Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Israelis split over Barak move to buy F-35

09/01/2010

Military leaders and analysts are at odds over Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent decision to buy 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, largely because it will take four years for them to be delivered and become operational, too late for any assault on Iran.

Iraq to spend $13B on U.S. arms, equipment

09/01/2010

Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in American arms and military equipment, a huge order of tanks, ships and hardware that U.S. officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come.

DHS Increases Use of Drones on Southern Border

09/01/2010

Tomorrow the Department of Homeland Security will be expanding their use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) along the Southwest border to provide support and reconnaissance to Border Patrol Agents with the arrival of a new Predator-B aircraft upping Customs and Border Protection’s fleet of drones to seven aircrafts.

Azerbaijan to buy four Ka-32 helicopters from Russia

08/31/2010

Russian Helicopters company will supply four Kamov Ka-32 helicopters to Azerbaijan in the near future, the Azerbaijani APA news agency said on Monday.

Lockheed Martin’s New Multi-Purpose HELLFIRE II Missile

08/31/2010

Lockheed Martin’s multi-purpose AGM 114R HELLFIRE II missile struck and destroyed a stationary tank target in its third proof-of-principle flight test, a ground-launch test configured to simulate launch from an unmanned aerial system (UAS).

1st Boeing C-130 AMP Low-Rate Initial Production Aircraft Inducted at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center

08/31/2010

The Boeing Company today announced the induction of the first C-130 aircraft slated to receive the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) upgrade at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga. This is the first of 20 aircraft to be upgraded during low-rate initial production (LRIP).

A400M poised for US market spotlight

08/31/2010

Neil Smith has a tough assignment. For the next several years, the EADS North America director's task is to sell a European-built airlifter to a US military that now acknowledges no shortage of large transport aircraft.

F-4 group holding conference in Panama City

08/31/2010

A national nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the history of the F-4 Phantom fighter jet will hold its annual conference in the Panama City area this year, a group spokesman said Monday.

Iceland set to embrace war-game fliers

08/31/2010

Mr Petursson, chief executive of FM Service, an Icelandic facility management company, is a cheerleader for plans by a private military training company to base up to 33 Sukhoi “flanker” jets at Keflavik for use by air forces worldwide as mock enemy in aerial war games.

Jump jets to fall victim to spending cuts

08/30/2010

In a move that could put hundreds of British manufacturing jobs at risk, defence chiefs are ready to abandon plans to buy a vertical-landing fighter jet for the Royal Navy.

F-15 Eagles soar for last time at Hickam

08/30/2010

Pilots from the 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard, completed their last training mission with the F-15 Eagle from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Aug 25.

Competition key to plane contract

08/30/2010

With Texas high school football starting up a new year, I'm reminded once again why I love it here: Texas has a competitive spirit like nowhere else. Better than anyone, we know that competition is what creates best-in-class results. This is Texas at its best, and I wish others shared the sentiment. Unfortunately, not everyone does — particularly in Washington.

Remote-controlled model airplanes roll in for annual event

08/29/2010

Estled among the woods of South Park is a quiet stretch of land known as Jack Coates Memorial Field. Unlike other grassy patches in the park, this one has a landing strip down the center.

Canada Opens Arctic To NATO, Plans Massive Weapons Buildup

08/29/2010

The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently concluded the largest of a series of so-called Canadian sovereignty exercises in the Arctic, Operation Nanook, which ran from August 6-26.

Kremlin denies plans to halt missile sales to Syria

08/29/2010

Russia stands by its international obligations and has no plans to stop an arms deal with Syria, a Kremlin aide said on Saturday.

Indian Test Pilots Flying Tejas LCA

08/28/2010

Test pilots from India’s National Flight Test Center (NFTC) are currently familiarizing themselves with the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and learning techniques used by the Indian Air Force’s frontline squadrons.

Unmanned Helicopter Being Developed For U.S. Military

08/28/2010

Lockheed Martin is developing an unmanned helicopter for the U.S. military designed to lift supplies and equipment to troops in Afghanistan.

Indian-Russian Brahmos venture to produce missile engines in India

08/28/2010

The Indian-Russian venture BrahMos Aerospace Ltd. plans to produce engines for Brahmos missiles in India, CEO Sivathanu Pillai said on Friday.

Pilot killed after F-16 jets collide off Crete

08/27/2010

A pilot was killed Thursday after two Greek F16 fighter planes collided during a military exercise off the southern Mediterranean island of Crete, the Defence Ministry said.

Reservists support Pakistan relief efforts

08/27/2010

Members of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing responded to Pakistan's call for assistance following the devastating floods that began July 29.

Robotic Warplanes Stuck In Development Hell

08/27/2010

Two months ago, India put out a request for foreign firms to make offers to produce a stealthy UCAS (Unmanned Combat Aerial System). This could be a big contract, but no one responded. There were two reasons. First, none of the American manufacturers could respond because India and the U.S. are still negotiating technology transfer agreements, and American UCAS sales would involve a lot of tech transfer. Second, none of the European manufacturers were far enough along to provide anything to Indi

Boeing, US Navy Celebrate T-45 Jet Trainer's Million-Flight-Hour Milestone

08/27/2010

The Boeing Company today joined the U.S. Navy at Cecil Field in Jacksonville to celebrate the Naval Air Training Command’s 1 millionth flight hour with the T-45 Goshawk, the Navy's premier jet trainer aircraft.

Saudis would rely on foreign contractors for planned air force expansion

08/26/2010

A report said the Royal Saudi Air Force could not train sufficient numbers of pilots and support personnel for its planned purchase of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft from the United States.

Royal Navy may need to borrow US fighter jets

08/26/2010

Britain could be forced to "borrow" American warplanes for its new aircraft carriers as the Armed Forces' core capabilities are eroded by budget cuts.

Swiss abort major fighter jet purchase

08/26/2010

Switzerland on Wednesday postponed its search for new air force fighter jets for several years, just weeks before it was expected to announce a decision on the multibillion dollar tender.