3/21/2023 F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots could take less than six months, US evaluation found – Ukraine Air Force commander  An American assessment of Ukrainian fighter pilots has revealed they would be ready to fly F-16 jets after fewer than six months of training, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Gen. Serhii Holubtsov told The Times. He says two Ukrainian fighter jet pilots returned to Ukraine last week after an assessment by the US military: |
3/21/2023 US Pentagon provides support for Kuwait’s KC-130 fleet  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has extended its KC-130J services contract to support the tanker aircraft fleet of the Kuwait Air Force. The contract was awarded to the Oklahoma-based Aviation Training Consulting LLC for $28m on 16 March. Work will be performed in Altus, Oklahoma (13%); and Kuwait (87%), and is expected to be completed in March 2025. |
3/21/2023 PACAF Commander: Air Superiority Is the Focus in Indo-Pacific  Speaking at an Aerospace Nation event hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Wilsbach said March 20 that air superiority is a joint endeavor of the U.S. and its allies in the region, and includes everything from combat jets to tankers, airlifters, and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and command and control assets like the E-7 Wedgetail. |
3/21/2023 Turkey Unveils Stealth Fighter and Combat UAV  Turkey’s Victory Day (March 18), which commemorates the battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli), coincided this year with the 100th anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey by Kemal Atatürk. Given the date's significance, Turkish Aerospace (TAI) chose it to unveil its Milli Muharip Uçak (MMU, National Combat Aircraft) fifth-generation fighter, formerly known as the TF-X. The aircraft taxied under its own power on March 16 before a low-key rollout ceremony two days later. |
3/20/2023 Japan Self-Defense Forces, US military hold joint air, sea drills  Japan's Defense Ministry says the Air Self-Defense Force and the US Air Force conducted a joint drill on Sunday. The ministry says a total of ten aircraft - F-15 fighter jets from Japan and US B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters - took part in the exercise over the Sea of Japan. It says Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the US Navy also carried out a joint exercise with ships equipped with the Aegis missile-tracking system on Saturday and Sunday. |
3/20/2023 North Korea launches missile into sea amid US-SKorea drills  North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, ramping up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. |
3/20/2023 26 Chinese military aircraft, 4 naval vessels tracked around Taiwan  According to the MND, 15 of the 26 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were observed in Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). Four Chengdu J-10 fighters, four Shenyang J-16 fighters, one CH-4 reconnaissance drone, and one Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line. Another reconnaissance drone from Harbin flew along the southern edge of Taiwan's ADIZ. |
3/19/2023 RAF and German fighter jets scrambled to intercept four Russian military aircraft close to Nato airspace  Royal Air Force and German Air Force Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled for a second time in recent days, after four Russian military aircraft were spotted near Nato airspace. The German and British Typhoon jets are currently operating from Ämari Air Base in Estonia and conducting Nato Air Policing missions in the region. After four Russian military aircraft were identified, Nato fighter jets were then scrambled to intercept. |
3/19/2023 Boeing secures multi-year contract to build 184 AH-64E helicopters  As noted by the company, this $1.9 billion award brings the total current funded value of the contract to $2.1 billion, and has the potential to increase to more than $3.8 billion with future obligations. |
3/19/2023 Germany to buy Airbus civil helicopter and convert for combat, Business Insider reports  Germany's Defence Ministry wants to buy 82 Airbus (AIR.PA) H-145M civilian helicopters and convert some of them into combat helicopters to replace its Tiger combat fleet, Business Insider reported, citing military internal documents. Germany last year shifted its defence policy after Russia invaded Ukraine, committing 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to modernize the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. |