Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Full Range of Capabilities at Empire Challenge 2011

05/26/2011

Lockheed Martin will demonstrate its advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), and battlefield communication technologies in a nine-day exercise at Empire Challenge 11 (EC 11), May 23 to June 3, at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Lockheed Martin Delivers AH-1Z Cobra Targeting Systems to the U.S. Marine Corps Ahead of Schedule

05/26/2011

Lockheed Martin recently began early delivery of Target Sight System (TSS) follow-on production units for the U.S. Marine Corps’ AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter. The TSS units feature upgraded software to provide additional targeting capabilities.

Romanian Air Force chooses Elbit Systems to upgrade avionics on fleet of C-130 military transport aircraft

05/25/2011

Leaders of the Romanian Air Force in Bucharest, Romania, needed advanced avionics and other aircraft electronics for the Romanian fleet of Lockheed-Martin C-130 four-engine turboprop transport aircraft. They found their solution from Elbit Systems Ltd. in Haifa, Israel.

Philippine defence chief says military too weak to stop potential foreign intrusions

05/25/2011

The Philippine military, one of Asia's weakest, is too weak to stop foreign intrusions in areas such as disputed territories in the South China Sea, and the only recourse is diplomatic protests, the defence secretary said Tuesday.

'New kind of militant' behind Pakistan Karachi attack

05/25/2011

The deadly 15-hour siege on Pakistan's Mehran naval airbase in Karachi on Monday was carried out by attackers with military-level training, raising suspicions they had inside help. Questions are being asked about the security of Pakistan's vital military installations after a well-organised group of gunmen held off Pakistan's equivalent of the US Navy Seals - the Special Services Group - Navy (SSG-N) - for 15 hours.

Victory in Libya is closer than we think

05/25/2011

The advancement of technology has so reshaped our lives that we expect actions to have instant effects, inquiries to receive immediate answers, decisions to achieve rapid results. We don’t like or understand delay – so, as the Nato campaign in Libya has dragged on, it has been viewed increasingly as a failure. When David Cameron and Barack Obama issue joint statements of resolve, as they did yesterday, they are seen as empty words. The idea that the situation has become a stalemate – or worse, a

Strong military is key to long-term U.S. success, Gates says

05/25/2011

The ultimate guarantee against success of aggressors, dictators and terrorists in the 21st century is the size, strength and global reach of the United States military, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said May 22.

Gates: Defense cuts must be prioritized, strategic

05/25/2011

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he is determined that the department not fall victim to the mistakes of the past, "where the budget targets were met mostly by taking a percentage off the top of everything, the simplest and most politically expedient approach both inside the Pentagon and outside of it.

Sky Wars: Pakistan, India and China

05/25/2011

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (2nd R) and China's Premier Wen Jiabao (2nd L) attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 18, 2011. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to China from Tuesday allows Islamabad to show it has another major power to turn to just as relations with the United States have faced intense strain after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

China, U.S. military ties to increase transparency in Asia Pacific

05/24/2011

The recent talks between General Chen Bingde, the chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, have hit the headlines. The PLA top military leader’s one-week visit to the United States, the first of its kind in seven years, signals that Chinese-U.S. relations are back on track.

Rosoboronexport at MILEX 2011

05/24/2011

The Rosoboronexport Corporation takes part in the MILEX 2011 International Exhibition of Arms and Materiel in Minsk, Belarus, on 24-27 May, 2011.

Iraq says ready to buy Czech-made combat jets

05/24/2011

Iraq is ready to buy light attack aircraft, offered for sale by the Czech republic earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said after talks with his Czech counterpart in Baghdad. The visit to Baghdad by Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, which began on Monday, focused on bilateral economic and political cooperation.

Final F-35 Flight Test Aircraft Completes First Flight

05/24/2011

The final F-35 Lightning II flight test aircraft, a carrier variant designated CF-3, launches from Naval Air Station (NAS) Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on May 21 on the way to completing its first test flight. CF-3 continues its flight testing in Fort Worth, preparing to fly to NAS Patuxent River, Md., later this year.

First Lockheed Martin Advanced Block 50 F-16 Unveiled For Turkish Air Force

05/24/2011

Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) and Lockheed Martin unveiled the first of 30 new Turkish-built F-16s in ceremonies today at TAI’s facility near Ankara.

'Golden hour' initiative pays off in Afghanistan

05/23/2011

Two years ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates traveled throughout Afghanistan, promising deployed troops he would make sure they had everything they needed to accomplish their mission -- including more forward-deployed medical capabilities in the event they were wounded.

F-35C Over Andrews

05/23/2011

An aircraft carrier variant of the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flies over Andrews Air Force Base, Md., during the Joint Service Open House. This is the first public appearance of a joint strike fighter aircraft at an air show. Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus piloted the aircraft. The F-35C is a fifth generation strike fighter with stealth capability and has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear for the demanding carrier environment. The aircraft is undergoing test and evaluation at Naval A

9 killed, several airplanes destroyed in air force base attack in Pakistan

05/23/2011

At least nine people including three troops and six militants were killed in a terrorist attack on a Pakistan air force base in the country's southern port city of Karachi late Sunday night, local Urdu TV channel ARY reported. Besides, several military airplanes including imported U.S. made P.3.C Orion aircraft were reportedly destroyed in the attack.

India goes full steam to finalize $10.4bn jet deal

05/23/2011

Rejecting the carping by those ejected out of the hotly-contested $10.4 billion MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) race, most notably the US, India is going full throttle to ink the "mother of all defence deals'' by December.

US Drones vs China

05/23/2011

After a decade of steady expansion, the Chinese military has made significant strides toward limiting the United States’ ability to deploy its own armed forces in the western Pacific. A combination of new submarines, long-range anti-ship missiles and heavily-armed jet fighters underpins what the Pentagon calls Beijing's ‘anti-access, area-denial’ strategy, aimed at keeping the warships of the US Seventh Fleet, based in Japan, out of the South China Sea.

Africa: Battleground For NATO's 21st Century Strategic Concept

05/23/2011

The war by major North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states against Libya is in its third month and has been conducted under the official auspices of NATO for the past fifty days. According to the military bloc's daily online tally, Alliance military aircraft have flown over 7,200 missions and more than 2,800 combat flights since NATO inaugurated so-called Operation Unified Protector on March 31.

Leaked cable says Pakistanis sabotaged own air missions

05/23/2011

akistani airmen sabotaged their fighter jets to prevent them from participating in operations against militants along the border with Afghanistan, according to a leaked U.S. Embassy cable.

FIFTH GENERATION AIRCRAFT AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE

05/23/2011

U.S. air power is at a crucial turning point. In a stringent budgetary environment and with a demand to shape a post-Afghan military, the crucial requirement is to invest in the future not the past. President Obama is calling for a Sputnik moment in the investment in future technologies. There is little reason to exclude the Department of Defense from such an effort.

Japan may drop F-35 from shortlist of next mainstay fighter

05/22/2011

Japan may drop the F-35 stealth fighter from a shortlist for the country's next generation fighter due to a sharp delay in the plane's development plan, Kyodo agency reported on Friday citing diplomatic and defense sources.

NATO pounds pro-Gadhafi forces’ command centers

05/22/2011

NATO warplanes bombed command centers near Tripoli and in Libya’s southwest as part of a continuing effort to cut communications links between Moammar Gadhafi and his units on the battlefields, the military alliance said Saturday.

Airbus Military again assures on South African A400M work – but just

05/21/2011

Airbus Military officials have again sought to assure South Africa about the security of its A400M work packages. Programme head Cedric Gautier says there are “no plans to remove any packages on our own initiative” at present.