August 20, 2015 Military Aviation News

Ukraine shifts closer to open war with recent attacks

08/20/2015

Renewed fighting in Ukraine has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and soldiers in the past two weeks alone. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both called emergency war councils since Aug. 4, as the ceasefire and diplomacy have further broken down. In its recent reports, the Ukrainian military has used the phrase “most shelling in six months” multiple times, and with increasing frequency.

Russia planting new anti-aircraft missiles in Arctic

08/20/2015

Russia is moving new, specially modified air-defense systems that can withstand harsh arctic environments to key areas along its border with Norway and the U.S., the U.S. Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office (FSMO) said in its August report.

Turkey and Azerbaijan to conduct joint aerial military exercise

08/20/2015

Turkey and Azerbaijan will conduct joint air force exercises next week on Saturday. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that the exercises will include a series of operations such as airstrikes against joint targets. They will feature a variety of military aircraft including Mig-29, F-16 and Su-25 fighters, F-4E bombers, C-130 Hercules transport planes and Mi-35, Mi-17 and Skorski UH-60 attack helicopters.

What is the F-35B and Why is the UK Buying It?

08/20/2015

Over the past few years, the F-35 Lightning II – the fifth-generation, Lockheed Martin wunder-plane set to eventually take over from almost every fighter jet in the US and UK militaries – has received a public relations kicking. It’s expensive – the total cost for the programme so far is an incredible, not-even-hyperbolic trillion dollars.

Israel upgrades F-16Is to cope with missile threat

08/20/2015

Israel is upgrading its Lockheed Martin F-16I combat aircraft with several undisclosed systems in order to cope with the increased threat from surface-launched missiles. A senior air force officer tells Flightglobal that intelligence reports indicate that the enhancement is necessary.“The threats we are facing and will face, according to intelligence assessments, require the installation of new systems," he says.

Generator failure caused drone crash near Africa, investigation finds

08/20/2015

The failure of an onboard electrical generator caused the crash of a drone in February during a mission over Africa, an Air Force investigation announced Wednesday. The Air Force crew in charge of the aircraft intentionally crashed the MQ-9A Reaper over international waters after they were unable to fix the problem Feb. 4, according to the report by the Accident Investigation Board.

Indian Industry Could Lose Out in Revised Rafale Deal

08/20/2015

India’s expanding aerospace industry has expressed regret about the government’s decision to buy 36 Dassault Rafale combat jets directly from France, without an offsets clause. Delhi has committed to signing the inter-government contract by the end of calendar year 2015, AIN has learned from sources close to the negotiations. The tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), which has now been withdrawn, specified 50 percent offsets as well as licensed production of 108 aircraft.

China's military aircraft walk fine line between copying and 'referencing'

08/20/2015

An internet user recently published a black and white photograph of the "number 2013" prototype of the Chengdu J-20 fighter, which hasn't made an appearance in quite some time, on a test flight, according to Sina's military news web portal. The angle of the photograph suggests that the area of the canard wings are quite large and that the body of the plane is long and thin, which suggests that it will have quite a high-speed cruise capability.

Syrian Army Retakes 16 Villages, Kills Over 300 Rebels in Hama Province

08/20/2015

The Syrian army has retaken 16 villages and killed up to 350 rebels during the ongoing offensive in Syria's central Hama province, a military source said on Wednesday. The Syrian military launched a large-scale offensive on Monday aiming to take back territories captured by a rebel alliance that includes al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front.

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