6/2/2020 US Navy upgrades more ships for the F-35 as the future of carriers remains in flux  Former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly hadn’t been out of the job more than a month before the Navy canceled an ongoing study he’d launched into the future of aircraft carriers — a review he optimistically termed “Future Carrier 2030.” |
6/2/2020 Chinese fighter jets 'visible on Indian air defence radar' as border dispute escalates  India is keeping a close eye on Chinese jets after aircraft flew extremely close to the hostile border between the two nations. The Indian Air Force has been keeping strict aerial surveillance in the disputed region. Referring to the build-up of aircraft capability in the area, Defence Editor at The Economist, Shashank Joshi tweeted: "10 to 12 Chinese fighter aircraft have been stationed at the PLA Air Force bases in Hotan and Gargunsa. |
6/2/2020 US commander suggests sending military trainers to Tunisia after Russia sends aircraft to Libya  Backed by military contractors, Russia deployed military fighter jets to Al Jufra Airfield in Libya, prompting the US Army to consider sending military training personnel to neighboring Tunisia. |
6/1/2020 Beijing’s plans for South China Sea air defence identification zone cover Pratas, Paracel and Spratly islands, PLA source says  Beijing has been making plans for an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea since 2010, the same year it said it was considering the introduction of similar airspace controls over the East China Sea in a move that was widely criticised around the world, a military insider said. |
5/31/2020 US: Russian jets in Libya present broader worries for region  U.S. Africa Command flatly rejected Russian claims that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya, saying Friday that the 14 aircraft flown in reflect Russia’s longer term goal to establish a foothold in the region that could threaten NATO allies. |
5/31/2020 ADF's utilisation of Joint Strike Fighter combat planes 'will be a game changer'  Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Aus and NZ Joe North says the Royal Australian Airforce's integration of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter combat planes will be "a game changer" and will provide a "transformational air fighting capability" to the nation. The ADF will integrate at least 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters by 2023 in what will be a big investment that will provide huge value to the nation's defence force and national security. |
5/31/2020 Russian fighter jets intercept US bombers  Russian fighter jets intercepted US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers over the neutral waters of the Black and Baltic Seas, the Defence Ministry here said in a statement Friday. "On May 29, the air defence duty forces of the Western and Southern military districts timely revealed the actions of the US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers over the neutral waters of the Black and Baltic Seas and scrambled Russian fighters to escort them," the Ministry said in a statement on Friday. |
5/30/2020 Attrition: Death And Rebirth In Syria  The Syrian Air Force suffered major losses between 2011 and 2015 as their aircraft and helicopters were unleashed on rebels and civilian supporters. The Syrian warplanes were in no shape for this much activity and took a beating. Of the 370 usable fixed wing war planes available in early 2011, after two years about half were out of action because of combat or wear and tear. |
5/30/2020 B-1s Fly with Ukrainian, Turkish Jets over Black Sea  Two B-1B Lancers on May 29 flew another long-range bomber task force flight to Eastern Europe, integrating with Ukrainian fighter jets and Turkish KC-135s for the first time as well as multiple other allied nations. The flight of B-1s from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., marked a rare trip into the Black Sea region where they met with Ukrainian Su-27s and MiG-29s. |
5/30/2020 The 60-Year-Old F-5 Tiger: Still a Killer Combat Aircraft?  It has been sixty years since the first prototype of the Northrop F-5 family of lightweight fighter-bombers took its first flight on July 30, 1959. The F-5 played an important but understated role in the Vietnam War and continues to fly today—albeit with updated equipment—with some air forces and private combat flight training contractors, proving its capability to compete with some of the latest technologically superior light fighters. |