September 18, 2015 Military Aviation News
09/18/2015
The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II strike fighters on combat sorties from Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, a senior U.K. Royal Navy officer has confirmed. Rear Adm. Keith Blount, who is responsible for delivering the two 65,000 ton ships, said that using Marine aircraft and pilots to bolster the U.K.’s nascent carrier strike capability would be a natural extension of coalition doctrine.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
The A-10 Thunderbolt II (often called the “Warthog” for its aggressive look and the teeth often pained on its nose cone) is beloved by the troops who need its close-air support and by its pilots — who hear the calls for that support from the controllers on the ground.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
A new RAND report challenges the US military to rethink a war with China. The report examines US and Chinese military capabilities in 10 operational areas, producing a “scorecard” for each, from four years: 1996, 2003, 2010, and 2017. Each of the scorecards evaluates capabilities in the context of geography and distance, each of the scorecards evaluates capabilities in the context of two scenarios: a Taiwan invasion and a Spratly Islands campaign.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
BAE Systems' new Striker II helmet-mounted display is undergoing trials to evaluate its digital night vision capabilities. If the trials prove successful, Striker II will replace analog night vision goggles worn by fighter pilots. "Striker II has a high-definition, lightweight night vision camera which translates information and displays it on the helmet's visor," said Peter Kosogorin, a test pilot for BAE Systems.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
Five RAF Tornado GR4s have taken to the skies sporting new painted tail fins. The tradition of painting combat aircraft is common to virtually all air forces, offering a way for crews to celebrate achievements or commemorate past events. The aircraft, four from RAF Marham and one from RAF Lossiemouth, are carrying special centenary markings to commemorate the 100th anniversary of squadrons, and 40 years of Tornado service.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
Five months after India announced a deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets "off the shelf" from France, much of the expectations from the big-ticket deal appears to have evaporated due to protracted negotiations. While voices from both sides say there is hope for the deal being concluded by December, on the French side there is some frustration at the long-winded nature of the negotiations.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
The U.S. Air Force has finally admitted that its new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter isn’t maneuverable enough to beat older jets in a dogfight. But despite its earlier promises that the pricey, radar-evading warplane would excel in close combat, now the flying branch insists that the stealthy F-35 doesn’t even need to dogfight.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which manufactures the Light Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, plans to offload to industry larger chunks of the fighter plane to produce than is being done now. It is working on a process to rope in eight to 12 large industry partners as tier-1 or tier-2 suppliers of bigger ‘modules’ or structures, according to HAL Chairman and Managing Director T. Suvarna Raju. He said an industry partner may gear up to the task over a couple of years.
(Read More...)
09/18/2015
Rumors about China’s latest PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile have been circling for the last two years. Speaking during a Chinese television interview, the missile’s chief designer revealed that the missile is nearly complete, and offered new key details.
(Read More...)
All Articles