2/19/2019 Japan's New F-3 Fighter: Why Not Just Buy More F-35s?  In February 2019, Japan turned heads with its decision to proceed with the development of an indigenous stealth fighter jet. This came in the wake of the decision to purchase more than one hundred American F-35 jets, and the supposed cancellation of the Japanese X-2 stealth fighter prototype in 2018. |
2/19/2019 F-35 Block 4 jet fighter could become killer for the Navy with Small Diameter Bomb II, Aim 9X Block II  After years of expensive development, the first combat-capable Block IIIF F-35 stealth fighter will enter service in this year, yet the Pentagon already is looking ahead to adding capabilities to a follow-on model called the F-35 Block 4 -- an upgrade so ambitious, its already budgeted to cost $16 billion. The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article |
2/19/2019 Canada receives two F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft from Australia  The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has received the first two F/A-18 AB Hornet fighter aircraft at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta from Australia. Last year, the Australian Government agreed to sell up to 25 aircraft to Canada along with spares and support equipment. |
2/17/2019 IAF in talks with Russia for urgent MiG 29 purchase  Indian Air Force, which is facing an acute shortage of combat aircraft, is in advance talks with Russia for an urgent procurement of MiG 29 fighters that can be delivered at a relatively short notice. The plan to acquire 21 additional aircraft to make a new squadron of MiG 29 jets that were first purchased in the 1980s has been discussed in detail last month and is expected to cost the Indian exchequer less than Rs 6,000 crore, government sources said. |
2/17/2019 South Korea begins building prototype of next-generation fighter aircraft  Korea Aerospace Industries, or KAI, is starting production on the first prototype of a next-generation fighter jet. On 14 February, South Korea’s biggest aerospace company held a ceremony in order to celebrate the start producing of the first bulkhead, which is the main part of the forward fuselage of the next-generation Korean Fighter Xperiment (KFX) aircraft. |
2/17/2019 US Army helicopters to get 5,000 encrypted communication systems  The US Army awarded Raytheon a contract worth $406 million to provide ARC-231A communication systems for a variety of helicopters. As part of the contract, Raytheon will deliver 5,000 systems over the next five years, as well as support services and software upgrades to the US Army, the company says. |
2/14/2019 New Delhi sets stage for naval utility helicopter RFP  New Delhi has called for expressions of interest related to the planned procurement of 111 aircraft via its Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) requirement, leading up to a request for proposals (RFP) due for release late in the third quarter. |
2/14/2019 Moscow claims new A-100 superior to E-3 Sentry  Moscow has touted the capabilities of its new Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft as being far superior to domestic and international rivals. The Russian defence ministry made the claim in a recent release about the type’s launch of preliminary flight tests pending acceptance by the country’s military. |
2/14/2019 Pentagon lays out F-35’s Tier II global repair network  The US Department of Defense roughly outlined the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II’s Tier II global repair network. Tier II servicers within the F-35’s maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade network are eligible to fix nearly 400 repairable components, including avionics, power systems, landing gear, egress and canopy systems, pumps, valves and power systems, the Defense Department said 12 February. The network is responsible only for global work outside the continental United States. |
2/12/2019 China's eyeing a 6th-generation fighter to beat the US — its 5th-gen fighters probably don't stand a chance in a fight  China is locked in an intensifying arms race with the US, and it's not backing down, Chinese media warned Monday. China is developing a sixth-generation fighter that could be seen as early as 2035, if not sooner, the Global Times reported Monday, citing a recent Chinese media interview with Wang Haifeng, a chief architect at Chengdu Aircraft Research and Design Institute who was involved in the development of the J-20 stealth fighter. |