Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Dogfight over the MMRCA

05/08/2011

The second and final bidding stage—commercial negotiations—of the $10.4 billion, 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) tender floated by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Indian Air Force in 2007 has selected two European products (Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale). This entails the exit of two American (F-16 and FA-18), one European (JAS-39 Gripen) and one Russian (MiG-35) system from the race.

Stealth craft in bin Laden raid has Nevada ties

05/08/2011

Radar-evading technology for the mysterious helicopters that carried out the U.S. special operations raid of Osama bin Laden's walled compound in Pakistan was spawned in the early 1990s at the classified Area 51 installation in Southern Nevada, according to sources close to the black projects facility.

Flight Report: Unmanned Combat Aircraft

05/08/2011

“Boeing conducted what appeared to be a successful 17-minute first flight and recovery,” said an observer at Edwards. “First turn was shortly after takeoff—just over lakebed. The first two turns were surprisingly tight as commented by those observing near inner runway. Rest of flight other than final approach was too far away to see. Gear down for entire flight. The landing was observed to be Air Force style, flared.”

A good military a terrible thing to waste

05/08/2011

The speed with which US military forces were able to begin combat operations in Libya last month, following the president’s order to intervene in the unfolding civil war, is a tribute to the professionalism and combat readiness of the US armed forces. But it also should give the Americans great pause. Unless the United States has been attacked, military intervention should be a very difficult, sobering decision requiring painstaking reflection.

Obama Chooses Navy SEAL Raid Over B52 Bomber: Good Decision?

05/07/2011

The Obama administration had the best information it was going to have on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. The longtime public enemy No. 1 was holed up in a ritzy area of Pakistan, two hours from the capital, Islamabad, and his neighbors were retired military officials. President Barack Obama had two choices for Operation Geronimo : Send in a Navy SEAL team or send in a bomber and flatten the fortified compound. He chose the former. In light of the result, it was the right decision.

U.S. Air Force grounds F-22 fighter jets

05/07/2011

.S. Air Force officials have grounded the F-22 Raptor fighter jet over a possible problems with its oxygen system. The order grounding the jet came in January, but was just becoming public this week, according to a CNN report.

Tinker AFB Airmen complete first repairs on F117 engine

05/07/2011

Airmen from the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group and Pratt & Whitney mechanics recently completed repairs on the first F117 engine of the newly-obtained workload.

A400M engine gets EASA certification

05/07/2011

EPI Europrop International GmbH (EPI) has received type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the TP400-D6 engine that powers the A400M military transport aircraft. It is the first large turboprop engine to have been certified by EASA and the first military engine to have been certified by EASA to civil standards from the outset.

India looks to other countries for spares of Russian military equipment

05/06/2011

Russia may remain India's biggest defence supplier for the next two decades but its tardy supply of spares and after-sales service is forcing New Delhi to increasingly tap other countries to maintain Russian-origin aircraft, helicopters and other weapon systems.

Russia’s ROKAF Connection

05/06/2011

South Korea is an attractive defense market due to its large economy and justifiable need for military equipment to defend against a North Korean threat. The United States is the main supplier of imported weapons to the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROKAF). The ROK bought almost one billion dollars worth of U.S. arms in FY2010.

China Targets UAS As Growth Sector

05/06/2011

The display of dozens of unmanned-aircraft models at last November’s Zhuhai air show made it clear that China, industrially and militarily, is moving rapidly to catch up—and perhaps ultimately overtake—the West in this burgeoning sector of aerospace.

UAV played part in US Bin Ladin mission

05/06/2011

A Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel stealth unmanned aerial system spied on bin Laden the night before the special operations unit raid that successfully killed bin Laden at his mansion compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, according to a report by AUVSI, the professional association that covers the UAS industry.

Report outlines progress in Afghanistan

05/06/2011

Last year's surge of U.S. and coalition forces into Afghanistan, with the simultaneous growth of Afghan forces, is leading to tangible progress for peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, according to a biannual Defense Department report recently released.

Reserve tanker crew first operational crew to refuel F-35

05/06/2011

What started out as a routine mission for Airmen from the Air Force Reserve Command's 916th Air Refueling Wing turned into an historic 'first in flight' moment recently.

Lockheed Martin, SELEX Systems Integration and Cobham Team for Project MARSHALL Bid

05/06/2011

Lockheed Martin, Finmeccanica – through its UK company SELEX Systems Integration - and Cobham have signed an agreement to form Fusion Air Traffic Management, which will address Project MARSHALL - formerly known as the Joint Military Air Traffic Services (JMATS) programme.

US Navy Seals: 5 technology tools of the special forces

05/05/2011

One of the helicopters that carried Seal Team Six to Abbottabad crash landed inside the Bin Laden compound. Though the troops blew up the stricken craft to preserve the secrecy of the technology on board, part of the tail landed outside the walls and survived to show this was no ordinary Blackhawk.

BAE to cut workforce as defence sales slide

05/05/2011

BAE Systems said yesterday that it expects to cut more jobs this year as sales of military equipment dip, but the company’s workforce on the Clyde appears to be safe – at least for now.

Libyan Rebels Feel the Heat of NATO's Swan Song

05/05/2011

A week after U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 sanctioned air strikes against the regime of Colonel Muammar el-Gaddafi in Libya, U.S. President Barack Obama made clear that it would not be U.S. planes maintaining the No-Fly Zone (NFZ). Rather, the effort to safeguard Libyan civilians would be led primarily by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Meeting the needs of the warfighter from the air

05/05/2011

Over the past four years much has been written, debated and proposed about the need for a light attack turboprop aircraft that’s ideally suited for irregular warfare in Afghanistan. Yet here we are four years later without a deployable solution.

All vendors given reasons for combat jet short-listing: IAF chief

05/05/2011

India Monday said it has individually conveyed to all six vendors in the $10.4 billion tender for 126 combat planes if their aircraft were compliant with the air force's requirements and that there were no complaints so far from any of the four unsuccessful firms, including two from the US.

First UAE Unmanned Systems Rodeo gives knowledge boost to students

05/05/2011

The first day of the UAE's inaugural Unmanned Systems Rodeo (USR), organized by the Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), took place at the CERT Technology Park in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

U.S. Air Force Poised To Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Space Based Infrared System Satellite

05/05/2011

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin are ready to launch the first Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1) spacecraft on Friday, May 6 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window is 2:14 p.m. EDT to 2:54 p.m. EDT. A live launch broadcast will begin at 1:54 p.m. EDT and will be accessible via the ULA webcast.

Russia aims for $9.5 billion arms sales

05/04/2011

Russia aims to earn $9.5 billion from arms sales in 2011, a significant part in Latin America, new data after last month's premier arms show in Rio de Janeiro indicated. Russian government leaders and state-run defense manufacturers redoubled efforts to take a larger slice of arms buying by governments on the continent as demand for weapons and equipment soared with commodity exporters earning more and military procurers clamoring for replacement for obsolete inventories.

Gulf air force deals 'to hit $63 billion'

05/04/2011

The Middle East market for military aircraft and air-defense systems, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is expected to generate revenues of nearly $63 billion by 2020, a new study says.

Aircraft deal: Nothing wrong in selection firms, says IAF

05/04/2011

After the US expressed "disappointment" over the ouster of its two companies from the multi-billion-dollar combat aircraft deal, the IAF on Monday said there was "nothing wrong" in its selection process. "Whether anyone is happy or unhappy, we have done whatever we were asked to do by the Government...If you select one aircraft, it always happens that other side would be dissatisfied. There is nothing wrong with our process. It is a human feeling," IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik said.