Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

The German Air Force receives its first fighter-bomber Eurofighter Typhoons

12/16/2009

The German Air Force’s Jagdbombergeschwader 31 “Boelcke” has received today its first four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The Eurofighter Typhoons have been handed over in a ceremony at the Wing’s base, Nörvenich, in North Rhine Westphalia and will replace the Tornados today in service with the Wing by the end of June 2010.

Raytheon ATFLIR Marks More Than 500,000 Flight Hours

12/16/2009

Raytheon Company's Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared pod, which provides pinpoint accuracy and real-time target assessment from long standoff ranges, has marked more than 500,000 hours of operational flight on the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Boeing Team Demonstrates Multimodal Unmanned Systems Operations

12/16/2009

Boeing today announced that it has completed a demonstration for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) at Fort Bragg, N.C., that integrated both air and ground unmanned systems to perform psychological operations (PSYOP) wartime missions for combatant commands.

Armed BLACK HAWK Demonstrator Completes Test Program Customer Demo Shows Sikorsky Helicopter’s Weapons in Action

12/15/2009

Sikorsky Military Systems, a business unit of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., and Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) have successfully completed the Armed BLACK HAWK (ABH) demonstrator program, proof-of concept for the development BATTLEHAWKTM helicopter. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Sikorsky Aircraft Delivers UH-60M BLACK HAWK Helicopter to Bahrain Defense Forces

12/15/2009

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today celebrated the formal delivery of a UH-60M BLACK HAWK helicopter to the Defense Forces of Bahrain. It is the first of nine aircraft that will ultimately be delivered. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder Demonstrates Air-To-Surface Capability

12/15/2009

Raytheon Company demonstrated the capability to employ the AIM-9X Sidewinder advanced infrared-guided air-to-air missile to attack surface targets.

Aggressor pilots: Paid to play the villain

12/15/2009

It’s the perfect job for anybody who likes the Joker better than Batman or cheers for Tom instead of Jerry.

Ramstein Airmen train in Israel

12/14/2009

Airmen from Ramstein Air Base, Germany participated in an exercise Dec. 1 through 10 at Nevatim Air Force Base, Israel to accomplish various training requirements for the C-130J Super Hercules which are not allowed in Germany because of country regulations.

Refueling is lifeline of U.S., NATO air operations

12/14/2009

Thirty Royal Danish air force F-16 Fighting Falcons took to the sky over their homeland Dec. 8 to rendezvous with a Royal Air Force Mildenhall-based KC-135 Stratotanker and perform semi-annual aerial refueling training.

Boeing Delivers 500th Combat Track II Airborne Intelligence System to US Air Force

12/14/2009

Boeing today announced that it has delivered the 500th Combat Track II kit, an airborne intelligence system for U.S. Air Force cargo and bomber aircraft that enhances situational awareness, increases aircrew survivability and improves airframe effectiveness.

Report: Crew error led to F-15E crash

12/11/2009

The Air Combat Command accident investigation board is attributing the July 18 crash, the first fighter-jet crash in Afghanistan since the war started, to aircrew mistakes.

Russia-Lebanon deal on MiG-29 to enter final phase soon

12/11/2009

Russia's plan to supply Lebanon with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets will enter its final phase soon, the Beirut-based Al-Markazia news agency reported.

French Defense Ministry orders two Eurocopter EC225 helicopters for search and rescue missions

12/11/2009

The two EC225s ordered by the French Armament Procurement Agency (DGA) will be the first to be operated by the French Navy. The helicopters, which will be used to perform search and rescue (SAR) missions off the coast of Brittany, are slated for delivery in the first half of 2010 and will be assigned to the Lanvéoc naval air station in the Finistère region. They are destined to replace the navy's Super-Frelon helicopters, which are near the end of their service life, and will be operated until s

First Delivery of IAI-Made Heron UAS to MDA for Support of the Royal Australian Air Force Troops in Afghanistan

12/11/2009

Today (Dec. 10th, 2009) was the first delivery of the Heron Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to the Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), and to the customer, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The Heron UAS, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), includes an aircraft, mission payloads, Advanced Ground Control Station (AGCS), spare parts, and ground support equipment.

Wreckage found in Tatar Strait belongs to crashed Tu-142

12/10/2009

Wreckage discovered in the Tatar Strait in the past three days was confirmed to belong to the Russian military Tu-142 plane that crashed to the surface in the strait in early November, a search team member has said.

Northrop Grumman's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program Demonstrating Continued Success

12/10/2009

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Jim Culmo, vice president of Airborne Early Warning & Battle Management Command and Control Programs, said today that the company's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Program is on track for initial operational test and evaluation in 2011. Culmo provided a program overview at the Airborne Early Warning and Battle Management 2009 Conference in Amsterdam.

Maritime Safety Administration Of China Takes Delivery Of Two Grand Helicopters

12/10/2009

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of China has taken delivery of two Grand light twin helicopters during an official ceremony held at AgustaWstland's Vergiate facility in Italy today.

New Thai Joint Venture

12/10/2009

Saab has entered into a partnership with Thai company Avia Satcom Co. Ltd., to form a joint venture for developing high technology products within aviation and defence.

Russian strategic bombers complete patrol mission over Arctic

12/10/2009

Two Russian Tu-95 MS Bear strategic bombers have accomplished a routine patrol mission over neutral waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.

Lockheed Martin Team Completes Critical Design Review for the Airborne, Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System

12/10/2009

A secure, internet-like tactical network is one step closer to providing joint warfighters with unprecedented access to voice, data and video communications, as well as a level of interoperability never achieved before. The Lockheed Martin team has announced the successful completion of Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Airborne, Maritime/ Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System (AMF JTRS). The Lockheed Martin team includes BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

Su 30 MKI: Fuel leak behind engine fire

12/09/2009

A fuel leak on board India’s most advanced fighter could have led to the engine fire that caused the Su 30 MKI crash on Monday. Investigators, including an HAL engine expert, have reached the site of the crash and sources said a problem with the fuel system was likely to have caused the fire on board the aircraft that forced both pilots to eject.

East meets West – Pakistan‘s Fighter Aircraft

12/09/2009

Not many modern armed forces unite in their inventory, and particularly among their key assets, technology from two – in political terms – entirely opposite origins. It is more common in the countries of the former Soviet bloc where, since the fall of the iron curtain, Western technology slowly but ever increasingly found its way into countries primarily equipped with Russian weapon systems. In the past two decades the Middle East and southern countries of the Asian continent have become areas i

Naval version of India’s indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas begins test flight

12/09/2009

The test flight of India’s naval version of indigenous light combat aircraft Tejas began at the naval air station INS Hansa here on Tuesday.

Pakistani airforce gets its first Erieye airborne early warning and control aircraft

12/09/2009

Pakistan has received the first of four Saab-2000 Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft from Sweden, with the air force claiming it will boost operational capabilities manifold over land and sea.

Russia's Arsenyev Aviation Company to be Modernised for up to 6 Billion Roubles

12/09/2009

Russian Helicopters is pursuing modernisation of constituent companies by introducing prospective industry technology to the manufacturing process. As part of this move Arsenyev Aviation Company Progress named after N.I. Sazykin will see full-scale technical overhaul in 2009—2015. The company manufactures the famous Ka-50 Black Shark and Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters and the Ka-60/62. The new light Mi-34C2 Peregrine is about to enter production.