11/19/2018 Russia “accidentally” exposes model of secret hypersonic 6th-generation fighter jet  Russia’s Zvezda TV channel “accidentally” exposed model of a secret hypersonic 6th-generation fighter jet. In a live broadcast of the Zvezda TV Channel was revealed a model of modern Russian-made hypersonic 6th-generation fighter jet that is likely in unmanned version. |
11/18/2018 Why Is China Building So Many Different Types of Weapons?  China’s effort to build more types of weapons, in all categories imaginable, than the entire world combined, begs more than just a cost-benefit analysis. It might be better to think in terms of an environmental impact study with only one question: just how many people does Beijing plan to kill? There are various theories about the rampant growth of redundant programs and seemingly wasteful spending by China’s military-industrial complex. |
11/17/2018 China's most advanced stealth fighter may now be able to strike targets at greater distances than ever  China's most advanced stealth fighter is ready for aerial refueling operations, giving it the ability to pursue targets at greater distances, according to Chinese state media. The "fifth-generation" Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter entered military service last year and was incorporated into Chinese combat units this past February. |
11/17/2018 To Improve U.S. Air Combat Readiness, End The Budget Control Act  The United States faces a dangerous imbalance with security threats on the rise and military preparedness ravaged by years’ worth of the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA)-driven defense budget cuts. That is why Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’ recent directive for the Navy and Air Force to increase the readiness of their fighter aircraft is so important. |
11/16/2018 Australia to buy armed Reaper drones in shift towards pilotless future  Australia will buy at least a dozen armed Reaper drones in a major step towards a future in which air strikes are increasingly carried out remotely. The aircraft, made by US company General Atomics, will be used mainly to provide cover to Australian soldiers on operations, flying overhead while looking for threats and striking them with bombs or missiles. |
11/16/2018 QF-16 delivered to hurricane-ravaged Tyndall AFB .jpg) Boeing delivered a QF-16 to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. on Oct. 24. The QF-16 enables live fire weapons testing during Combat Archer. Combat Archer evaluations are conducted to prepare and evaluate operational fighter squadrons' readiness for combat operations. The program evaluates all phases of combat operations from weapons loading to aircraft performance, aircrew performance and weapons performance. |
11/16/2018 Sikorsky receives $382 million contract for eight MH-60R Seahawks  Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky received a $382 million contract for eight MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the US Navy. Work on the helicopters is expected to be complete by September 2020, says the US Department of Defense in an online notice on 14 November. Some $147 million will be obligated initially from fiscal 2018 USN aircraft procurement funds, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. |
11/16/2018 UK confirms new deal for 17 F-35Bs  The UK Ministry of Defence has ordered its next 17 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, as part of a 255-unit, multinational framework agreement announced by the US Department of Defense. Confirming the development on 15 November, the MoD said: "The 17 new F-35B aircraft will be delivered between 2020 and 2022." This corresponds with the programme's 12th through 14th lots of low-rate initial production. |
11/16/2018 Bahrain confirms purchase of 12 AH-1Z Vipers  Bahrain has confirmed its order for 12 Bell AH-1Z Vipers, six months after the US Department of State approved the deal, worth an estimated $912 million, under the Foreign Military Sales process. The attack helicopters will be delivered from the second half of 2022, the Royal Bahraini Air Force said at the Bahrain air show. Bell chief executive Mitch Snyder said the "most advanced helicopter in production" would "help protect the country for decades to come". |
11/16/2018 Lockheed sees 400-strong market for new F-16s  Lockheed Martin sees a market for 400 new F-16s – mainly in the Middle East – after securing Bahrain as launch customer for the Block 70 variant. The Royal Bahraini Air Force committed in June to 16 examples of the single-engine fighter, to be built at a new final assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina. The deal, agreed months after President Trump overturned his predecessor’s ban on a sale to Bahrain over human rights concerns. |