September, 2015 Military Aviation News
09/27/2015
Using optics, material sciences, electronics and precise designing to develop an advanced head-up display for aircraft. Consider a pilot in a fighter aircraft, flying at 2,000 km per hour. All the controls inside the cockpit are placed either besides the pilot’s seat or at positions for which he needs to divert his attention from his ‘forward vision’. A pilot needs to change his line of vision repeatedly to keep track of information like airspeed, heading scale, climb descent rate, angle of atta
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09/27/2015
Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 fifth generation prototype fighter jets will enter into service with the Russian Armed Force in 2017, Russian Air and Space Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev told reporters Saturday.
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09/26/2015
Over a period of nearly 10 years, the Harper government has been at pains to project an image of Canada as a military nation and a military power. It has done so in a wide variety of ways. It lavishly celebrated the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, even though that war took place long before Canada was a nation and primarily pitted the forces of Great Britain and the United States against each other.
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09/26/2015
Recently revealed details concerning China’s Shenyang J-31 fighter suggest that the aircraft not only looks like the Pentagon’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), but it also offers comparable aerodynamic performance. But the real question is how far along Beijing has come in the development of subsystems like radars and engines. Moreover, there is the question of how well Chinese industry can integrate all of those disparate technologies into an operational aircraft.
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09/24/2015
India is opening up the designs of its first indigenously developed drones to domestic private companies, seeking to spur further technological advances and encourage manufacturing as Prime Minister Narendra Modi modernizes the military.
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09/24/2015
The military has yet to locate an AT-3 Air Force Academy training aircraft and its two pilots after the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers on Tuesday during a routine training flight. In a statement, the Ministry of National Defense said it set up a search and rescue center shortly after the incident to look for the pilots and the aircraft that was last seen on radar screens in skies over central Taiwan early Tuesday afternoon.
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09/24/2015
A Chinese military aircraft performed an “unsafe” maneuver while intercepting a U.S. spy plane last week, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. The incident was revealed the same day that China’s President Xi Jinping touched down in the United States for a weeklong and potentially pivotal visit, according to Reuters.
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09/24/2015
South Korea’s ambitious project to develop an indigenous fighter jet is running into a major impasse as the United States’ rejection of a core technology transfer sent the country scrambling to find replacements for the multi-billion dollar project. In what would be one of South Korea’s biggest defense projects, the country has been pushing the Korean Fighter Experimental, or KF-X, project, also dubbed locally “Boramae.”
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09/24/2015
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon has been the mainstay of the U.S. and allied air forces for decades. Over the years, the aircraft has evolved from a lightweight visual range dogfighter into a potent multirole warplane that flies the gamut of missions ranging from the suppression of enemy air defenses to air superiority.
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09/24/2015
Satellite imagery released in the last couple of days has exposed the presence of 28 Russian aircraft at al-Assad airfield, near Latakia, in western Syria. The photographs taken from space gave us the possibility to identify the combat planes as 4x Su-30SMs, 12x Su-25s (based on their color scheme, these are Su-25SMs belonging to the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment from Budyonnovsk) and 12 Su-24M2s along with about a dozen helicopters, including 10 Mi-24PN, Mi-35M and a couple of Mi-8AMTSh.
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09/24/2015
An operation launched Tuesday by the Nigerian military in the villages of Jangurori and Bulatori rescued 241 women and children from two camps controlled by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
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09/24/2015
Russia’s modernized anti-submarine warfare planes have entered into service with Russia’s Pacific Fleet, the aircraft’s developer announced Wednesday. "The Il-38N anti-submarine planes [NATO reporting name May] upgraded by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex has entered service with the Naval Aviation of the Russian Pacific Fleet," the developer’s press service said in a statement.
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09/23/2015
Breakthrough research from the University of California-San Diego could take the US military one step closer towards having cloaked aircraft and drones. Researchers Li Yi Hsu, Thomas Lepetit, and Boubacar Kante have succeeded in creating an ultra thin “dielectric metasurface cloak,” which is composed of a multitude of ceramic cylinders embedded into a layer of Teflon.
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09/23/2015
New details surfaced last week outlining Chinese military activities in the South China Sea where construction on several thousand acres of disputed islands is now the center of Beijing’s bid to gain control the strategic waterway. Despite appeals from US leaders to halt the island construction and militarization on them, the build up of military facilities by China in the South China Sea is continuing.
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09/23/2015
One of the officials told AFP of the additional presence of around 20 combat helicopters and said Russian forces are flying surveillance drones over the Middle Eastern nation’s airspace.
“The equipment and personnel just keep flowing in,” another official told the Times. “They were very busy over the weekend.” According to the New York Times, Russia’s military presence in Syria also includes at least three surface-to-air missiles, nine tanks and around 500 marines.
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09/23/2015
Post-Afghanistan missions will likely be dispersed and unpredictable, creating unique challenges for leaders who develop the gear Marines need to defeat the enemy. Framing those efforts is Expeditionary Force 21, the Corps' 10-year road map that predicts Marines will be conducting crisis response missions that could leave small teams of Marines deployed independently for weeks at a time, said Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh.
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09/23/2015
Twelve A-10s arrived Monday at Amari Air Base in Estonia, the first stop in a deployment to Europe that’s expected to last about six months, the Air Force said Tuesday. The deployment marks the second time the Warthogs have been sent to Europe as part of a so-called theater security package.
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09/23/2015
During my visit to Australia in August 2015, I had a chance to talk with an experienced fighter pilot and squadron commander, and now commander of Air Combat Group about his time in Operation Okra and the way ahead for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
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09/23/2015
At the AFA Conference last week, Northrop Grumman (NG) and Selex ES revealed details of the InfraRed Search and Track (IRST) pod that they are proposing to meet a new U.S. Air Force requirement. The transatlantic partnership is building on NG’s new concept of an Open Pod that can be adapted for various tasks, including communications, electronic warfare and targeting.
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09/23/2015
Ceremonies were held today at the Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility celebrating the rollout of the first F-35A Lightning II for the Norwegian Armed Forces. The event marked an important production milestone for the future of Norway’s national defense.
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09/23/2015
A long-term agreement has been signed with the Norway-based Kitron AS to supply subassembly electronic modules for F-35 Lightning II aircraft avionics, defense contractor Northrop Grumman said in a statement on Tuesday.
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09/23/2015
A Chinese jet made a dangerous aerial intercept near a US spy plane over the Yellow Sea earlier this month, almost causing the two aircraft to collide, two Pentagon officials said.
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09/22/2015
Russia has deployed at least four advanced Sukhoi Su-30SM Flankers to its base near Latakia, Syria. The jets are the latest in a series of Russian deployments to the war-torn Arab nation that includes tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery and a sizable infantry contingent.
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09/22/2015
A fighter jet assigned to Lemoore Naval Air Station crashed just before 4 p.m. Monday in a field near the base, the Navy confirmed Monday evening. The pilot of the single-seat aircraft ejected safely and is in good condition, said base commander Capt. Monty Ashliman. He was taken for a medical evaluation, Ashliman said. The pilot’s name was not released.
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09/22/2015
New satellite imagery, provided through Stratfor's partnership with AllSource Analysis, shows at least 16 combat aircraft stationed at the Bassel al Assad air base near the Syrian city of Latakia. Construction on the base continues, and the persistent deployment of combat helicopters and other military assets to the airfield has given the Russians a significant military capability in Syria.
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09/22/2015
Russia has deployed 28 combat planes in Syria, US officials said Monday, confirming the latest move in Moscow's increasing military presence in the war-torn nation. Washington in recent weeks has expressed growing concern over Russia's moves to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and warned that militarily backing his regime risks further hampering efforts at bringing peace. Experts said the buildup is likely a prelude to military action.
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09/22/2015
Joint exercises of the US and Estonian Air Forces that will involve participation of 12 US A-10 ground-attack aircraft are expected to begin on Tuesday in Estonia, the country’s Defense Ministry announced Monday.
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09/21/2015
Russia is conducting a series of massive military exercises with live ammunition in the Mediterranean Sea between the Syrian port of Tartus and the island of Cyprus. Aircraft-carriers and missile units are involved in the exercise, thereby confirming Moscow’s commitment to support the Syrian regime led by President Bashar Al Assad.
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09/21/2015
China and Pakistan have entered into an agreement to keep technology secrets of the PAC JF-17 combat aircraft from India and the US, a Beijing based quasi-government military website said. The jet has been jointly developed by the two countries. Pakistan has also resisted a recent attempt by the US to delve into the secrets of the technology, the Sina Military Network said. JF-17 Thunder multi-role combat aircraft is superior to F-16 of the US, it said.
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09/21/2015
It's been a busy year for anyone who counts Russia as its neighbor. Ever since Vladimir Putin began his Great Ukrainian Adventure last year, the cycle of reaction, counter-reaction, and counter-counter-reaction has raised tensions in the North Atlantic. In the skies above Europe, Russian combat aircraft repeatedly probe NATO air defenses. In the waters below, unidentified submarines - presumed to be Russian -- keep popping up off the shores of Sweden, Finland, and beyond.
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09/21/2015
Israel joined the U.S. in expressing concerns about Russia’s military buildup in Syria ahead of a planned meeting in Moscow on Monday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli officials said.
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09/21/2015
By my calculation, about 79% of India's combat aircraft squadrons and 96% of its main battle tanks are of Soviet-design, a legacy of New Delhi's close relationship with Moscow in the 1970s and 1980s. A country's defence choices can define the shape of its armed forces for decades to come.
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09/21/2015
The U.S. Air Force wants to equip its war planes with the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) by 2020, upping its defense game. The Army and the Navy have already moved to upgrade their systems and boost their arsenal — now it's the Air Force's turn to make significant changes. The Air Force plans to employ combat lasers of its own to make its war planes more effective.
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09/21/2015
Venezuela's President is going to purchase at least 12 Russian fighter jets after the recent Su-30 fighter jet crash.
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09/21/2015
A Pakistani government official spoke to IHS Jane's, confirming that the sides had already discussed a possible purchase of the advanced aircraft, as the Pakistani Air Force requires a two-engine fighter "that can fly for a longer range than the JF-17 and penetrate more deeply into the enemy's territory".
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09/21/2015
India has an epic story of purchasing – or, rather, non-purchasing – attack helicopters for its military needs. Now, the country is reportedly close to strike a bargain with a US manufacturer for a purchase of its world famous choppers.
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09/20/2015
Fighter jocks aren’t the only Blue Angels who challenge the limits of capability and precision. The team’s maintenance and support crew also takes pride in pushing the envelope with a C-130 Hercules, and on Friday they took Navy Times along for the ride.
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09/20/2015
Inhabitants of the village of Majayura in the Colombian municipality of Maicao reported that troops of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard, or GNB, had crossed the border and entered the country.
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09/20/2015
Modern ground combat is a mess of factors that result in an overwhelming amount of friction. People are trying to kill one another, communication can be near impossible and separating civilians from the enemy is a herculean task.
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09/20/2015
For India to have a greater strategic footprint in the existing world order, it will have to improve its aerial platforms, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said today. Enhanced air mobility, heavy lift, airborne early warning and in-flight refueling were considered inescapable, were among the platforms that India will need to build on over time, he said.
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09/20/2015
As the first Russian combat aircraft arrived in Syria, the Obama administration reached out to Moscow on Friday to try to coordinate actions in the war zone and avoid an accidental escalation of one of the world's most volatile conflicts.
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09/20/2015
Seventy-five years ago, the Battle of Britain was being fought in the skies above our country.
From June 1940, Britain had stood alone as the last bastion of freedom and democracy in Europe. Between Hitler’s invasion plans and our freedom stood the Royal Air Force and its ability to secure the skies.
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09/20/2015
As the first Russian combat aircraft arrived in Syria, the Obama administration reached out to Moscow to try to coordinate actions in the war zone and avoid an accidental escalation of one of the world's most volatile conflicts.
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09/20/2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the go-ahead for a contract that will green-light the establishment of a Russian air base in Belarus. A corresponding document was released on Saturday on the official internet-portal for legal information.
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09/19/2015
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke with his Russian counterpart Friday as Russian military moves inside Syria continued to escalate with the arrival of fighter jets. In a "constructive conversation," both Carter and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu agreed to "further discuss mechanisms for deconfliction in Syria," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, as the United States and its allies continue military operations against ISIS inside Syria.
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09/19/2015
The Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) bombers were escorted by MiG-31BM (Foxhound) fighter aircraft, which took off from an airfield near Russia's city of Perm. "Each pair of fighters practiced one by one escorting of Tu-160s and enemy interception at long distances," the ministry said.
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09/19/2015
"Are short-range American tactical fighters relevant in the Pacific theatre?" US defense expert Dave Majumdar asks, adding that F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters could be outperformed by the sheer numbers of Chinese jets.
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09/19/2015
A top commander in the US military has suggested active patrols near China’s islands in the Spratly archipelago. On Friday, Beijing announced that it was “extremely concerned” about such an aggressive proposal.
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09/19/2015
Chinese defense contractor Chengdu Aircraft Corporation unveiled its second-generation Wing Loong II unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) at the biennial Beijing Air Show earlier this month.
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09/18/2015
The U.S. Marine Corps will deploy its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II strike fighters on combat sorties from Britain’s new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, a senior U.K. Royal Navy officer has confirmed. Rear Adm. Keith Blount, who is responsible for delivering the two 65,000 ton ships, said that using Marine aircraft and pilots to bolster the U.K.’s nascent carrier strike capability would be a natural extension of coalition doctrine.
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09/18/2015
The A-10 Thunderbolt II (often called the “Warthog” for its aggressive look and the teeth often pained on its nose cone) is beloved by the troops who need its close-air support and by its pilots — who hear the calls for that support from the controllers on the ground.
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09/18/2015
A new RAND report challenges the US military to rethink a war with China. The report examines US and Chinese military capabilities in 10 operational areas, producing a “scorecard” for each, from four years: 1996, 2003, 2010, and 2017. Each of the scorecards evaluates capabilities in the context of geography and distance, each of the scorecards evaluates capabilities in the context of two scenarios: a Taiwan invasion and a Spratly Islands campaign.
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09/18/2015
BAE Systems' new Striker II helmet-mounted display is undergoing trials to evaluate its digital night vision capabilities. If the trials prove successful, Striker II will replace analog night vision goggles worn by fighter pilots. "Striker II has a high-definition, lightweight night vision camera which translates information and displays it on the helmet's visor," said Peter Kosogorin, a test pilot for BAE Systems.
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09/18/2015
Five RAF Tornado GR4s have taken to the skies sporting new painted tail fins. The tradition of painting combat aircraft is common to virtually all air forces, offering a way for crews to celebrate achievements or commemorate past events. The aircraft, four from RAF Marham and one from RAF Lossiemouth, are carrying special centenary markings to commemorate the 100th anniversary of squadrons, and 40 years of Tornado service.
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09/18/2015
Five months after India announced a deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets "off the shelf" from France, much of the expectations from the big-ticket deal appears to have evaporated due to protracted negotiations. While voices from both sides say there is hope for the deal being concluded by December, on the French side there is some frustration at the long-winded nature of the negotiations.
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09/18/2015
The U.S. Air Force has finally admitted that its new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter isn’t maneuverable enough to beat older jets in a dogfight. But despite its earlier promises that the pricey, radar-evading warplane would excel in close combat, now the flying branch insists that the stealthy F-35 doesn’t even need to dogfight.
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09/18/2015
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which manufactures the Light Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, plans to offload to industry larger chunks of the fighter plane to produce than is being done now. It is working on a process to rope in eight to 12 large industry partners as tier-1 or tier-2 suppliers of bigger ‘modules’ or structures, according to HAL Chairman and Managing Director T. Suvarna Raju. He said an industry partner may gear up to the task over a couple of years.
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09/18/2015
Rumors about China’s latest PL-10 short-range air-to-air missile have been circling for the last two years. Speaking during a Chinese television interview, the missile’s chief designer revealed that the missile is nearly complete, and offered new key details.
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09/17/2015
Soon after this aircraft carrier arrived here for its Middle East deployment, two F/A-18 Super Hornets catapulted off its deck for a six-and-a-half-hour bombing run toward Islamic State targets in Iraq. In one of the fighter jets was Navy Lt. Michael Smallwood, 28, call sign Bones, and in the other was his friend and roommate, Navy Lt. Nick Smith, also 28, call sign Yip Yip.
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09/17/2015
It’s 2035, and US Air Force pilots are flying “D” model Joint Strike Fighters. This afterburning F-35D controls an uninhabited long-range strike bomber in tandem with a team of cyber operators. Using line-of-sight data links, the fighter pilot of 2035 can control the drone bomber, if the enemy cuts out the link to the drone pilot back in the United States, while a cyber team constantly updates the level of autonomy the unmanned bomber are able to perform.
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09/17/2015
An Australian warplane has conducted the first air strike on Islamic State in Syria, destroying an armoured personnel carrier with a precision guided bomb. In another major development, Australia will withdraw more than 100 troops from Iraq in what the government describes as reshaping the scope of the mission to advise and assist the Iraqi army.
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09/17/2015
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has recently issued a warning to all national aviation authorities and aircraft operators of enhanced risk to the safety of civilian aircraft from terrorists, while flying over Pakistan. This warning has been issued at the behest of the civil aviation regulator of France, DGAC, that has made it mandatory for French aircraft operators not to fly below an altitude of 24,000 ft in Pakistan.
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09/17/2015
Air Force officials said they are confident that the service can field a directed energy weapon on combat aircraft by 2020. "I want a high-energy laser on an AC-130J gunship by the close of this decade," Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, commander of the Air Force special operations command said Sept. 15 at the Air Force Association conference. "The technology is ripe [for doing this]. I have the space, I have the weight and I have the power on an AC-130J to put a high-energy laser on an aircraft."
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09/17/2015
Lockheed Martin and Turkish company Roketsan signed a contract to cooperatively develop the SOM-J missile for integration into the F-35 internal weapons bay. SOM-J is a new generation air-to-surface standoff cruise missile. The contract enables the companies to move forward with their Technical Assistance Agreement, making the SOM-J missile available to international customers.
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09/17/2015
U.S. Air Force crews recently ferried two MC-130J Commando II aircraft from the Lockheed Martin facility here. Both aircraft are operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). One aircraft is assigned to Kadena Air Base, Japan, and the other to Hurlburt Field, Florida.
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09/17/2015
Russian paratroopers plan to hold anti-terrorist exercises for the first time in Egypt in October and November this year, the paratroopers’ press service said Wednesday. Cairo and Moscow agreed to increase military, trade, security and economic cooperation earlier this year after a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Egypt in February.
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09/17/2015
Tokyo sought explanations from Russia after it scrambled four fighter jets to intercept a foreign aircraft - believed to be Russian - which briefly violated its airspace, government officials said Wednesday.
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09/16/2015
Russia has sent tanks and artillery to Syria amid a reported military buildup, US officials say, raising concerns about a potential mission to bolster President Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime. Moscow has sent artillery units and seven tanks to the Syrian airbase near Latakia on the Mediterranean coast as part of an ongoing military buildup, a US official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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09/16/2015
The U.S. Air Force is overhauling maintenance and restoration of its B-2 stealth bombers, shortening maintenance periods to keep more aircraft mission-ready. The Air Force is working with contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation in an effort to improve the B-2's readiness and sustainability. Under the contract signed by both parties in April, each jet will undergo a complete restoration process known as programmed depot maintenance (PDM).
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09/16/2015
The apparent Israeli-Saudi alliance, even though hidden from the masses for now, matches the interests of the US in the Middle East and Western Asia. Washington hopes that this will weaken anti-Israeli feelings in the Arab and Muslim world, create a reliable counterweight in the region to a possible strengthening of Iran, and isolate to the extent possible radical islamist Sunni and Shiite groups.
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09/16/2015
DEFENCE Minister Kevin Andrews says Australian aircraft have dropped bombs on ISIS targets in Syria for the first time. Mr Andrews confirmed the mission, that occurred two days ago, this morning. “An Australian hornet fighter aircraft destroyed a Daesh armoured personnel carrier with a precision guided missile,” Mr Andrews said.
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09/16/2015
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh on Tuesday warned that short-term moves to revise downward the Air Force's planned purchase of 1,763 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealth fighters could damage the program and scare off foreign buyers. "Let’s delay this discussion for a little while until we see what happens in the world," Welsh told reporters at the annual Air Force Association conference, citing efforts by Russia and China to field more advanced fighter aircraft of their own.
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09/16/2015
A RECENTLY restored Pilatus Porter army aircraft that was deployed during the Vietnam War is on display at the RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre. The centre has its monthly, free public open day this Sunday giving visitors a chance to not only see the extensive collection of restored military aircraft but to learn their story as well.
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09/16/2015
After nearly 15 years of schedule delays and highly criticized cost increases, U.S. military officials and defense contractors confidently proclaimed the much maligned Joint Strike Fighter program back on track when the Marine Corps declared its version of the F-35 fighter jet combat-ready last month.
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09/16/2015
The negotiations between France and potential buyers of the two Mistral-class helicopter carriers that were initially constructed for Russia are being held in "good conditions", French Foreign Minister claimed Tuesday.
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09/16/2015
Brazil is planning to sign a contract with Russia in 2016 on the purchase of three advanced Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, Ambassador to Russia Jose Vallim Guerreiro said on Tuesday.
"As far as I know, a contract on delivery of three [Pantsir-S1] systems, worth around $500 million, could be signed in 2016," the diplomat told RIA Novosti.
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09/15/2015
Russia seems to be eager to antagonize both friend and foe alike these days. In a move that seems to be completely inexplicable, Russia is apparently negotiating to sell Pakistan advanced Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters along with Mi-35 Hind-E attack helicopters. Perhaps more amazingly, the Russians don’t seem to grasp that their Indian allies are likely to react extremely negatively at the prospect of such a deal.
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09/15/2015
Kuwait has signed an agreement with Italy to purchase 28 Eurofighter Typhoon swing-role combat aircraft, strengthening the country's military capabilities. Under this new deal, Kuwait is expected to receive 22 single-side jets and six dual-seat aircraft. Eurofighter CEO Alberto Gutierrez said: "This new agreement is the confirmation of the superiority of the Eurofighter over its competitors and will provide a great opportunity for further Eurofighter orders.
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09/15/2015
The aerospace industrial base is healthy but entering a transitional period, a panel of experts said Monday at the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference. Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group; Jim McAleese, consultant and founder of McAleese associates; and David Melcher, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association discussed the coming paradigm shift as the US transforms from an aviation nation to an aerospace nation.
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09/15/2015
Over the past year, evidence has steadily emerged of a growing Russian military presence in Syria. As Bashar al-Assad’s armies have failed him in the field, he has increasingly relied on outside help. Initially, that help came from Hezbollah and Iran, but now it appears to be Moscow’s turn. And Washington may finally be waking up to what looks like a substantial Russian intervention in Syria.
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09/15/2015
In Death Valley National Park, north of Barstow, California, is Rainbow Canyon. It’s not especially remarkable, just one canyon in an area full of them, all but indistinguishable from its neighbors in an area populated mainly by snakes. But stand on one of the canyon tops for long enough and a fighter jet will suddenly roar into the valley below you, flying fast and very, very low.
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09/15/2015
Lockheed Martin has received a Foreign Military Sales contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM®) to the Polish Air Force for its F-16 fleet. Lockheed Martin is providing hardware and software, documentation, program management and missiles in support of the Polish Shield initiative. Poland is the third international customer for JASSM.
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09/15/2015
China appears to be building a third airstrip in contested territory in the South China Sea, a US expert said on Monday, citing satellite photographs taken last week.
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09/15/2015
A French official cited by defense news website Defense One said that Moscow has signaled that Russian telecommunications and missile control systems installed onboard the Mistral helicopter carriers may not be removed, if Egypt or India were to purchase the warships.
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09/15/2015
The US magazine The National Interest, which takes much interest in comparing countries' military hardware, has chosen a new pair of war machines to compare: Russia’s Sukhoi PAK-FA and China's Chengdu J-20. Though both aircraft are positioned as air superiority fighters, the magazine’s defense analyst doubts that the J-20 could be called as such.
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09/14/2015
With more than half of the world’s land and population as its responsibility, the task facing Pacific Air Forces is sometimes daunting. “The Indo-Asian Pacific is vast and it is complex,” said Gen. Lori Robinson, commander of Pacific Air Forces and air component commander for U.S. Pacific Command. “It is more than 60 percent of the world’s population,” including speakers of nearly 3,000 languages.
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09/14/2015
Colombia is demanding an explanation from Venezuela after spotting two military aircraft flying in Colombian airspace, the defense ministry said Sunday. The confrontation comes amid a larger diplomatic rupture between the countries as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has closed major border crossings and deported of thousands of Colombian nationals.
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09/14/2015
Jordan recently revealed more details of the Israeli assistance it was receiving for the fight against Islamic terrorism. Israel has supplied Jordan with a dozen lightweight Slylark UAVs and the services of one or more larger Heron TP UAVs. Israel has also provided special electronics and software so that Jordan can more effectively track its own troops and possible Islamic terrorist activity.
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09/14/2015
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney readied herself for the ultimate sacrifice. According to MSN, Penney, one of America’s very first female combat pilots, sat on the runway at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George’s County, Maryland preparing to fly. The day’s fourth airliner had been hijacked and it seemed to be headed straight for Washington, D.C. Penney was one of the first two combat pilots in the air that morning, so the task fell on her and her commanding
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09/14/2015
Britain’s top secret stealth drone will complete its third and possibly final round of test flights later this year, the Ministry of Defence has said. The £200 million Taranis programme, making the most advanced aircraft ever built by British engineers, will have achieved all its objectives if this year’s trials go well, officials said. No decision has been made on further tests.
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09/14/2015
The Air Force Reserve components are ready to serve the nation, but need to retain their identity as a part-time force to allow airmen to fulfill their requirements to civilian jobs and family, Reserve leaders said. “A lot of our drill status guardsmen have to balance the life of the Guard versus their civilian employment versus what they do with their families — not counting having any personal time for themselves,” said Lt. Gen. Stanley Clarke, Air National Guard director.
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09/14/2015
For 70 years American Presidents from both parties have sought to thwart Russian influence in the Middle East. Harry Truman forced the Red Army to withdraw from northern Iran in 1946. Richard Nixon raised a nuclear alert to deter Moscow from resupplying its Arab clients during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Even Jimmy Carter threatened military force to protect the Persian Gulf after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
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09/14/2015
As China inches ahead with the flight testing of its first fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighters, India is reportedly mulling over the option of making better of its rock-steady friendship with Russia by buying its off-the-shelf Sukhoi T-50 (also known as PAK FA) stealth fighter.
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09/14/2015
The absence of strategic and tactical-level military-to-military communication between Russian advisors and US aircraft on bombing missions in Syria poses imminent risks of unintended military incidents and needs to change, according to US-based defense news site Defense One.
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09/13/2015
The Indian government recently approved a plan to procure ten new missile-armed drones from Israel. “The $400-million proposal for buying armed Heron TP drones from Israel was cleared last week,” The Economic Times reported.
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09/13/2015
The Italian and Kuwaiti governments have struck an agreement over the sale of 28 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, as the Middle East country seeks to follow neighbors in modernizing its air force, the plane maker said Friday. “We are delighted to welcome Kuwait as the newest member of our Eurofighter Typhoon family,” said Alberto Gutierrez, chief executive of the Eurofighter consortium.
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09/13/2015
On Sept. 11, coalition military forces continued to attack ISIL terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In Syria, coalition military forces conducted three airstrikes using fighter and remotely piloted aircraft. Separately in Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 22 airstrikes coordinated with the government of Iraq using attack, bomber, fighter, fighter-attack and remotely piloted aircraft against ISIL targets.
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09/13/2015
U.S. military commanders around the globe need more eyes in the sky amid a proliferation of global threats, and the Army is moving to help fill that shortage. Although primarily a land force, the Army is planning to stand up new units this fall to expand its aerial exploitation battalions forces, which fly manned intelligence missions around the world.
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09/13/2015
It comes amid reports that Russia is stepping up military support to the Syrian government. The planes flew into an air base near the coastal city of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has been a key ally of President Assad during Syria's bloody four-year civil war.
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09/13/2015
Australian aircraft have completed their first operation in Syria, defense officials said Saturday, just days after Canberra extended the mission from Iraq to better fight Islamic State jihadis. “The Australian Air Task Group completed its first operational mission in Syria overnight, returning to base in the Middle East without incident,” the Defence Department said in a statement. “No weapons were released during the mission.”
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09/13/2015
Denmark's military command says two Danish fighters jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian military planes flying near the country's airspace over the Baltic Sea. Military spokesman Major Erik Boettger said Saturday it was "normal procedure when foreign aircraft approach Danish airspace", adding the Russian Tupolev TU-22M bombers never entered Danish territorial airspace.
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09/13/2015
Britain is exporting drone components worth hundreds of millions pounds to countries that include Saudi Arabia and South Korea, as it tries to regain lost ground in a global arms race to meet burgeoning demand for lethal remote-controlled military aircraft, The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
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09/12/2015
For the 14th year in a row, a wartime U.S. military remembered the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But this was the first 9/11 anniversary for U.S. military members deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve—the U.S.-led air war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
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09/12/2015
The Gripen NG program in Brazil has officially launched. The Brazilian Federal Government’s contract for 36 Gripen NG military aircraft from Saab AB in Sweden has come into effect now that all required conditions have been fulfilled, officials explain.
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09/12/2015
The Dutch government’s defense expenditure decreased by 191 millions euro to 7.4 billion euros last year. Investments in new military weapons showed a particularly strong decrease. The biggest expenses – wages and social contributions – remained the same.
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09/12/2015
Analysts are generally skeptical at present of reports Pakistan and Russia are engaged in negotiations for the delivery of a number of Su-35 Flanker E fighter aircraft, though there is a potential requirement for such a heavy fighter.
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09/12/2015
Moscow is sending an advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Syria, two Western officials and a Russian source said, as part of what the West believes is stepped-up military support for embattled President Bashar Assad. The Western officials said the SA-22 system would be operated by Russian troops, rather than Syrians. It was on its way to Syria but had not yet arrived.
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09/12/2015
Russia will deliver the first batch of Yakovlev Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft (NATO reporting name Mitten) to Bangladesh on September 17, Rostec Director General Sergei Chemezov said on Friday. "The shipping of the first Yak-130 consignment to Bangladesh will start on September 17, with six aircraft out of the 16 ordered planes to be delivered," Chemezov said.
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09/12/2015
This week the Federal Government announced Australia's air campaign against Islamic State (IS) would be expanded beyond Iraq to include parts of Syria. "Our planes are now striking at terrorist targets inside Syria as well as in Iraq too," Mr Abbott said.
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09/12/2015
RAF Typhoon fighters have scrambled to intercept Russian long-range bombers flying north of the UK. The incident on Thursday saw jets from RAF Lossiemouth called to the 'Blackjack' bombers flying in international airspace near the UK.
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09/12/2015
Kuwait has agreed to purchase 28 Typhoon combat jets from the Italian government in a deal worth billions of euro, industry sources in the region said Friday. The deal, which has not yet been finalized calls for Kuwait to buy 22 single seat and six twin-seat Typhoons in a government-to-government agreement, Defense News reported.
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09/12/2015
Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) has confirmed it has started the development of a fourth-generation attack helicopter with “stealth capability”; it will “feature supreme maneuverability in complicated environments, outstanding survivability and joint operational ability” and is set to enter the service by 2020.
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09/11/2015
Pakistan and Russia are in talks about the delivery of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and previously agreed upon delivery of Mi-35M helicopters, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister (FM) Sergei Ryabkov said, Sputnik reported. Earlier this year, a draft contract for the delivery of four Mi-35M 'Hind E' combat helicopters was sent to Pakistan from Russia, a source in the Russian military and technical cooperation was quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.
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09/11/2015
For generations, the American military—and the US Air Force in particular— has relied on the technological superiority of its systems to dominate any battlefield. Against conventional enemies, this paradigm has been so successful for so long that it is often taken for granted. Unfortunately, the question of how much longer we can expect that to be the case is very much open to debate. Many people observe that, in terms of technology, we have fallen into something of a lull.
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09/11/2015
A multibillion dollar contract between Saab and Brazil for the procurement of 36 Gripen NG fighter aircraft is now in effect, the company announced. The status was achieved following the fulfillment of all required conditions of the $4.6 billion agreement signed last year. "This important milestone marks the formal start to the Brazilian Gripen NG program," said Hakan Buskhe, president and chief executive officer of Saab.
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09/11/2015
Pakistan this week became the world’s fifth known country to use an armed drone in combat, and it can probably thank China. Laser-guided missiles fired from the Burraq armed drone killed three "terrorists" in a mountainous region near the Afghan border on Sunday, according to Pakistan’s military.
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09/11/2015
After developing one of the best fighter jets across the globe, now the top countries have started working on the next generation aircrafts that is known as ‘Fifth Generation Fighter’ (FGF) in aviation’s dictionary. The introductions of high-end technologies like stealth, multiple combat efficiencies and best-in-class avionics for dog-fights (air-to-air combat) will be USP of the gen-next fighter machines.
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09/11/2015
Four new Russian-made aircraft in the framework of a contract that had been previously signed with Moscow arrived in Iraq, the country’s Air Force commander General Hamid Al-Maliki announced yesterday. Al-Maliki said in a press release: “Today we have received four Russian-made combat aircraft, in accordance with an earlier contract signed by Iraq with Moscow.”
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09/11/2015
Today, Lockheed Martin introduced Advanced EOTS, an evolutionary electro-optical targeting system, which is available for the F-35’s Block 4 development. Designed to replace EOTS, the F-35’s current electro-optical targeting system, Advanced EOTS incorporates a wide range of enhancements and upgrades, including short-wave infrared, high-definition television, an infrared marker and improved image detector resolution.
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09/11/2015
Russia supplies Syrian government forces with firearms, grenade launchers and armored personnel carriers as the country is struggling with radical ISIL militants, the Russian Kommersant daily reports citing military-technical sources.
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09/10/2015
The Air Force ushered in a new era of combat air power today as Hill Air Force Base received the service's first two operational F-35As. Hill's active duty 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing will be the first combat-coded units to fly and maintain the Air Force's newest fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
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09/10/2015
Last weekend, the Italian Air Force celebrated the Frecce Tricolori‘s 55th anniversary with an airshow at Rivolto airbase, in northeastern Italy, attended by 450,000 spectators and featuring more than 100 planes, helicopters and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and 11 national display teams.
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09/10/2015
Australian combat aircraft could make their first strike on Islamic State forces in Syria within a week now the federal government has given the go-ahead. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said after careful consideration of the request from US President Barack Obama the government decided to extend current air strikes against IS forces in Iraq to IS targets inside Syria.
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09/10/2015
Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered the seventh CH-47F Chinook to the Australian Army on budget August 10th, three weeks ahead of schedule, supporting modernization of Australia’s cargo helicopter fleet and eventually replacing the Commonwealth’s six older CH-47D Chinooks. The seven advanced Chinooks were ordered as part of a U.S. Government Foreign Military Sales agreement with Australia in 2012.
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09/10/2015
Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) will acquire three solar-powered drones that can fly on the edge of space for up to three months, the drone's manufacturer said on Wednesday. The Zephyr 8 drones being supplied by Airbus Defence and Space will be capable of flying at a height of about 70,000 feet.
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09/10/2015
Moscow and Islamabad are currently in talks on the delivery of Russian multirole Mi-35M attack helicopters and the latest Su-35 fighter jets. "I do not think that the contacts under discussion will cause jealousy on the part of any of the two sides," Ryabkov told journalists.
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09/10/2015
ISIL terrorists have cut off the heads of several dozen Emirati soldiers who fled the war in Yemen's Maarib after a Houthi missile attack killed at least 65 of their comrades along with 240 others from the Saudi-led coalition, Iranian media reports said.
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09/10/2015
Russian pilots in the Southern Military District are currently increasing their skills in extremely low altitude flights on Su-25SM Frogfoot close air support jets, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Southern Military District’s press service said Wednesday.
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09/09/2015
The first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter assembled outside the U.S. made its inaugural flight on Monday. taly’s conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, dubbed the AL-1, is the first such jet built overseas. All previous F-35 aircraft have been built at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth production hub in Texas. The Italian F-35A/AL-1 successfully completed an 88-minute flight out of Cameri Air Base, about 60 miles north of Turin.
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09/09/2015
Royal Air Force drone strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have more than doubled in recent weeks, according to an FT analysis of defence data, putting them at the forefront of the UK’s campaign against the insurgency.
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09/09/2015
The U.S. Air Force is expected to award a contract for its secretive Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) program later this month. The LRS-B award could determine the fate of the U.S. defense-aerospace industry as Northrop Grumman and a combined Boeing/Lockheed Martin team vie to secure a program that could be worth more than $100 billion.
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09/09/2015
Russian air force units were put on full alert as a part of an inspection of combat readiness in the Central Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday, according to the official news agency Tass. The planned inspection includes testing a number of aircraft and their abilities.
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09/09/2015
Three giant Russian Condor transport aircraft have flown into the Assad International Airport near Latakia, Syria, over the past few days. They have unloaded large containers but it's not known yet what's in the containers, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.
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09/09/2015
The helicopter can provide offensive air support and destroy the armored vehicles of any potential enemy with its “air-to-surface” armament including anti-tank missiles, a 23mm cannon and other weapons. It also has gun pods and can carry air-to-air missiles, and its tandem-seated cockpit is armored.
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09/09/2015
On Monday, President Francois Hollande announced that France would start inspection flights over Syria before initiating targeted airstrikes against the Islamic State jihadist group. Two Rafale jets conducted France's first intelligence flights over the Syrian territory on Tuesday, French media reported.
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09/09/2015
Ukraine’s Antonov aircraft manufacturing company, part of the Ukroboronprom Conglomerate, and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement on the joint production of the new An-132 light multirole transport aircraft.
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09/09/2015
Brazil will acquire a shipment of Russian Pantsir-S1 missile systems in 2016, a highly-ranked official in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Tuesday. The two countries commenced negotiations on Pantsir deliveries in 2012, but the talks were delayed due to Brazilian state budgetary restrictions.
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09/08/2015
The Russian government is claiming officials never denied or misled anyone about sending weapons and equipment to Syria. The report comes days after terrorist groups in Syria published photos of Russians in Syria, and the U.S. warning the Kremlin about military activity in the war-torn country.
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09/08/2015
It might barely have registered in the minds of the British public ahead of the May general election, but the future direction of the UK’s armed forces is within weeks of again dominating the news agenda.
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09/08/2015
While the helicopter design bureau of Nikolai Kamov was in some aspects eclipsed by the work of the Mil plant under engineer Mikhail Mil, the brain behind classics like the Mi-8, Kamov was the other driving force in the sector’s massive growth from the 1940s.
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09/08/2015
During July and August, the five main helicopter manufacturers released their financial results for the first six months of 2015. It is time to have a look at the results of each company for the first half of 2015 and to highlight the common trends of the industry. Following Sikorsky’s sale to Lockheed Martin, United Technologies Corporation was the first to present its results to financial analysts on July 21.
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09/08/2015
The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is planning more test flights of an open-mission system (OMS) that promises true “plug and play” functionality for airborne communications, electronic warfare and sensor systems. The platform for the flights is the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which has already demonstrated machine-to-machine integration in two series of flights since November last year.
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09/08/2015
U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq over Labor Day, carrying out 15 airstrikes in the past 24 hours. The forces in the region include the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which will make San Diego its new home port after the current tour of duty. The Roosevelt is taking part in Operation Inherent Resolve, which is targeting the self-declared Islamic state, also known known as ISIL or ISIS.
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09/08/2015
Facing the pressure of economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, the Russian civilian aviation market has experienced reduced business volume, due to dropping demand from domestic airlines. Against this background the military aviation market took center stage at the MAKS 2015 airshow at Zhukhovsky near Moscow, Russia. Despite the absence of new military aircraft, Russian manufacturers unveiled a number of new systems and capabilities at the airshow.
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09/08/2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered snap checks on troop combat readiness in Russia's central military district, the defence ministry said. "According to the order, troops in the central district... are being brought into full combat readiness from 09:30 Moscow time (0630 GMT)," defence minister Sergei Shoigu said.
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09/08/2015
An unmanned Pakistani aircraft killed three suspected terrorists Monday, marking the first time that the country’s military has used drone technology on the battlefield, officials said. In March, Pakistan’s military declared that it had successfully armed an indigenously produced drone, which it calls the Burraq, with a laser-guided missile. But the weapon had not been used in combat until now, officials said.
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09/07/2015
Iran has launched a two-day air drill involving a range of military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers. Iranian state media report that the "massive" war games that kicked off on September 5 in the central province of Isfahan conveys “Iran’s message of security, stability, and lasting peace to regional countries.”
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09/07/2015
Last Thursday's spectacle involved more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military hardware and 200 aircrafts of various types in celebration of Japan's defeat in World War II seven decades ago. The parade also represented what military officials say is the Chinese military's most cutting-edge technology.
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09/07/2015
Just last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt is in talks with France about buying both Mistrals originally destined for Russia. While other buyers may still poach the ships, French officials described the Egyptian talks as "among the serious options." Such a sale would also fall in line with recent French policy of bolstering the Egyptian military through the sale of two dozen Rafale fighter jets, a deal announced in February .
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09/07/2015
Defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says the air force’s familiarty with the Su-27, of which Jakarta has 16, was a key influencer in the air force’s decision for the Su-35. His comments were carried by state news agency Antara. He adds that the acquisition will take place “gradually” and depends on the availability of funds. Jakarta will also require technology transfer as part of the any order, which is still contingent on government approval.
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09/07/2015
The F-22 fighter jets’ visit to Estonia might have been brief, but their presence spoke volumes.
As the sun rose over western Germany on Friday morning, two F-22s and a KC-135 tanker took off from Spangdahlem Air Base and headed east. The planes and their crews were back in Germany in time for dinner.
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09/07/2015
Even at the ripe age of 88 years, it is difficult to miss the spark of daredevilry in Wing Commander JC Sabherwal, VSM, a decorated war veteran of the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. Wing Commander Sabherwal resides in Dehradun and his eyes light up as he begins to talk about the war and the role he played in it.
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09/07/2015
The Iraqi military has used the F-16 fighter jet in combat operations for the first time, more than a year after Iraqi officials began pressing Washington to deliver them to assist in the fight against Islamic State militants. Defense officials in Iraq and Washington on Sunday confirmed the operations, which should significantly upgrade the Iraqi military’s ability to strike Islamic State militants in coming months.
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09/07/2015
Iraq will take delivery this month of four advanced jet fighters bought from the Czech Republic, an Iraqi official said Sunday. “According to a deal struck between the Czech Republic and Iraq, the Czech government will hand over four 159T1 warplanes to Iraq,” said Hakim Zamli, head of the Iraqi parliament’s defense and security committee.
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09/07/2015
A year ago US defence research organisation DARPA made a public call for ideas on how drone carrying aircraft could operate. It appears they got some good answers. In a world of exorbitantly expensive defence projects, such as the controversial F-35 Stealth Fighter, the idea of mass produced, cheap and extendible drones has obvious appeal.
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09/06/2015
India's Reliance Defence and Aerospace has partnered with Russian Helicopters and Rosoboronexport to manufacture Ka-226 helicopters in India, said an executive of parent company Reliance Infrastructure. India gave a firm order to Russia, on nomination basis, to manufacture 200 Ka-226 helicopters for the Indian military. The order could increase because India has a need for more than 400 light utility helicopters in the Ka-226 category.
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09/06/2015
The United Arab Emirates has bombarded Yemeni rebels with airstrikes after 50 people, including 45 soldiers, were killed in the deadliest day yet for a Saudi-led coalition fighting the insurgents.
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09/06/2015
The controversial Joint Strike Fighter stealth jet is being dogged by new technical problems every week, the most senior British engineer working on the aircraft has revealed. The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has already cost £5 billion and taken 15 years to develop. It has suffered a series of setbacks including a freak fire which grounded the fleet and the admission earlier this year that it was beaten in a combat exercise by a jet designed 40 years ago.
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09/06/2015
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed on April 4th, 1949. A political military alliance, it was the result of Cold War tensions between the United States and Western Europe on one side and the Soviet Union on the other. The continued stationing of large amounts Soviet forces in Eastern Europe made a common defense organization necessary.
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09/06/2015
For months the defense industry has been held hostage, watching closely as the Pentagon weighs a decision that will shape the aerospace world for decades to come. The Air Force is poised to announce who will build its next-generation bomber, and the competition is steep. The two teams represent three of the five top defense contractors in the country: Northrop Grumman, builder of the B-2 stealth bomber, and a teamed Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
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09/06/2015
In the world of Russian jet fighters, Moscow’s finest?—?such as the Flanker and the fifth-generation Sukhoi T-50?—?tend to grab the most headlines. But the Yakovlev Yak-130, a comparatively non-glamorous twin-seat jet trainer, is quietly turning heads … because it’s obviously more than just a trainer. The twin-engine jet dubbed “Mitten” by Western intelligence is now showing its credentials as a genuine multi-role fighter.
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09/05/2015
For what appears to be an entire sortie, a Canadian warplane broadcast its flight location while flying over so-called Islamic State (IS) controlled territory. The revelation regarding a refueling plane flying as part of Operation IMPACT in Iraq, comes from civilian website Flightradar24.com — a collective of thousands of volunteer antenna networks all over the world streamlining location data of planes using something called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcasts (ADS-B).
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09/05/2015
Unverified images appeared showing aircraft similar to Russian Yakovlev jets above the war-torn nation – sparking speculation Russia was about to carry out airstrikes against ISIS targets. It came after the jihadist regime claimed it carried out a deadly car bomb attack on a Russian military headquarters in Dagestan.
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09/05/2015
The increased frequency of military air and sea encounters between NATO and NATO partner states and the Russian Federation is a serious cause for concern among policy makers, but relatively little has been done to practically address this issue.
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09/05/2015
China now has better information and electronic warfare capabilities as the People's Liberation Army has deployed some of the world's most advanced support aircraft, an aviation analyst said.
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09/05/2015
With a contract announcement imminent, new details about the US Air Force’s Long-Range Strike Bomber have emerged that paint the classified project as being less exotic and probably more affordable than previously imagined.
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09/05/2015
Two of the US Air Force's most advanced planes, F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, made a landmark visit to Estonia Friday, the first time the state-of-the-art aircraft have visited former Soviet territory. The visit comes as tensions are running high with neighbouring Russia over its role in the conflict in Ukraine.
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09/05/2015
Forty-five troops from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Yemen while taking part in Saudi-led operations against Houthi rebels, the Gulf nation said Friday, in the deadliest day for its military in its 44-year history. The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the troops were killed when a missile struck an ammunition depot. On his official Twitter feed, he said the "cowardly attack will not deter us."
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09/05/2015
The Pentagon is monitoring a scenario with ominous implications: the prospect of American and Russian warplanes fighting on opposite sides in the skies over Syria. In a development that caught U.S. intelligence by surprise, Russia has set up an air traffic control tower and modular housing units for hundreds of personnel at an airfield near Syria's Mediterranean port of Latikia.
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09/05/2015
Last week, the Belarusian army newspaper Vo Slavu Rodiny published an article praising the newly received Russian warplanes. However, these Russian aircraft are a step backward compared to the equipment that Belarus already had. President Lukashenka recently publicly complained that the Kremlin had refused to give Belarus a dozen aircraft. The Belarusian authorities therefore are delaying the establishment of a Russian airbase in Belarus.
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09/04/2015
The record of Pakistan’s 1965 legendary war hero MM Alam vis-à-vis shooting down five Indian war planes in less than a minute still remains unbroken. Alam, popularly known as MM Alam, while piloting an F-86 Sabre, shot down five Indian war planes in less than a minute during 1965 Pak-India war and altogether, downed nine war planes in the aerial fighting.
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09/04/2015
In recent months, Dassault Aviation has recorded a series of orders for its Rafale. There are firm orders, those of Egypt and Qatar, each, for 24 aircraft, and then there is that of India, who in April announced the purchase of 36 combat aircraft, though for the moment nothing has been signed even if things are going in the right direction.
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09/04/2015
The US Air Force’s $6 billion programme to replace the Boeing 707-based Northrop Grumman E-8C “JSTARS” is shaping up as a battle between platform providers rather than the primes, with Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream locked in a three-way contest for the 17-aircraft order.
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09/04/2015
After asking state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to stop work on the intermediate jet trainers (IJT), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is now keen on the US offer of Textron’s AirLand Scorpion light-attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft.
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09/04/2015
The supersonic Tupolev Tu-160, whom Russian pilots lovingly call the White Swan, is about to undergo a major upgrade which will see 60 percent of its equipment replaced with top-end gear, including hypersonic missiles, improved avionics and electronics.
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09/04/2015
Ten Israeli F-15 fighters recently concluded a joint exercise at an American air force base with the air forces of the United States, Singapore and Jordan. The Israeli planes refueled in mid-air several times en route from Israel to the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis air force base in Nevada. According to the aviation website Foxtrot Alpha, the Israeli contingent also provided the Jordanian fighters with mid-air refueling en route.
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09/04/2015
The first two Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing were officially delivered to the base today. The two F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variants, known as AF-77 and AF-78, are the first of 72 F-35As scheduled for delivery to the base.
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09/04/2015
China is building two aircraft carriers, according to a new report by the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, as Beijing nears what some experts say is its goal of deploying domestic-built carriers by 2020.
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09/03/2015
To mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a Eurofighter Typhoon from 29 (R) Squadron and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take to the skies together for a remarkable flying display as part of The Battle of Britain Anniversary Air Show on Saturday, September 19.
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09/03/2015
Moscow has rejected reports by Israeli media that it aims to deploy fighter jets and military personnel to Syria to help the Arab country in its battle against the Daesh Takfiri group. "There has been no redeployment of Russian combat aircraft to the Syrian Arab Republic," the website of Russia's television network RT quoted an unnamed source as saying on Tuesday.
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09/03/2015
Russia and China will jointly create a brand new heavy-lift helicopter, the Russian Helicopters company deputy CEO for sales, Grigory Kozlov, said Wednesday. According to the Russian Helicopters deputy CEO, Russia and China will sign a contract on the joint development of a heavy-lift helicopter before the end of the year.
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09/03/2015
Earlier in the day, media reported that India's Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the purchase of 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters worth $1.1 billion from Russia for the needs of the country's armed forces.
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09/03/2015
Serbia is seeking to purchase two Russian military helicopters from Russia in the near future, the Russian Helicopters company's deputy CEO for sales, Grigory Kozlov, said Wednesday.
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09/02/2015
The new deal was signed with the type's manufacturer, Irkut, at the MAKS air show in Moscow in late August. A Commonwealth of Independent States member, Belarus sources most of its military equipment from Russia, and placed its first Yak-130 order in 2011. Those four aircraft have already been delivered.
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09/02/2015
he new Aerospace Forces, which entered combat duty in early August, are a combination of the air force, air defence and missile defence, and space defence wings. The Air Force has ceased to be a standalone force and has become a branch of the armed forces.
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09/02/2015
Wang Yanyong, technical director for Beijing A-Star Science and Technology, confirms that two systems – the EOTS-89 electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) and the EORD-31 infrared search and track (IRST) – are in development for China’s J-20 and J-31 fighters.
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09/02/2015
The U.S. and Ukraine formally kicked off almost two weeks of naval exercises on Monday in and around the Black Sea as part of the latest iteration of Sea Breeze. The Russian military has pledged to keep close tabs on the 11 nation drills and has dispatched the Krivak-class guided missile frigate Ladny to shadow U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) since the destroyer crossed into the Black Sea last week, according to a report from the Russian news agency Interfax.
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09/02/2015
Official media has celebrated new contracts to buy Russian-made military equipment. Belarus plans to decommission another advanced military aircraft the Su-25, which the newly acquired Yak-130 aircraft with it's limited capacities will fail to replace. Minsk has succeeded in developing defence ties with Pakistan, while its arms designing projects with China may convince Moscow to offer Minsk better options to improve Belarusian defence.
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09/02/2015
Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) is requesting a record 5.09 trillion yen ($42.38 billion) defense budget for fiscal year 2016, up 2.2 percent from the current fiscal year, Jiji Press reports. The budget request is heavily geared toward fortifying Japan’s position in the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands – an island chain administered by Tokyo in the East China Sea.
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09/02/2015
Confronted with shrinking combat aircraft capacity, the Indian Air Force appears willing to swap projected numbers on paper for actual fighters on hand. At least, that is the message being conveyed by IAF brass as they once again trim their fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) requirement.
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09/02/2015
No Russian jets were deployed to Syria in order to launch attacks against Islamic State militants (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) and Syrian rebels, a military source told RT, dismissing reports in Israeli media. "There has been no redeployment of Russian combat aircraft to the Syrian Arab Republic,” the source told RT on Tuesday. “The Russian Air Force is at its permanent bases and carrying out normal troop training and combat duty.”
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09/02/2015
Iran and Russia have signed a cooperation agreement to produce gas turbines and aircraft engines, Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Manouchehr Manteghi told Sputnik Persian in an interview.
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09/01/2015
Islamic State militants are maintaining their offensive on towns at the heart of a safe zone that U.S. and Turkish authorities want to carve out in northern Syria — despite Turkish fighter jets recently launching their first airstrikes as part of the American-led coalition against the jihadist terror army. Rebel commanders say coalition strikes need to be ramped up to ward off the extremists.
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09/01/2015
When it comes to buying weapons, the U.S. government is its own worst enemy. It wastes vast amounts of time and money trying to get new programs exactly right, and then ends up fielding combat systems that are too costly and too late to the fight. If there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on, it’s that the Pentagon needs to buy weapons faster and more affordably that keep America’s military at the cutting edge of warfighting technology.
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09/01/2015
In every airborne operation, the force of paratroopers jumping into a drop zone is only half the battle. Once those Soldiers hit the ground, the next phase of the operation begins: seize an airfield and rapidly build combat power through air-land operations. This operation requires a coordinated team of Air Force and Army personnel to find a viable airstrip, secure it, and then land transport aircraft carrying the heavy equipment and other forces necessary to run any combat exercise.
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09/01/2015
Russian fighter pilots, jets and helicopters will begin arriving in Syria in the coming days to join in the offensive against the Islamic State (IS) and rebel-aligned targets within the failing state Israeli news site Ynet News reported Monday. According to Western diplomats, Russian expeditionary forces have already arrived in Syria to set up camp in an Assad-controlled airbase near Damascus, and will operate as a Russian forward operating base.
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09/01/2015
Russian Aircraft Corporation “MiG” general director and designer Sergei Korotkov told reporters attending the MAKS’2015 show last week that development of the MiG-35 is continuing, despite the new fighter’s failure to secure domestic or foreign orders. He said that the Russian defense ministry has promised to start buying MiG-35s in 2018, after the aircraft completes flight trials, with at least 30 units planned for purchase.
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09/01/2015
They were the mischievous creatures blamed for causing mechanical failures and faults on aircraft during World War Two and later the destructive monsters in a hit film franchise. So Gremlins might not seem like the first choice for a fleet of robotic aircraft being developed by the US military.
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09/01/2015
The People’s Liberation Army has for the first time publicly displayed some of the most modern and deadliest missiles in its possession. During rehearsals for the military parade due to be held on September 3, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese victory over Japan in World War II, glimpses of a number of new Chinese missiles were seen.
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09/01/2015
Caihong 5 (CH-5) is the latest in a series of unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Chinese experts. The first flight of the UAV took place in the province of Gansu in the northwest of the country and lasted for 20 minutes.
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09/01/2015
Egypt has ordered Ka-52 helicopters but the delivery has not started yet, according to the source that did not specify the timeframe and sum of the contract. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is currently on a visit to Moscow. During talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Sisi reached an agreement to extend Russian grain supplies and switch to ruble transactions in the tourist industry.
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