Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US military jet crashes in Germany

04/02/2011

A US military jet has crashed in western Germany, injuring the pilot who ejected from the jet.

First Iraqi Instructor pilot leads the way towards self-sustaining Iraqi air force

04/02/2011

The first Iraqi air force instructor pilot to graduate from the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron at Tirkrit Air Base, Iraq, Lt. Col. Hamid Hussein, has flown his first official training mission with an Iraqi student pilot in a Hawker Beechcraft T-6.

Does al Qaeda have some Libyan missiles?

04/01/2011

There are certainly plenty of SAMs in Libya. Video and photographs have shown rebel fighters posing with shoulder-fired surface to air missiles including SA-7s, the same type fired in Kenya.

Danish Military Wants To Restart Fighter Program

04/01/2011

Denmark's military wants the government to restart the country's Fighter Replacement Program (FRP), citing the armed forces' need for a more advanced stealth fighter jet than the Air Force's current stock of F-16s.

NATO in full charge, future remains elusive

04/01/2011

NATO on Thursday took full command and control of military operations in Libya from the United States, however, the endgame of the military campaigns remains elusive.

Boeing Gets India OK For Four More P-8I Maritime Planes

04/01/2011

India's federal government has approved the purchase of four more P-8I long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Boeing Co., a senior executive at the U.S. defense contractor said Thursday.

U.S. MILITARY: Three sailors hospitalized following jet engine explosion

04/01/2011

Three sailors remained hospitalized Thursday morning after the engine of a Marine Corps fighter jet exploded and the plane caught fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis on Wednesday, a Navy spokesman said.

Libyan rebels flee as Obama authorizes covert support

03/31/2011

As Libyan rebels fled in headlong retreat from the superior arms and tactics of Muammar Gaddafi's troops on Wednesday, U.S. officials said President Barack Obama had signed a secret order authorizing covert support for the rebels.

Strategist: Guam in reach of Chinese missiles

03/31/2011

Advancements in Chinese military capabilities mean Guam has lost its status as a safe haven for American forces in the Western Pacific, a top war strategist says.

Libya strikes showcase French warplane

03/31/2011

Many commentators believe the Libya air strikes are a pre-election advert for President Nicolas Sarkozy. Some believe they are also an advert for France's badly-selling Rafale jet fighter.

Growler Does It All Over Libya

03/31/2011

Two years after entering squadron service, the U.S. Navy's EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft has seen combat for the first time in Libya. The EA-18G is equipped with the ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and a a APG-79 phased array (AESA) radar, which also has some jamming capability (with the right software) as well as the ability to fry electronics.

Netherlands help in enforcing Libyan arms embargo

03/31/2011

The Dutch government decided yesterday evening that the Netherlands will participate in the NATO enforcement of the UN arms embargo against Libya. Its contribution will consist of a minehunter, a KDC-10 tanker aircraft and six F-16 fighter aircraft. The total contribution of the mission will involve approximately 200 Dutch military personnel.

U.S. Military Deploys Drones Above Fukushima, Libya

03/31/2011

When the U.S. military wanted to survey the damage above Japan's stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant earlier this month, it sent a Global Hawk pilotless aircraft. Just days later, commanders sent a Global Hawk to assess how effective U.S. strikes in Libya had been. In a Pentagon briefing Friday, Vice Adm. William Gortney confirmed that the Global Hawk, known formally as the RQ-4, was providing "persistent surveillance" of Libyan territory.

Libyan foreign minister quits, flees to U.K.

03/31/2011

Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa arrived in London late on Wednesday and told British authorities he was going to resign from his post, the British Foreign Office said.

US Navy to field full-on robot war-jets as soon as 2018

03/30/2011

The US Navy has indicated that it would like to have unmanned, robotic spyplane/bombers operating from its aircraft carriers "in the 2018 timeframe", which suggests that flying kill-robots will soon be in the same league as the most powerful manned combat aircraft.

Complex task for air traffic control

03/30/2011

While civil aviation traffic has gone down slightly, military traffic in the flight information region handled by Malta Aviation Traffic Services (MATS) has gone up “exponentially”, according to chief operations officer Robert Sant.

For no-fly zone, four NATO sorties: US military

03/30/2011

Enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya required four sorties by NATO aircraft in the past 24 hours, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

F-22 Raptor Goes Mach 1.5 on 50% Biofuel Blend

03/30/2011

A lot of self-proclaimed “patriots” seem to love oil as much as they love America. Maybe the military’s use of biofuels can change some minds, as a F-22 Raptor was able to go Mach 1.5 times on 50% camelina oil blend.

Vulcan aircraft makes final flight from RAF Lyneham

03/30/2011

The only remaining flying Vulcan – the last all-British designed and built military aircraft – flew out of RAF Lyneham for the last time today.

An ex-Harrier pilot explains the difference between firing at other airplanes and shooting at targets on the ground

03/30/2011

Here's an insider's explanation of why the Air Force's hot new F-22 fighter jet is exactly the wrong aircraft for shooting at Qaddafi's forces on the ground in Libya.

Lockheed Martin Rolls Out First Special Operations MC-130J Combat Shadow II

03/30/2011

Lockheed Martin rolled out the first aircraft in a new fleet of MC-130J Combat Shadow IIs for the U.S. Air Force’s Special Operations Command (AFSOC) during a ceremony here today.

Boeing Receives US Air Force Contract for Additional C-130 Modernization Kits

03/30/2011

Boeing today announced that it has been awarded a $31 million follow-on contract from the U.S. Air Force for two more C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) kits. The agreement, part of a low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract awarded in 2010, also includes support for logistics, engineering and installation, as well as spares support equipment.

Filling the tank at 21,000 feet

03/29/2011

It's even tougher if you do it Bob Haymond's way - on your stomach in the rear of an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker flying at 21,000 feet and 300 miles per hour, while you work the controls of a 40-foot fuel hose as it plunges toward a second military plane flying so close you could spit on it.

CSAT allows U.S. aircraft on domestic aerodromes to refuel

03/29/2011

Romania's Supreme Defense Council (CSAT) on Monday authorized the use of Romanian aerodromes by United States military aircraft, for aerial refueling, as part of the operation to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

New air missions attack Kadhafi troops: Pentagon

03/29/2011

The United States used low-flying combat aircraft against Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's ground troops, the Pentagon said Monday, but denied it was directly supporting the rebels. "We have employed A-10s and AC-130s over the weekend," US Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters, without giving specifics about targets.