December, 2017 Military Aviation News
12/30/2017
As we end 2017, the team at Second Line of Defense would like to note that we have focused for MANY years on the re-norming of airpower associated with the coming of the fifth generation aircraft. There have been many opponents along the way, and many of these folks still do not get it.
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12/30/2017
Five companies have formally submitted their interest to participate in the Polish defense ministry’s tender process for a fighter aircraft procurement effort, DefenseNews reported Thursday.
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12/30/2017
An Australian air force base was put on alert while Russian strategic bombers conducted exercises in neutral waters off Indonesia, a move experts said showed Moscow was looking to extend its influence in the Pacific.
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12/30/2017
Orbital ATK would deliver seven armed Cessna AC-208 Caravan aircraft to the Afghan National Army under a pending US Air Force contract award, the US armed service says. An acquisition notice posted by the Air Force late on 27 December invites comments on a plan to award the contract to Orbital ATK without a competition.
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12/30/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries has disclosed that its chief executive Joseph Weiss will step down once a replacement is identified and "an orderly succession process has taken place". Weiss has held managerial positions at IAI for two decades and became its chief in 2012. The manufacturer, which notes that he is now approaching retirement age, credits him with having "led the company to many accomplishments".
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12/28/2017
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel has the strongest air force against threats, with the ability to reach targets at all distances. "Israeli Air Force is at the prime of its capabilities, with the very best technological tools, aircraft, pilots, possessing defensive and offensive capabilities, with immense fire capabilities, which can reach near and far targets," said Netanyahu at a graduation ceremony for air force pilots at the Hatzerim Air Base in southern Is
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12/28/2017
The F-35B, the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of the Lightning II 5th generation aircraft is expected to deploy to the Pacific and Central Command theaters in 2018, the Marine Corps Times reported. According to Jeff Schogol, the F-35B, that can operate from amphibious assault ships, “is expected to deploy with two Marine expeditionary units to the Pacific and Central Command theaters in the spring and summer.
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12/28/2017
An engine failure caused damage on 21 December to five E-8C JSTARS aircraft, or nearly one-third of the fleet of aerial ground surveillance aircraft, the US Air Force says. Three of the five damaged aircraft returned to flight status at Warner Robins AFB, Georgia within three days, and a fourth aircraft is expected to be repaired shortly after the New Year’s Day, says the 116th Air Control Wing.
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12/28/2017
Qatar’s air force will receive 36 Boeing F-15QA fighters under a $6.17 billion deal announced by the US Department of Defense on 22 December. The order comes after the DOD notified Congress in November 2016 that Qatar could buy up to 72 F-15QAs and associated equipment worth $21 billion over the long-term.
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12/27/2017
Taiwan is facing a new source of pressure from rival China as the communist government increasingly often sends military aircraft to skirt the island, a challenge to the local armed forces. Planes from China flew near Taiwan in November and December, raising concern last week at the presidential office in Taipei. Over the past two years, Chinese military units have sent planes 10 times just outside the Taiwanese air defense zone, former Taiwan defense minister Andrew Yang estimates.
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12/27/2017
Syria's armed forces said insurgents downed a military jet in northern Hama province on Tuesday, killing the pilot, according to Reuters. Militant group Tahrir al Sham – a fighting force dominated by members of Al Qaeda's former branch in Syria – said it hit the plane, Reuters reported. A source said the militants were searching for another pilot they believed had survived the crash.
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12/27/2017
JAPAN can’t have aircraft carriers. And just to be sure, it officially declared several of its latest warships must be called “helicopter destroyers” — even though to all intents and purposes they look like aircraft carriers. They just don’t carry fixed-wing aircraft. Yet. They carry helicopters.
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12/27/2017
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a $279 million contract to produce Japan's first KC-46 tanker aircraft. The contract is a key step in Tokyo's development of a new tanker capability. The decision to obtain three KC-46s in the 2020 time frame was originally announced in 2015.
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12/27/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received a request for proposal (RFP) for 83 Tejas Mk-1A light combat aircraft from the Indian air force (IAF). On completion of negotiations, Hindustan Aeronautics is expected to receive a production order in late 2018. India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had cleared the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft in November 2016.
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12/27/2017
The first US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to receive service life modification upgrades will arrive at Boeing’s St. Louis facility next April and will leave with an additional 3,000 flight hours of service life, Boeing’s vice president of F/A-18 programmes tells FlightGlobal.
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12/24/2017
The Boeing has received an amended type certificate for the 767-2C that serves as the baseline aircraft for conversion into the US Air Force KC-46A tanker, the company says. Boeing expects to deliver the first KC-46 to the air force next year but first must receive two certifications from the US Federal Aviation Administration. In addition to the amended certification for the 767-2C, the programme is still working on qualifying for a supplemental type certification for the modifications required
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12/24/2017
Boeing reportedly has held talks with Brazilian aircraft and defence services company Embraer to acquire an ownership stake, the Wall Street Journal reports on 21 December. Such a move would further reshape a regional jet market in flux since Boeing filed an anti-dumping and countervailing duty complaint against Bombardier with the US Department of Commerce last May.
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12/20/2017
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency plans to demonstrate an ability to launch and recover small drones from an Air Force C-130 aircraft as part of its continued development of the Gremlins program — a technical effort designed to deploy groups of small drones carrying 60-pound sensor payloads up to ranges of 300 nautical miles.
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12/20/2017
A missile fired from Yemen at the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, bears the hallmarks of a weapon provided by Iran, the US ambassador to the UN has said. Nikki Haley said Iran's actions threatened to drag the world "deeper into a broadening regional conflict". The missile was shot down by Saudi Arabia's military on Tuesday. There were no reports of any damage.
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12/20/2017
A new US Air Force document released last week outlines the details, timeline and likely competitors for a plan to acquire at least 608 new turbofan engines to replace the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33s on each of 76 Boeing B-52H bombers in the US Air Force fleet.
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12/20/2017
A prototype Bell Helicopter tiltrotor called the V-280 Valor lifted vertically off the ground and hovered in ground effect for the first time this week. The V-280, which denotes the aircraft's 280kt top speed, performed basic handling tests in hover mode outside Bell's tiltrotor production site in Amarillo, Texas, including a rapid pedal turn.
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12/20/2017
Boeing has revealed a narrow, nose-on view of the company’s bid to win a three-way competition to build the MQ-25 Stingray, a carrier-based unmanned air system (UAS) that the US Navy plans to use as an in-flight refueler to extend the range of manned fighters.
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12/19/2017
Chinese air force planes Monday flew through Tsushima Strait for the first time and conducted drills in international airspace over the Sea of Japan, an air force spokesperson said. The drills, involving bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes and other aircraft, were aimed to examine the high-sea combat ability of the air force, said Shen Jinke, spokesman for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.
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12/19/2017
A few hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Cairo to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Dec. 11, he ordered the Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province to begin withdrawing the bulk of Russian troops stationed in Syria, while maintaining a presence at Hmeimim and the Russian naval facility in Tartus.
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12/19/2017
Myanmar has commissioned 10 military aircraft during a ceremony commemorating the 70 anniversary of the nation’s Air Force. A total of 10 airplanes — six Yak-130s, two Fokker-70s and two ATR 42-320s — were put into operation at the morning ceremony, held at the Air Training School in Meiktila Station in Mandalay Region, Eleven Myanmar reported Saturday.
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12/19/2017
China sent several warplanes on a long-range drill to the Sea of Japan on Monday and also conducted drills around rival Taiwan, moved that prompted South Korea to scramble fighter jets and could raise concerns about Beijing's growing military presence in the region.Chinese air force spokesman Shen Jinke said the air force dispatched bombers, fighters and reconnaissance planes through the Tsushima Strait to the Sea of Japan to "test its ocean combat ability."
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12/19/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is in talks to upgrade the Kfir fighter aircrafts of the Sri Lankan air force, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Sri Lanka purchased a total of 16 Kfir jets from Israel between 1995 and 2005; at least seven were lost during the 26-year-long Sri Lankan civil war and IAI is in talks with Colombo to upgrade and return to service its five grounded Kfir jets.
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12/18/2017
A B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range strategic bomber, just set a record for the number of “smart bombs” dropped during a combat mission, Military.com reported. Smart bombs use GPS to guide missiles to their targets. It happened during a November mission in Afghanistan, Air Force Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, director of NATO’s Resolute Support mission, future operations, told Military.com. The bomber is stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
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12/18/2017
Qatar seeks to spend billions of dollars to increase its military power, particularly its air force capabilities, but the small Gulf state may face a staffing shortage, according to a report by Defense News.
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12/18/2017
After the test-fire of the BrahMos-A supersonic Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) from a Sukhoi-30 jet, Indian Air Force said that BrahMos coupled with Sukhoi's superlative performance would give the IAF a strategic reach, allowing the force to dominate the ocean as well as the battlefields. The complicated process of BrahMos-Sukhoi integration involves electrical, mechanical, and software modifications to the Sukhoi aircraft.
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12/18/2017
Leonardo has continued development work on the attack variant of its M-346 trainer, performing a successful test firing of a Raytheon AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile from the platform.
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12/18/2017
The US Air Force no longer needs to rob its A-10 fleet’s maintainers to support the incoming Lockheed Martin F-35As, according to a Congressional report. The F-35 delivery plan currently outpaces the number of maintainers the USAF can maintain and recruit until fiscal year 2020. In the interim, the service is hiring contract maintainers through 2019 in non-deploying squadrons to allow the USAF to stand up new F-35 squadrons, but Congress remains wary of a long term gap.
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12/18/2017
Lebanon is to receive MD Helicopters MD530Gs and Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles as part of a new military assistance package from the USA. Announced by the US embassy in Beirut on 13 December, the deal is worth more than $120 million.
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12/14/2017
Russia has started testing its new Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter with its new next-generation Saturn izdeliye 30 engines. The flight-testing with the new engines will run for several years. In the meantime, the Russians will build a dozen Su-57s equipped with interim Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans producing 32,500lbs thrust each for operational testing.
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12/14/2017
The Pentagon’s top weapons tester intends to approve limited testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35 while the programme office waits for modifications needed to begin the fighter’s full initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).
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12/14/2017
Kuwait's future fleet of Typhoons remains on track for introduction from 2019, with the first major parts now in production by the Eurofighter partner companies. "Production activities have begun, in order to comply with the contract and customer expectations," the Eurofighter consortium says. Kuwait signed for 28 of the multirole type – including six two-seat trainers – in 2016 and Italy's Leonardo is lead partner for the sale.
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12/14/2017
Elbit Systems is to provide the Israeli air force with flight simulation services to support operations with its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules tactical transports until 2030. Announced by the company on 6 December, the $74 million deal covers both the new-generation C-130J and Israel's upgraded C-130H transports.
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12/14/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries has upgraded the Colombian air force's Kfir fighters to its latest C-60 standard, enabling the type to carry an expanded range of weapons and sensors. Benjamin Cohen, general manager of IAI's Lahav division, says the avionics suite at the heart of the upgrade is similar to the one installed in the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52.
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12/13/2017
The Pentagon is upgrading mission systems avionics as part of a tech refresh effort for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that improves memory, weapons delivery, storage, processing speed, display video and aircraft parametric data, industry developers said.
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12/13/2017
China’s military sent fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to patrol the self-governed island of Taiwan on Monday. The “island encirclement patrol” took place after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that Beijing would invade Taiwan if any U.S. warships made port visits there.
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12/13/2017
I had the opportunity to fly the F-16 in the US, Gripen in Sweden and Eurofighter in the UK during official visits to these countries as chief of air staff. I also flew the Rafale in India during ‘Exercise Garuda’ with the French air force. These fighter aircraft are very impressive in their performance, equipped with state-of-the-art systems and weapons to execute operational tasks.
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12/13/2017
Canberra has confirmed that it will sell 18 Boeing F/A-18 A/B Hornet fighters to Canada for an undisclosed amount. The first two "classic" Hornets will delivered to Canada in 2019, when the Royal Australian Air Force's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be well underway, says defence minister Marise Payne.
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12/13/2017
Canada will hold an open competition to replace its aging CF-18 fighter fleet, but sent a firm warning to any company who might try to hurt Canadian business. That admonition appeared as a not-so-veiled threat toward Boeing, whose commercial arm launched a spat with Bombardier by accusing the Canadian manufacturer of dumping the CSeries on the market.
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12/12/2017
The tortuous Rafale acquisition saga has put a dent in an otherwise robust defense relationship. India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition for 126 aircraft, won by France’s Dassault Rafale, was initiated by the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in August 2007.
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12/12/2017
Qatar has entered a deal to obtain 24 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters just days after confirming an order for 12 additional Dassault Rafales. BAE Systems, the Eurofighter campaign lead for Qatar, says that the deal is valued a £5 billion ($6.7 billion).
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12/10/2017
The Israeli air force on 6 December declared its Lockheed Martin F-35I "Adir" combat aircraft as having achieved initial operational capability. Air force commander Maj Gen Amikam Norkin confirmed the milestone involving the stealthy type, nine of which are assigned to its 140th "Golden Eagle" squadron at Nevatim air base. The declaration followed an inspection performed on five of the unit's jets, after which the service says "the aircraft was found fit for operational activity".
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12/10/2017
Qatar will operate a future fleet of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, having signed an option to boost a previous commitment for 24 of the type. Announced by the manufacturer on 7 December, the development builds on a contract signed in May 2015 covering the provision of 18 single-seat Rafale EQs and six two-seat DQ-model trainers. Dassault has not disclosed whether the fresh order for 12 units will contain any additional trainers.
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12/10/2017
A Lockheed Martin F-22 grounded since a trainee pilot’s error led to a crash landing in May 2012 could be ready to return to service next March after a nearly six-year-long repair job, according to a new US Air force document. The process to return the aircraft, serial number 4037, to service condition offers a glimpse into the effort the USAF will undertake to keep as many of the limited number of F-22s flying rather than writing them off after extensive damages.
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12/07/2017
Northrop Grumman is partnering with composites manufacturer VX Aerospace on a canister-launched unmanned air vehicle that could fly on the US Navy’s updated Boeing E/A-18G Growler. The Office of Naval Research funded an October flight test that demonstrated the Dash X, a 3.66m (12ft)-long folding UAV, could collect and share electronic warfare information in flight with a manned aircraft.
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12/07/2017
Singapore air show organizer Experia has announced a number of new exhibitors for the show's sixth edition, which will run from 6 to 11 February 2018. At a media briefing, Experia managing director Leck Chet Lam highlighted Boom Supersonic and Honda Aircraft, amongst other new exhibitors including IHSE Asia, WEARE Group and Wright Brothers Science and Technologies Development.
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12/07/2017
Boeing’s first KC-46A tanker slated for the US Air Force operational fleet made its maiden flight this week, pushing the aircraft closer to a newly-delayed, 2018 delivery. While Boeing has flown six other test articles, the newest 767-2C-based aircraft will be one of the first 18 inducted into the service next year. The USAF had expected Boeing to deliver the first KC-46 by the end of 2017.
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12/07/2017
Russia’s latest fighter aircraft flew on 5 December for the first time with the NPO Saturn “Product 30” engine, which will be the production standard for the Sukhoi Su-57. Sukhoi has built and flown nine flight test prototypes of the Su-57 fighter powered by NPO Saturn Product 117 engines, which are derived from the AL-41F-1S afterburning turbofans developed for the Su-35.
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12/07/2017
France has taken delivery of its first Airbus Defence & Space A400M equipped with underwing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods, edging its air force closer to introducing a new tactical tanker capability.
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12/05/2017
North Korea issued a dire warning Monday as a large-scale joint U.S.-South Korean air exercise got underway. Two hundred and thirty U.S. military aircraft and 12,000 American personnel are participating in a five-day annual joint exercise with the South Korean military known as Vigilant Ace 18.
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12/05/2017
The Government of Qatar is expected to soon sign a contract with BAE Systems for the purchase of Typhoon fighter jet and Hawk trainer aircraft. Qatar intends to acquire a total of 24 Typhoon and six Hawk aircraft from the UK firm. In September, Qatar Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the then-UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to purchase Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.
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12/05/2017
Russia has sent Argentina all the necessary materials for taking part in a tender for fighter jets with its Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Anatoly Punchuk told TASS on Monday. Punchuk is heading the Russian delegation at the Expodefensa 2017 arms exhibition in Bogota, Colombia. The arms show is being held on December 4-6.
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12/05/2017
On a Sunday morning just outside of Anchorage, Alaska, a group of Hawaii Air National Guard fighter pilots gathered around a desk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to hear the day's operational briefing after three weeks of training at Red Flag Alaska. As they sipped coffee and listened to the delivery control officer, they learned the mission was not difficult, but it was certainly unique.
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12/05/2017
The U.S. sent its most advanced stealth fighters as part of a massive contingent of air power to the Pacific for a war game this week that may be more about sending a message to North Korea than training with allies. While the jets - made to evade detection from surface-to-air missiles -- have flown in joint exercises before, their addition to the lineup for the Air Force's week-long Vigilant Ace 18 could be seen as changing the play.
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12/04/2017
In the first such initiative, state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is ready to transfer the technology of its advanced light helicopter Dhruv to a domestic defence manufacturer for the commercial production of the chopper, official sources said. HAL is in the process of identifying the private defence major with whom it will share the technology for the production of the twin-engine combat helicopter in India.
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12/04/2017
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated over the weekend as US stealth fighters moved into the region and official sources from both North Korea and the US said the chances of war are growing. The bellicose rhetoric from North Korea came in two phases: On Saturday, a statement from its Foreign Ministry said US President Donald Trump is “begging for a nuclear war” through what it called an “extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean Peninsula.”
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12/04/2017
China has showcased its J-11B jet fighters in the disputed South China Sea islands as Beijing seeks to consolidate its hold over the region. Footage aired by state-run China Central Television (CCTV) on Wednesday for the first time confirmed deployment of the fighter aircraft in a hangar on Yongxing island, a Chinese name for Woody Island, which is part of the Paracel islands - also claimed by Vietnam.
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12/03/2017
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba today said a request for proposal (RFP) is likely to be issued by mid-2018 for the procurement of 57 multi-role combat fighter jets for the Navy's aircraft carrier. "Hopefully we will be able to issue the RFP by middle of next year," he said. Four aircraft manufacturers have shown interest in the project.
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12/03/2017
On August 27, 1939, a stubby-winged airplane made of unpainted steel alloy took off over Germany and soared into history. Instead of a pointy propeller hub in the nose, the Heinkel 178 had an open-mouthed turbojet intake, making it the first operational jet-powered aircraft.
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12/03/2017
A military site near Damascus came under attack just after midnight Saturday by missiles from the Israeli military, according to the Syrian state-run SANA news agency and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Two of the surface-to-surface missiles launched were intercepted by Syrian air defense, but others caused material damage to the military site, sources told SANA. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident when asked by CNN about the Syrian claim.
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12/03/2017
Lockheed Martin has cleared the F-35 to accurately deliver a full slate of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons available with go-to-war, Block 3F software. "The F-35 is combat capable and poised for even more weapons capability growth as we evolve into the future," Lockheed's F-35 executive vice-president and general manager Jeff Babione said in a newsletter to employees earlier this month.
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12/03/2017
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of $415 million worth of equipment and services for a Singapore fighter training detachment based in Idaho. The package includes a broad range of items, all to be furnished by the USAF, says the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in a statement. The package will be sold under the auspices of the US government's foreign military sales programme.
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