commercial bids are to expire tomorrow.

Delays in Russian spares force India to go shopping worldwide

04/27/2011

Signalling its impatience over delays in Russian after-sales- support for military equipment, India has for the first time gone shopping worldwide for spares for its vintage fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, missiles and radars.

T-38s Sent To Spar With F-22s

04/27/2011

The U.S. Air Force has assigned ten T-38C jet trainers to an F-22 unit to serve as training aircraft. Since F-22s don't expect to face anything as capable as an F-22 in the near future, anything that can move fast and maneuver like a jet fighter will do as an "opponent" aircraft. The T-38 is very similar, in shape and performance, to the American F-5 (a contemporary of the MiG-21), and does the adversary work for a fraction of the cost of using another F-22.