Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Fighter jets carry out drill on freeway

04/13/2011

The Republic of China Air Force yesterday used a closed-off motorway as a runway in a rare drill simulating a surprise attack from China that had wiped out its major airbases. In all, six fighter aircraft landed and took off from Freeway No. 1 in an emergency landing and takeoff exercise, under the watchful eye of hundreds of spectators.

Indonesia to Buy South Korean Fighter Jets

04/13/2011

Indonesia chose South Korea's state-run aircraft maker as the preferred supplier for a set of fighter jets that will be used to train military pilots, South Korean officials said Tuesday, the first time Seoul has been able to export a military jet it developed.

Russian Helicopters plan to raise $500 mln in IPO

04/13/2011

Russian Helicopters, which designs and manufactures civil and military helicopters, plan to place Global Depositary Receipts representing existing shares in both London and Russia to raise $500 million in an initial public offering, the firm said on Tuesday.

Lockheed Martin Delivers Second Production C-5M Super Galaxy To U.S. Air Force

04/13/2011

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] completed delivery of the second production C-5M Super Galaxy at a ceremony here Monday with a crew from Dover Air Force Base, Del. The fifth C-5M overall to be delivered to the Air Force, this aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., before traveling to its home base at Dover.

GE-Rolls continue fight for second F-35 jet engine

04/12/2011

General Electric Co and Britain's Rolls Royce on Tuesday vowed to continue work on a second engine for the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jet despite news that a compromise fiscal 2011 defense budget will not fund the program.

India Now World’s Largest Arms Importer

04/12/2011

India has surpassed its neighbor China to become the world’s largest importer of conventional weapons during the 2006 to 2010 period according to statistics released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). While Asia and Oceania remained to be the major arms recipients over the five-year period – accounting for 43 percent of global conventional weapon imports – India received the largest volume of international arms transfers during the period, seeing a 21 percent surge

T-50 Makes a Splash at Dubai Air Show

04/12/2011

Korea's first domestically produced supersonic training aircraft, the T-50, made its formal debut to great reviews at the Dubai Air Show on Sunday. Nicknamed the Golden Eagle, the plane performed demonstration fly-bys at the Gulf state's Airport Expo and was also displayed on the ground. Representatives of the Korean government, military and industry pushed to get exports of the T-50 to the UAE rolling. Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan will also do his part by visiting the show and meeting the UAE's

First M-346 trainer jet for Italian Air Force takes to skies

04/12/2011

The first M-346 advanced fighter trainer aircraft for the Italian Air Force has made its maiden flight last month, the aircraft’s manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi announced. The aircraft, designated T-346A by the Italian Air Force, successfully took to the skies on March 31. The flight lasted for 40 minutes and the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet, covering the planned flight envelope in terms of speed, angle of attack and load factor.

Iraqi parliament assures corruption in aircraft deals

04/12/2011

The Integrity Committee in the parliament revealed Thursday about evidences and documents that confirm the existence of financial and administrative corruption in the Iraqi Defense Ministry, particularly with regard to contracts to buy military aircraft, stressing on that it will begin investigating these files at the beginning of next week.

Dutch MoD cuts key capabilities

04/12/2011

On 8 April defence minister Hans Hillen announced the official government paper, ‘A Smaller Military in a Troubled World’, which outlined cuts that included: two MBT battalions, 19 F-16 fighter aircraft, one supply ship, four mine detection ships, and some 12,000 personnel.

Grading the guardians: NORAD evaluations a vital requirement

04/12/2011

They’re heard before they’re ever seen. Even over the engines of an Airbus A310, a distinct roar causes a vibration a person can feel in their chest, prompting them to look out the window and find that the airplane they’re sitting in is now sharing airspace with an F-16 fighter jet. Close enough to see that, even as they’ve turned to look at the fighter’s helmeted pilot, that pilot has turned to look at them.

C-130J Flight Line Shows Multi-Mission Flexibility

04/12/2011

Special mission versions of the C-130J Super Hercules are becoming a regular sight on the Lockheed Martin flightline.

Dutch F-16s En Route to Chile

04/11/2011

The second batch of F-16 fighters that Chile has purchased from the Netherlands today took off from Volkel air base for their new home. In total, the South American country is buying an additional 18 Dutch combat aircraft of this type.

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.