Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing Gets Initial India Request For 6 Refueling Planes

01/18/2010

Boeing Co. (BA) said Monday it has received initial requests for information from India's federal government for supplying six refueling tankers, in what is likely to further expand the U.S. aircraft maker's presence in this burgeoning market for defense equipment.

India to sign new MiG deal with Russia

01/18/2010

India and Russia are set to agree a 1.2-billion-dollar deal for 29 MiG-29 fighter jets which will cement Moscow's role as New Delhi's principal arms supplier, an official said Monday.

US offers F 35 Joint Strike Fighter to India

01/18/2010

Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Business Development Orville Prins told India Strategic defence magazine that a presentation about the aircraft was made to the Indian Navy recently after it expressed interest in the newer generation of aircraft for its future carrier-based aircraft requirements.

The Best Defense is a Great Offense

01/18/2010

It was Dwight D. Eisenhower, America’s only 5-star General President, who first warned us of the “military-industrial complex.” (Less well-known is the fact that in the draft of the address, Eisenhower initially used the term “military-industrial-congressional complex,” but struck the word “congressional” in order to pacify members of Congress. Too bad – Congressional meddling and jockeying to get moredollars in their district is the largest single factor in defense cost over

Getting Ready for Takeoff

01/18/2010

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), one of Turkey's top defense companies, expects its role in international programs, mostly the F-35 and A400M projects, to expand its sales by nearly 40 percent this year, the company's director general says.

Why Send UAV Operators To Flight School

01/18/2010

Last year, for the first time, the U.S. Air Force graduated a class of UAV operators who were not already military pilots. Actually, these officers were given flight training, but only of the most basic kind, and needed only 18 hours at the controls of an aircraft, before they went on to UAV operator school. Now, the air force has increased that to 35 hours, because it is believed that a UAV operator needs a pilots sense of what is going on, even while operating an aircraft remotely from the gro

Military Is Awash in Data From Drones

01/18/2010

As the military rushes to place more spy drones over Afghanistan, the remote-controlled planes are producing so much video intelligence that analysts are finding it more and more difficult to keep up.

BAE Systems Unmanned Air Systems and Eurofighter Typhoon to be displayed at the Bahrain International Air Show 2010

01/17/2010

Visitors to the inaugural Bahrain International Air Show, to be held from 21-23 January 2010, will be able to see at first hand BAE Systems’ innovative technology in the form of MANTIS and HERTI, its unmanned air systems, and a full size replica of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the world’s most advanced multi-role/swing role combat aircraft. Through the Royal Bahraini Air Force and the Bahrain Defence Force, BAE Systems’ Hawk and Avro RJ100 in VIP configuration will also be represented.

Thunderbird returns to Nellis for final farewell

01/16/2010

A Thunderbird pilot killed in Southeast Asia and listed as missing in action for more than 40 years returned to the location of his last Air Force assignment Jan. 14 for a celebration of his life among a sea of family and peers.

Russia suspends flights of Su-27 fighters after crash

01/16/2010

Russia has suspended SU-27 Flanker fighter jet flights until the cause of a deadly crash earlier in the week is determined, a Defense Ministry official told RIA Novosti on Saturday.

Russian Navy to buy new carrier-based fighters

01/16/2010

Russian Navy plans to buy the first batch of MiG-29K fighters set to be deployed on an aircraft carrier later this year, said a Navy official on Friday.

Fighter Industry In Japan Risks Shrinkage

01/16/2010

Japan is risking a rapid loss of fighter engineering skills, an official review of the industry warns, urging the government to avoid fully importing combat aircraft.

Rolls-Royce wins massive RAF contract

01/16/2010

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has received a $1.4 billion contract to maintain engines for RAF jet fighters.

France Soars With Israeli Wings

01/15/2010

France has adapted the Israeli Heron TP UAVs to serve as a Predator substitute, until a new design can be developed in France.

Lockheed Martin Inducts Second C-5 Galaxy For RERP Modernization Program

01/15/2010

Lockheed Martin recently inducted its second C-5 Galaxy strategic transport into the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP) production line at its Marietta, Ga., facility. The RERP modifications consist of more than 70 improvements and upgrades to the C-5 airframe and aircraft systems, and include the installation of new higher-thrust, more reliable turbofan engines.

Wreckage of Su-27 fighter found in Russia's Far East

01/15/2010

Rescue teams discovered on Friday the crash site of a Su-27 Flanker fighter jet which has been missing in the Khabarovsk Territory since Thursday, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The likely intents from two fronts war

01/15/2010

The statement of Indian Army Chief for fighting a ‘two front war’ against Pakistan and China in chorus has been under discussion since the end of December 2009.

Chinese Chengdu J-10 Emerges

01/15/2010

Wrapped in secrecy for most of the decade following its 1998 test flight, Chengdu Aircraft Corp.’s J-10 multirole fighter is set to enter the global market. Following a development history that extends to the 1960s, and five years in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), the J-10 may emerge in the market soon after 2010, offering capabilities approaching Lockheed Martin’s F-16C Block 60, at half the price.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First Two Upgraded P-3C Maritime Surveillance Aircraft for Pakistan

01/15/2010

Lockheed Martin recently delivered two of seven upgraded P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan under the U.S. Government's Foreign Military Sales program.

The First Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules Produced For Canada Leaves The Company’s Paint Facility In Marietta, Georgia

01/14/2010

The first Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules produced for Canada leaves the company's paint facility in Marietta, Georgia.

Boeing Awards AH-64D Apache Block III Work to Science Engineering Services in Huntsville

01/14/2010

The Boeing Company has selected Science Engineering Services Inc. (SES) to perform disassembly, inspection and repair on AH-64D Apache helicopters in preparation for their upgrade to the Block III configuration. The program will create approximately 70 new positions for aviation and avionics mechanics, structural installers, and aviation quality inspectors within SES.

Boeing Receives $22M B-52 Engineering Sustainment Option From US Air Force

01/14/2010

Boeing today announced that it has received a $22 million option to continue supporting the B-52 bomber under the Engineering Sustainment Program (ESP) contract the company received from the U.S. Air Force in June 2009. Under the $750 million, 10-year ESP contract, Boeing will continue to perform engineering assignments that maintain the B-52 as a ready, reliable and viable asset to the Air Force.

Dassault under pressure to cut Rafale fighter price

01/13/2010

Dassault Aviation's Rafale fighter plane stands a good chance of winning its first-ever export contract with Brazil but it may have to make more price sacrifices, analysts said on Tuesday.

Boeing Delivers 4th KC-767 Tanker to Japan Ministry of Defense

01/13/2010

The Boeing Company on Jan. 8 delivered the last of four KC-767 aerial refueling tankers to the Japan Ministry of Defense, completing one of the International Tanker team's most significant milestones.

Brazil to choose France's Rafale jet-govt source

01/12/2010

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will choose the French-made Rafale jet as Brazil's next-generation fighter plane but wants to negotiate a lower price, a cabinet member told Reuters on Monday.