January, 2017 Military Aviation News
01/31/2017
Despite its declining combat fleet, the Indian air force still requires large numbers of trained pilots and technical personnel, especially given the acquisition of new fixed and rotary wing types.
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01/31/2017
Russia does not rule out the possibility of assistance to Iraq in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group if Baghdad shows such an interest, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
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01/31/2017
Moscow sees nearly boundless possibilities in anti-Daesh cooperation with the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. "As regards possible forms of cooperation with the US on fighting Daesh… I see almost unlimited possibilities, with the political will and readiness of our militaries, to implement this political will into concrete agreements, concrete action," Lavrov told reporters.
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01/30/2017
Operating exclusively within the US Air Force for nearly five decades, the C-5 Galaxy is still the biggest US military cargo aircraft. When American manufacturer Lockheed built it in 1969, it was also the largest aircraft in the world. Measuring a whopping 250 feet long (76m), 223 feet across (68m), and 65ft tall (20m), this monster can easily swallow up two M1 Abrams tanks, six Apache helicopters or ten light armoured vehicles in its hold, and then transport them up to 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
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01/30/2017
In 2009, the U.S. Navy finally began construction of the first new type of aircraft carrier in nearly thirty-five years. Named after former president and naval aviator Gerald R. Ford, the USS Ford fully takes the nuclear supercarrier into the twenty-first century. The technological innovations built into the new ship, while causing the inevitable delays involved in building a first-in-class vessel, will keep the Navy’s unique fleet of super flattops the largest and most advanced in the world.
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01/30/2017
Since the 1990s, China has insistently waged a slow and deliberate imperial war of territorial expansion in the South China Sea. "Imperial war" is the apt description. China exhibits classic imperial ambition. Using economic, diplomatic and military muscle (camouflaged by propaganda), Beijing adds territory to its imperial dominion at the expense of less powerful neighbors.
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01/30/2017
A U.S. Special Operations member died of injuries suffered during a weekend raid against al-Qaida militants in Yemen, the military said Sunday. Three other American troops, members of a Navy SEAL unit, were wounded in the operation on Saturday against members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The militant organization has remained a potent threat amid an extended civil war in Yemen.
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01/30/2017
The U.S. Air Force wants drones that can be refueled in midair by other drones. The reason is simple. While drones like the RQ-4 Global Hawk can stay in the air for more than thirty hours without getting tired, bored or feeling the urge to urinate, even an unmanned aircraft needs to refuel sooner or later. That means the drone must interrupt its mission to return to base, or a manned tanker aircraft will have to fly to where the drone is to refuel it.
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01/29/2017
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has allocated PhP37,955,000 for the acquisition of Philippine Air Force FA-50PH “Fighting Eagle” jets spares and components for avionics and engine systems. The said acquisition aims to maintain the combat and mission readiness of all FA-50PHs.
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01/29/2017
Serbia will get eight Mikoyan MiG-29 twin-engine fighters and two Buk missile systems as a gift from Belarus, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Dordevic told the Politika Serbian daily newspaper.
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01/29/2017
Boeing has been awarded a more than $2 billion contract to build 15 KC-46 military air refuelling tankers, two spare engines and five wing refuelling pod kits, the US Department of Defense announced. "The Boeing Company [of] Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $2.1 billion… for KC-46 Lot 3 production," the announcement stated on Friday.
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01/29/2017
In an attempt to trim costs of the most expensive weapons program in history, US Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis is looking at new ways to meet program requirements.
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01/29/2017
The first flight of the Russia’s new Il-112V military transport jet will be carried out until July 1, 2017, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday during a visit to the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association (VASO) plant.
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01/28/2017
Defense Secretary James Mattis is ordering a Pentagon review to compare the capabilities and cost between the emerging carrier-based Lockheed Martin F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter and an upgraded version of the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, according to a memo obtained by USNI News.
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01/28/2017
The Indian air force continues to grapple with the challenge of sustaining its combat fleet to project a strong defensive and offensive posture on India’s eastern and western borders. Defence credibility, however, comes from the existing force structure. The air force today is down to 33 operational fighter squadrons, of which 24 squadrons are made up with fighters of Russian origin, namely MiG-21s, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, MiG-29s, and Sukhoi Su-30MKIs.
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01/28/2017
Boeing has been awarded a more than $2 billion contract to build 15 KC-46 military air refuelling tankers, two spare engines and five wing refuelling pod kits, the US Department of Defense announced. "The Boeing Company [of] Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $2.1 billion… for KC-46 Lot 3 production," the announcement stated on Friday.
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01/28/2017
The naval group of Russia's Northern Fleet led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier will return from Syria to the country's northern port city of Severomorsk on February 8-9, a source in Russia's Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
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01/28/2017
Russian-Indian BrahMos short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missiles, currently produced for India's armed forces, may gain an extended range variant by 2019, the missile's Russian manufacturer said Friday.
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01/27/2017
A British warship, Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans, along with 3 RAF Typhoons have shadowed the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and its battle group as they passed by the UK on Jan. 24. The Russian carrier and her battle group (the Pyotr Velikiy, a nuclear-powered Kirov-class battlecruiser and a salvage tug) are returning home after completing their first combat deployment to the eastern Mediterranean to take part in the air war in Syria, a cruise that was plagued by two crashes.
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01/27/2017
Saudi Arabia unveiled its next-generation fighter-bomber on Wednesday, nearly two years after beginning a controversial air war in Yemen. At a ceremony and air show in the Saudi capital, a hangar opened to reveal one of the F-15SA Eagle aircraft made by US manufacturer Boeing. A missile was attached to the belly of the plane displayed against the backdrop of a giant Saudi flag.
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01/27/2017
The first four Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighters to be stationed at the U.S. Navy’s West Coast fleet replenishment squadron arrived at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The aircraft will be operated as part of the newly reestablished Strike Fighter Squadron-125 (VFA-125).
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01/27/2017
Despite spending millions to develop a prototype jet to compete for a $16 billion contract, Northrop Grumman chief executive Wes Bush surprised market analysts on 26 January by striking a noncommittal tone about participating in the competition to replace the US Air Force's Northrop T-38C trainers with more than 300 new aircraft.
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01/27/2017
India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has rolled out an upgraded version of BAE Systems’ Hawk 132 advanced jet trainer, named the Hawk i. The updated aircraft features an indigenously developed mission computer and introduces a digital map generation system. An embedded virtual training system, secure voice communications and data link capability have also been incorporated.
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01/27/2017
The Indian navy’s formal requirement for 57 multirole carrier-borne fighters (MRCBF) has been advanced via a request for information (RFI) issued by the nation’s defence ministry. Responses are due by 24 May, with the service having detailed its requirements over 59 pages of parameters and specifications.
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01/27/2017
China is reportedly testing a beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missile in combat drills capable to engage targets up to 400 kilometers away, China Daily wrote.According to the newspaper, a photo posted on the People's Liberation Army website, shows a J-11B fighter jet armed with an unknown rocket almost one-fourth of the length of the 22-meter-long plane.
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01/27/2017
Serial purchases of Russia's advanced MiG-35 (Fulcrum-F) multirole fighter under the state arms procurement program will begin in 2019, President of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Boris Slyusar said Thursday.
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01/27/2017
The Indian Army has been searching for a replacement of Kvadrat self propelled air defence system for a long time. But it has been unable to find a suitable option for the air defense of 500 vulnerable areas and vulnerable points across the country.
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01/26/2017
Bulgaria's government said on Wednesday it approved an expenditure of up to 9.6 million levs ($5.3 million/4.9 million euro) under the defence ministry budget to ensure the airworthiness of ageing Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets of the country's Air Force. In order to secure the implementation of the project during its 2016-2017 timeframe, a total of 30.5 million levs are provided for in the central government budget, the government said in a statement following a weekly meeting.
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01/26/2017
Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein agrees that Sen. John McCain’s recommendation for “300 low-cost, light-attack fighters” is a “great idea.” Analysts have noted several merits including stemming the decline in platform numbers, improving dwell times over target areas, lower flight hour costs, and more stick time for USAF pilots. These are good things.
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01/26/2017
Russia and India are close to signing a long-term support agreement for the fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF). It includes an improved schedule for the delivery of spares from Russia, local manufacturing of some spares and the creation of logistics hub for the aircraft at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) production facility in Bangalore. India has contracted for the delivery of more than 300 of these aircraft.
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01/26/2017
Raytheon has withdrawn as the prime contractor for the Leonardo T-100 in a joint bid for the US Air Force T-X trainer contract, stating on 25 January that the two companies “have decided not to jointly pursue the programme.”
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01/26/2017
Boeing’s KC-46 tanker took a $312 million hit to its bottom line last quarter, bringing total charges over the course of the recapitalisation programme to more than $2 billion. Boeing Commercial absorbed a $243 million pre-tax charge on the KC-46 Tanker programme, while its defense sector took a $69 million pre-tax charge as well.
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01/26/2017
UK defence secretary Michael Fallon has challenged Airbus Defence & Space to maintain its drive on the A400M programme during 2017, so that the Royal Air Force can take full advantage of its capabilities across a wide range of operational conditions.
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01/26/2017
The Raytheon Company has received a $56.4 million US Navy contract to repair of the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared System (ATFLIS) used in support of the F/A-18 combat aircraft, the US Department of Defense announced.
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01/26/2017
US defense contractor General Atomics has received a US Air Force foreign military sales contract to carry out maintenance work on its MQ-9 Reaper drones that have been sold to Italy, the Department of Defense announced.
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01/26/2017
The Department of Defence reported that US and UK senior defense officials signed a declaration that stipulates the United Kingdom will obtain its first Boeing Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft in 2019.
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01/26/2017
It is an "absolute necessity" for Beijing to invest into its defensive nuclear capabilities, Yang Chengjun, chief scientist at Quantum Global Defense Research Center, told Sputnik, naming the length of China's borders, the scope of its interests and the fact that some of its rivals possess nuclear arms as the three main reasons behind this.
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01/25/2017
Tensions over the South China Sea could be set to escalate after Beijing urged the US to act “cautiously” in its approach to disputed islands which China claims as its “irrefutable” sovereign territory. “The US is not a party to the South China Sea dispute,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying warned at a regular news briefing. “We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea.”
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01/25/2017
Washington announced earlier this month that the US Navy will, in a matter of weeks, deploy its Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 to Iwakuni Air Base in Japan with its E-2D Hawkeye aircraft – replacing VAW 115 with its E-2Cs. The move did not necessarily attract media attention, but it is nonetheless a highly significant signal of US posture in the region.
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01/25/2017
The US Marine Corps did not mince words when deploying F-35s to Japan, saying that the "arrival of the F-35B embodies our commitment to the defense of Japan and the regional security of the Pacific." Tensions among the US, US allies, and China have been steadily mounting for years as China builds artificial islands and outfits them with radar outposts and missile launchers in the South China Sea, home to a shipping corridor that sees $5 trillion in trade annually.
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01/25/2017
Washington Tuesday approved a $418 million weapons and combat aircraft deal with Kenya to boost the war against al-Shabaab amid claims by African politicians that the continent is not on the new U.S. president’s radar. Under the deal, Kenya’s Defense Department will purchase 12 Air Tractor AT-802Ls and two AT-504 Trainer aircraft and an assortment of weapons which will help the Kenyan military fight the Somali-based, al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terror group.
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01/25/2017
Lockheed Martin expects to seal the deal for 90 F-35 Lightning IIs in low-rate initial production lot 10, chief executive Marillyn Hewson told investors during a 24 January fourth quarter 2016 earnings call.
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01/25/2017
Germany is reportedly close to deciding whether to replace its short short-range air defense systems. If approved, this action would signal the beginning of a €460-million (about $490 million) procurement program over the next 5-10 years.
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01/25/2017
The US-led coalition against Daesh carried out 19 airstrikes consisting of 54 engagements in Iraq and Syria on Monday, including two airstrikes near the Syrian city of Al Bab, Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release.
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01/24/2017
The skies of Saudi Arabia will soon witness the new addition to its navy’s arsenal: The F15 – SA jets that will be known as the “Eagle Fighters”. The jets are expected to be launched at a ceremony next Wednesday which will be attended by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at King Faisal Air Force academy celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding.
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01/24/2017
There has been a recent flurry of press attention on OA-X, an Air Force effort to obtain off-the-shelf light attack aircraft. Sen. McCain’s recent publication of Restoring American Power — which calls for the Air Force to acquire 300 light attack aircraft — will no doubt intensify interest in the idea, with many constituencies trying to define OA-X for their own benefit and profit.
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01/24/2017
The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) has begun upgrading its fleet of 144 Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to the latest F-16 configuration, dubbed V for “Viper,” according to local media reports.
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01/24/2017
The US State Department has inked $1.8 billion in arms deals for the UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kenya this week, including air-to-air missiles and threat detection systems. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the approved the deals 23 January. The foreign military sales are pending Congressional approval.
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01/24/2017
Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet could steal orders away from the Lockheed Martin F-35 if the Trump Administration adjusts defence priorities, military acquisition analyst Andrew Hunter told an audience 23 January at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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01/24/2017
BAE Systems will develop a digital replacement for the cathode ray tube-based Lockheed Martin F-22 head-up display (HUD). The contract awarded by Lockheed calls for BAE to develop a system that fits the dimensions and power used by the current system. BAE anticipates that a follow-on order will lead to a retrofit production programme for the roughly 180 F-22s in the US Air Force fleet.
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01/24/2017
On 12 December 2016, Israel underscored its Middle East air supremacy by receiving its first pair of Lockheed Martin 5-35I “Adir” stealth fighters. Dignitaries gathered at Nevatim air base to mark the occasion included Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro; US defence secretary Ashton Carter; and Marillyn Hewson, the president of Lockheed Martin.
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01/24/2017
The Department of State said that the US government approved the sale of a new threat detection system costing more than half a billion dollars to Saudi Arabia.
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01/24/2017
Foreign interests should expect Chinese military exercises in the South China Sea to become the new normal, according to a recent article in The People’s Daily, a Chinese state-run media outlet.
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01/23/2017
Commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said on Saturday that the 9th Armored Division and the 3rd Brigade of the First Division in the Iraqi Army had freed al-Qousiyat village on the outskirts of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, and hoisted the national flag over several buildings there.
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01/23/2017
President Barack Obama’s greatest foreign policy achievement was meant to be his “pivot to Asia,” but while there were successes, his dream was never fully realized. China is rapidly expanding its sphere of influence and tightening its grip on the seas, North Korea is stronger and more aggressive, Obama’s legacy free-trade agreement is all but buried, and American allies and strategic partners are losing confidence in American promises and are even tilting towards America’s strategic rivals.
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01/23/2017
Weapons die for all kinds of different reasons. Sometimes they happen at the wrong time, either in the midst of defense austerity, or with the wrong constellation of personnel. Sometimes they fall victim to the byzantine bureaucracy of the Pentagon, or to turf fights between the services. And sometimes they die because they were a bad idea in the first place.
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01/23/2017
The former head of Canada's military says the Liberal government’s plan to buy an interim fighter jet fleet will be expensive and difficult to carry out. Retired general Tom Lawson, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2012 to 2015, says he believes Canada will end up buying Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet to replace the current fleet of CF-18 Hornets despite the government choosing Boeing's Super Hornet to beef up the current air craft.
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01/23/2017
The Marine Corps this spring is sending its largest aircraft element to date -- four tilt-rotor Ospreys and five Super Cobra and four Huey helicopters, all out of Hawaii -- to the next $25 million rotation of Marines to northern Australia as the Corps continues to redistribute its forces around the Pacific.
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01/23/2017
One need only point to the recent arrival of the long-sought after Russian-made Su-35 fighter aircraft into China’s air combat arsenal, not to mention the increasing scope and pace of Russian-Chinese naval exercises to realize this is the case. Yet, China-Russia cooperation often operates “below the radar” and this edition of Dragon Eye will examine one aspect of the partnership that is somehow usually missed: the Arctic.
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01/23/2017
Russia is not conducting talks on creating military bases in Libya, Viktor Ozerov, head of the Russian Federation Council's defense committee, said on Sunday.
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01/23/2017
The newest incarnation of Russia's Tu-160 supersonic variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber/missile carrier, one of Moscow's most formidable weapons, is expected to have double the functionality of its current version.
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01/22/2017
The bottom line on aircraft carrier survivability is that only a handful of countries can credibly pose a threat to America's most valuable warships, and short of using nuclear weapons none of those is likely to sink one. Large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the signature expression of American military power. No other combat system available to U.S. warfighters comes close to delivering so much offensive punch for months at a time without requiring land bases near the action.
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01/22/2017
Nellis Air Force Base officials say residents in the north Las Vegas Valley can expect to hear excessive military aircraft noise starting Monday as more than 80 fighter jets, bombers and support aircraft depart and return to the base twice a day for the year’s first Red Flag air combat exercise.
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01/22/2017
Taiwan's state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) said it has begun an upgrade of the country's fleet of U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets and that the work is expected to be completed within six years. The first batch of four F-16s is being upgraded at the AIDC's plant, said the company, adding that a new hangar will be launched soon to facilitate the retrofit program.
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01/21/2017
Japan scrambled fighter jets against aircraft approaching its airspace a record 883 times over the nine months through December, with 73 percent of the incidents involving Chinese aircraft, the Defense Ministry said Friday. The number was up 316, or 36 percent, from the same period the previous year.
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01/21/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is seeking to replace obsolete passenger aircraft with new Russian aircraft models after a deadly crash of the Tu-154 plane last month. The Kommersant newspaper reported Friday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered to analyse possibilities to substitute Tu-154, Tu-134 and Il-62M passenger aircraft with new passenger aircraft models.
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01/21/2017
The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Arizona Senator John McCain, released a paper on Tuesday calling for the Pentagon to receive a nine percent boost in defense spending next year. The plan calls for spending more than $400 billion over five years, reversing what the Senator calls "damage done to the military over the past eight years." The plan roughly mirrors defense spending increases proposed by President Elect Donald Trump.
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01/21/2017
Airbus Defence & Space has begun offering its C295W transport with an in-flight refuelling system modification, after completing a fresh series of trials with a medium rotorcraft. Conducted during December in conjunction with Airbus Helicopters, the trials involved a pair of C295s supporting H225M Caracals. This involved the use of a palletised hose-and-drogue refuelling system, deployed via the medium transport’s rear ramp.
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01/21/2017
Poland’s Lodz-based WZL-1 has completed the modernisation of a Mil Mi-24V attack helicopter for the Senegal air force. The secondhand rotorcraft is understood to have been acquired from a former Soviet-era operator.
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01/21/2017
As World War II raged, US Air Force Plant 4 cranked out 17 B-24 Liberators a day for the Allied forces. The Lockheed Martin plant in Ft Worth, Texas went on to be the birthplace of the F-111 Aardvark and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Today, the dwindling F-16 line occupies a smaller facility next door known as the Falcon’s Nest, dwarfed by the colossal space, several football fields long, that is now the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production line.
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01/21/2017
Japan, South Korea and the United States are conducting military drills on January 20-22 to prepare for a potential missile launch from the territory of North Korea, media reported Friday, citing a source in the South Korean military.
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01/20/2017
China's new 'Sharp Sword' stealth drone - which is capable of dropping TWO TONNES of bombs - has won second prize in competition. Little is known about the unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) dubbed the "Lijian" in Mandarin - other that it is the first non- NATO aircraft of its kind and 'better' than that used by all military in the West.
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01/20/2017
Russia's state-owned Rostec subsidiary Russian Helicopters plans to supply Kazakhstan with four Mi-35M combat helicopters in 2018. According to the company, the sale is part of a military modernization effort for both countries, and strengthens strategic cooperation between their respective armed forces. The new rotorcraft will be used to replace Kazakhstan's aging fleet of Mi-24 helicopters.
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01/20/2017
FOR Admiral Wu Shengli, the commander of China’s navy since 2006, it must have been a sweet swansong to mark his imminent retirement. In November China announced that its first and only aircraft-carrier, the Liaoning, was combat ready. On December 24th its navy duly dispatched an impressive-looking carrier battle-group with three escorting destroyers, a couple of frigates, a corvette and a refuelling ship. It sailed from the northern port of Qingdao down through the Miyako Strait.
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01/20/2017
F-35s, F-22s and other fighter jets will soon use improved “artificial intelligence” to control nearby drone “wingmen” able to carry weapons, test enemy air defenses or perform intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions in high risk areas, senior Air Force officials said.
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01/20/2017
Russia’s T-50 PAKFA fifth-generation stealth fighter is about to undergo flight testing by military pilots for the first time. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) said on January 6 that it would take delivery this year of five of the aircraft that have been flight-tested by Sukhoi at the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII) in Zhukovsky.
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01/20/2017
Four Air Force fighter jets practiced for the inauguration flyover at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Jan. 19, 2017. Two generations of fighter aircraft are scheduled to fly in a close formation during the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2017.
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01/20/2017
Six years ago, US-backed coalition airpower tore down Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi's air defenses. Since then the dictator has been killed. So have a US Ambassador and three other Americans, and thousands of Libyans. Libya, in general, descended into chaos following the death of Gaddafi and the winding-down of coalition air operations over the country.
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01/20/2017
Together with the interim Libyan government, the bombers destroyed two Islamic State camps 45km southwest of Sirte, according to the air force. The two bombers launched over 100 Boeing GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and USAF MQ-9 Reapers employed Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire missiles following the initial strike, a service spokesman says. Each B-2 has the capacity to carry 80 226kg (500lb) JDAMs or an equivalent 18,100kg payload.
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01/20/2017
People with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations between the US Department of Defense and weapons-manufacturer Lockheed Martin indicated Wednesday that the average unit cost will fall below $100 million for the first time, two days before Trump takes office. The tenth order of F-35s delivered by Lockheed Martin will be the largest shipment, at 90 fighter jets, in the Joint Strike Fighter’s history.
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01/19/2017
IS was targeted in the suburbs of the town of al-Bab, Aleppo province, where Turkey suffered heavy casualties last month battling the group on the ground. Turkey's military was quoted by Reuters as saying Russia had carried out air strikes "in co-ordination with Turkey". Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria's five-year civil war.
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01/19/2017
The United States Navy is pressing ahead with plans to replace the original model Boeing F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornets with the Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter. Four F-35Cs are scheduled to arrive at Naval Air Station Lemoore on Jan. 25 as part of a new Fleet Replacement Squadron for the West Coast.
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01/19/2017
The US Naval Air Systems Command plans to award the maker of the AE1107C turboshaft engines a contract to complete two studies that would validate the company’s ideas for making the propulsion system safer to operate.
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01/19/2017
US Marine Corps F-35B fighters made their inaugural trip to Air Station Iwakuni, Japan on 18 January, where the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 will operate the Lockheed Martin stealth fighter on its first operational deployment overseas.
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01/19/2017
As Textron Aviation eyes the US Air Force’s lucrative T-X trainer competition, its dual light-attack fighter and trainer Scorpion aircraft could remain in the running for a low-end fighter role in the USAF.
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01/19/2017
As Israel continues to receive deliveries of the US-built transport, the air force's flight test centre has been performing operational tests of new countermeasures equipment based on highly-accurate decoy flares. This work has been conducted as part of a wider activity to equip the service's C-130Js with systems to support the missions of the Israeli defence forces' depth command.
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01/19/2017
Four aircraft were flown to the Taichung production facility of Aerospace Industry Development Corporation (AIDC), according to local media reports quoting the Taiwanese air force. The upgrade work, which was due to have started in 2016, will see the entire fleet upgraded within five years.
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01/18/2017
American warplanes and combat advisers are once again backing Turkish military units battling Islamic State fighters in northern Syria, the most tangible indication yet that months of tension between the NATO allies may be easing.
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01/18/2017
The Senate Armed Services Committee, under the leadership of chairman John McCain, has taken up President-elect Trump’s challenge to make America great again and rebuked President Obama in his final days in office. The committee’s white paper, “Restoring American Power: Recommendations for the FY 2018-FY 2022 Defense Budget,” was released this week.
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01/18/2017
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has been passed over, for now, as a home to new drones or the F-35 Lightning II next-generation fighter jet. After months of study and site visits, the secretary of the Air Force announced that Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina is the preferred location to base a new MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft group.
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01/18/2017
Aircraft carriers, it seems, are all the rage nowadays in Asia. Long written off by some as bulky, oversized “cruise missile magnets,” the flattop appears to be enjoying a new lease-of-life as of late. Until quite recently, only two nations in the Asia-Pacific operated fixed-wing carriers: India with a 50-year-old-plus ex-British carrier; and Thailand with its “pocket carrier,” the Chakri Nareubet. Both vessels could only operate aging Harrier jump jets, and most of these aircraft were in fact l
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01/18/2017
In a recent article for The Strategist, I showed how Russia’s economic woes are negatively affecting plans to modernize the country’s military. In order to be thrifty, Moscow has, for the most part, been investing in modernized or upgraded versions of existing platforms, rather than waiting for altogether new platforms like the Armata tank or PAK-FA fighter to enter service.
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01/18/2017
Bell-Boeing, a joint-venture between Boeing and Bell Helicopter, received a $138 million contract modification for additional V-22 aircraft work. The modification is a follow-up to the company's contract with the U.S. Navy initially awarded in July 2014. Under the modification, Bell-Boeing will provide engineering services for MV-22 Osprey aircraft to be sold to the government of Japan.
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01/18/2017
In what may be a response to a recent show of force by the transit of the Chinese aircraft carrier through the Strait of Taiwan, Taipei initiated defense preparation exercises over the weekend while vowing to "enhance training 365 days a year."
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01/18/2017
Russia is preparing to withdraw an additional flight of Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and personnel of a special-purpose medical team from the Hmeymim airbase in Syria after a successful conclusion of their duty, Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, commander of the Russian military contingent in Syria, said Tuesday.
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01/18/2017
The Russian Navy has launched anti-submarine Il-38 jets drills that involve flying for a long period of time and in adverse conditions, a spokesman for the Eastern Military District’s Pacific Fleet said Tuesday.
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01/17/2017
America’s F-22 Raptor is one of the world’s most advanced warplanes. But it has several weaknesses. For one, it’s blind in the infrared though several of its potential rivals have infrared-search-and-track sensors, effectively allowing them to scan for enemy warplanes’ heat signatures.
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01/17/2017
Amidst its nuclear war threat, North Korea seems to be silently preparing for war. Since late 2015, the reclusive state under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un is reportedly preparing its highways to be used as airstrips in emergency. This has been backed up with commercial satellite imagery, IHS Jane's Defence Weekly reported.
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01/17/2017
The Lone Star State will be home to the first Air Force Reserve Wing of the new F-35A Lighting II advanced stealth fighter. The 5th generation fighter will be hosted by Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth.
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01/17/2017
The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, said on Wednesday that an additional 200-250 fighter aircraft needed to be inducted in the next 10 years to meet operational requirements, even as he termed the disappearance of an AN-32 transport one of the “worst memories” of his career.
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01/17/2017
Italy has begun the process of replacing its army’s fleet of AW129 attack helicopters, signing a multi-year, €487 million ($515 million) contract with Leonardo, which will see the nation’s aerospace champion develop a successor aircraft.
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01/17/2017
The Italian air force has taken a step towards modernising its basic trainer fleet, with Leonardo receiving a contract to produce an initial five Aermacchi M-345s. Announced on 13 January, the M-345 deal was signed with the Italian defence ministry’s National Armaments Directorate, along with a separate one linked to starting work on the country’s next-generation attack helicopter. Together, these are worth more than €500 million ($530 million), Leonardo says.
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01/17/2017
Two F-16s and two F-4s entered the Flight Information Region shortly before 2 p.m. (12:00 GMT) south of Lesvos. The four jets then proceeded to fly over Makronisi and Agathonisi islands, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.
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01/16/2017
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State’s supreme leader has stripped group commanders in eastern Mosul of leadership due to dramatic losses to Iraqi government forces over the past two weeks, a local source has reported. A source told Alsumaria News that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi withdrew the “emir” designation from all leaders of the extremist group in the eastern part of the city due to “delinquency and escaping” at battlefields in face of advancing Iraqi government troops.
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01/16/2017
The F-22, often referred to by Air Force developers as an “aerial quarterback,” relies upon data link technology connecting to other aircraft and ground stations as more of the F-22’s technologies and avionics--such as radar warning receivers, mission data files, navigation and target mapping systems-are computer based.
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01/16/2017
Sen. John McCain is set to propose a military buildup that would add nearly half a trillion dollars to the defense budget over the next five years and blow past current limits on Pentagon spending, according to a copy of the blueprint drafted by the chairman of the Armed Services and obtained by POLITICO.
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01/16/2017
At a cost of $70 billion a year, Russia has the world’s third-largest defense budget. For that, the state boasts 845,000 troops, 22,550 tanks and 1,399 combat aircraft.
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01/16/2017
The US-based Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office won a $138 million Navy engineering contract to develop and test the V-22 Osprey for Japan. The US-based Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office (JPO) won a $138 million Navy engineering contract to develop and test the V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft for Japan, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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01/15/2017
Russia is bolstering its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities in Crimea with the addition of the potent S-400 Triumf air and missile defense system. The addition of the S-400—which can be armed with the 250-mile range 40N6—would afford Moscow the ability not only to keep the peninsula safe from attack, but also threaten airspace deep inside Ukraine should the Kremlin choose to do so.
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01/15/2017
The F-22, often referred to by Air Force developers as an “aerial quarterback,” relies upon data link technology connecting to other aircraft and ground stations as more of the F-22’s technologies and avionics--such as radar warning receivers, mission data files, navigation and target mapping systems--are computer based.
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01/15/2017
China's sole aircraft carrier has returned home following a far-ranging three-week training mission during which its combat capabilities were closely scrutinized and speculation soared over what future role the flat-top will play amid China's growing military ambitions. The Defense Ministry said the 60,000-ton Liaoning sailed in to the eastern port of Qingdao on Friday along with its battle group that includes destroyers, frigates, a supply ship and anti-submarine craft.
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01/15/2017
An air show for children turned to horror as a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) fighter jet JAS39 C Gripen crashed near the Hatyai Airport today, killing the pilot. Squadron Leader Dilokrit Pattavee, 35, died on the spot at 9.27am (local time), amidst a large plume of fire and black smoke billowing into the sky. According to the RTAF, the crash occurred during an exhibition flight in conjunction with the Children’s Day celebration.
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01/15/2017
The ink has barely dried on the acquisition of the French Rafale fighter aircraft, and India has once again entered the international arms market with the intention to procure hundreds of fighter jets, albeit with the proviso that they be manufactured in India. The Rafale deal, for outright purchase of 36 twin-engined medium-weight multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) worth around $ 7.8 billion (Rs.50,000 crores).
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01/14/2017
China's aircraft carrier formation returned to Qingdao port Friday after finishing a drill, the Chinese navy said Friday. Comprised of aircraft carrier Liaoning, a number of destroyers, some J-15 carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters, the fleet sailed through the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China sea.
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01/14/2017
Emerging from a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Friday, Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson told reporters Friday the Bethesda-based defense giant is close to a new contract deal that would cut the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and also create jobs.
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01/14/2017
The sky is deep blue and the tops of the scattered clouds below are gleaming in the sunshine. Mojo 1, a captain in the French Air Force, leads Mojo flight, a two-ship formation of Rafale 4th generation fighter aircraft, as they press toward their target on a strike mission.
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01/14/2017
Lockheed Martin will build on its 45-year legacy of integrated electronic warfare system success under a newly awarded U.S. Navy development contract to provide MH-60 helicopters with enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missile (ASM) threats.
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01/14/2017
If past performance is any indication of future schedules, the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker programme won’t go as planned, according to the Pentagon’s top weapons tester.
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01/14/2017
Plagued by a delayed delivery of crucial software and shortfalls with its automated maintenance system, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will begin initial operational test and evaluation more than a year after its planned August 2017 date.
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01/14/2017
Leonardo’s UK helicopter business is confident that it can capture a slice of the sustainment work for the British Army’s fleet of 50 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, which are due to enter service from 2022.
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01/14/2017
According to an old tale, a fighter pilot who had been instructed to hold off from landing while a B-52 bomber made an approach with a defective TF33 quipped to air traffic controllers: “Oh no – the dreaded seven-engine approach”. On 4 January, this perhaps apocryphal story became reality, when the crew of an aged bomber returned to their North Dakota base minus an engine, which had disintegrated in flight.
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01/14/2017
In the early hours of Friday morning, the Syrian Army reported that Israel had carried out missile strikes targeting the Mezzeh military airport southwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus. Syrian military command has since warned Tel Aviv that it may take retaliatory measures.
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01/13/2017
The completion of a US weapons deal with Israel worth $38 billion clears the way for two of Israel's Arab neighbors to buy US fighter jets. Qatar wants to buy 36 Boeing F-15 fighter jets. Kuwait has been waiting to buy 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. “Those have been on hold for years now,” says journalist Dan De Luce, who follows defense matters for Foreign Policy.
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01/13/2017
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that it has deployed new combat aircraft to Syria, despite President Vladimir Putin earlier announcing military scale down in the country. Putin ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria in December, where they had been fighting in support of the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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01/13/2017
Contrary to some previous indications, India is considering an additional 36 Dassault Rafales, a senior Ministry of Defence official said. The contract is likely to be signed in 2019 with deliveries to start by 2022, when the existing $8.8 billion order for 36 Rafales is completed, AIN has learned from sources close to the long-running procurement process. The two orders would add five squadrons of new fourth-generation fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
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01/13/2017
On December 28, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, the retiring Indian Air Force chief, declared in New Delhi that the IAF requires 200 to 250 medium fighters in addition to the 36 Rafale multi-role fighters that were contracted with French vendor Dassault earlier this year.
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01/13/2017
Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense supports Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, the NATO alliance and restrained use of nuclear weapons during his confirmation hearing, marking a stark departure from the president-elect.
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01/13/2017
Conventional take-off and landing aircraft AX-2 is the second of an eventual 42 F-35As to be produced for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. The first four of these are to be built at Lockheed’s Fort Worth site in Texas, with the remainder to roll off a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-run final assembly and check-out line in Nagoya.
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01/13/2017
The development of Russia's military organization should take place while paying heed to international military and political conditions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday.
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01/13/2017
Syrian state news agency SANA says Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism. The airport was rocked by multiple explosions, with ambulances rushing to the scene. The Syrian Arab Army has warned that there will be repercussions for Israel for the “flagrant attack” on the military base, state TV said, citing a Syrian army command spokesman. It also linked the alleged strike to Israel’s “support of terrorist groups.”
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01/12/2017
The Marine Corps F-35B Short-Take-Off-and-Vertical-Landing Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter took off from a Navy amphibious assault ship for the first time with a full load of weapons — in preparation for its planned deployment in 2018. The aircraft flew from the Navy’s first America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship, the USS America, to Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., where it dropped live precision guided weapons on mock targets in the desert.
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01/12/2017
Marvin Test Solutions’ MTS-209 Common Armament Test Set has been selected by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) as part of the support package for a group of T-50TH aircraft purchased by the Thai Air Force in 2015 and slated for delivery in the next 24 months. The new aircraft will replace aging L-39 Albatros trainers.
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01/12/2017
Marking a major milestone in its development, the long awaited operational deployment of the F-35 is underway. A group of Joint Strike Fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the “Green Knights,” left their home base at MCAS Yuma in Arizona on Monday, starting their hop across the Pacific to their new home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
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01/12/2017
Taiwan on Wednesday deployed fighter jets, a surveillance aircraft and Navy frigates in response to the movement of China's lone aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Straits, according to Taiwan's state-run Central New Agency. The Liaoning carrier and its flotilla of escorting frigates and destroyers were apparently on their way back to base in northeastern China from the South China Sea following training exercises, the agency reported.
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01/12/2017
The iconic A-10 Thunderbolt has a new upgrade that will give ground troops one more reason to love it: communications equipment for Combat Search and Rescue operations. Advocates of the famed “Warthog” received welcome news in October when Air Force Materiel Command announced plans to sustain the aircraft “indefinitely.”
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01/12/2017
President-elect Donald Trump has hinted again at a potential competition between Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. In his first press conference since winning November’s election, Trump took aim at the entire US defense industry in his opening remarks, but focused on the F-35 programme as his favourite target.
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01/12/2017
Dassault delivered nine newly-built Rafale fighters in 2016, according to a financial update issued by the company on 5 January. The total was in line with plans for the year, and represents an increase of one unit over the eight shipped in 2015, it adds.
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01/12/2017
In a public statement, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the country had successfully test fired a nuclear-capable, 450-km range Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM). It went on to add that the missile provides a credible second strike capability and augments deterrence.
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01/12/2017
The Russian Helicopters will deliver four Mi-35M attack helicopters with transport capability to Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry in 2018, according to the statement of the manufacter.
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01/11/2017
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, announced that the Russian Air Force’s (VVS) Mikoyan MiG-35 will begin its test flights this January. Rogozin made the statement during a visit to one of Almaz-Antey’s subsidiaries (MKB Fakel). The MiG-35 is the latest version of the MiG-29M/M2, the current production model of the Fulcrum, which has been among the Russian aviation industry’s leading exports.
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01/11/2017
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, an F-35B squadron with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, departed Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, transferring to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 9, 2017. The first location to receive the Marine Corps' F-35B, as part of its worldwide deployment capability, is Iwakuni, Japan.
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01/11/2017
In 2007, MoD (Ministry of Defence) issued a tender to purchase 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA procurement programme). Objective of this procurement was to bridge the gap between a light fighter (MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27 etc and LCA Tejas) and heavy duty fighter Su-30.
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01/11/2017
The Trump administration should “rigorously and comprehensively review” Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet, the Pentagon’s costliest program, the Defense Department’s director of combat testing said.
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01/11/2017
The French military received two additional General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and has deployed them to West Africa. Toward the end of 2016 the remotely piloted aircrafts (RPA) arrived in Niamey, Niger, at Base Aérienne 101 where three other MQ-9s have been operated by Escadron de Drone (drone squadron) 1/33 Belfort since January 2015.
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01/11/2017
Beijing leaders seized the past weekend as an opportunity to flex the People's Liberation Army’s (PLA) muscles in a region where many parties have staked competing territorial claims. Since January 1, China has flown strategic bombers over the Spratly islands on at least two occasions.
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01/11/2017
Chinese military aircraft breached the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on numerous occasions last year, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. On Monday, around 10 Chinese military planes, including bombers and an early warning aircraft, entered KADIZ for several hours from 10 a.m. (01:00 GMT) to 3 p.m., prompting South Korea to counter by sending 10 F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets.
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01/11/2017
The Russian Helicopters company, part of the Rostec state corporation, is taking part in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2017 regional investment forum in India's Gujarat state, the company said Tuesday.
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01/10/2017
One night this past fall, a U.S. radar plane flying a routine pattern over Syria picked up a signal from an incoming Russian fighter jet. The American crew radioed repeated warnings on a frequency universally used for distress signals. The Russian pilot didn’t respond.
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01/10/2017
An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be able to use its sensors, weapons and computer technology to destroy Russian and Chinese 5th-Generation Stealth fighters in a high-end combat fight, service officials said.
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01/10/2017
The US Navy’s 50th P-8A Poseidon (P-8A), the next-generation long-range maritime patrol aircraft has been delivered by Boeing at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Jacksonville, Florida.
Under the P-8A programme, the latest addition is part of a total requirement for 117 of the 737-based anti-submarine warfare jets for the US navy.
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01/10/2017
The need for new fighter aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to remain buoyant, with simmering tensions centered on territorial disputes for resource-rich islands in the South and East China Sea being most often cited as the main driver for increased regional defense spending.
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01/10/2017
Beijing has taken delivery of four Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft, the first installment in an acquistion that will see it acquire 24 examples. News of the jet’s arrival in China was revealed in a report state news organ China Daily.
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01/10/2017
Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky said that the air forces of the Czech Republic and Slovakia will cooperate in protection of the air space over the two countries starting from summer 2017.
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01/10/2017
India is an old friend of Vietnam and both don't subscribe to China's claim in the South China Sea. That is the reason for raised eyebrows over India's offer to supply missiles to Vietnam.
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01/10/2017
The Russian Defense Ministry is expected to put a regiment of S-400 Triumf air defense system on combat duty to protect the airspace of Moscow on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
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01/09/2017
Russian warplanes have carried out airstrikes to support Turkey’s offensive in northern Syria against the Islamic State, an important evolution in a budding Russian-Turkish partnership. The deepening ties threaten to marginalize the United States in the struggle to shape Syria’s ultimate fate.
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01/09/2017
Until now, unmanned aircraft technologies have been limited to drones and other similar small devices, but that might be changing soon. The first unmanned aircraft trials have begun to determine their viability and how to incorporate these unmanned planes into UK airspace. Are the engineers at BAE Systems close to creating the Tesla autopilot of the air with their autonomous aircraft?
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01/09/2017
According to some reports, America's fifth-generation stealth aircraft doesn't excel at dogfighting. But fortunately, the F-35 Lightning II is not built for dogfighting. While some analysts have argued that the air-to-air-combat capabilities of the F-35A won't match some of its peer aircraft, pilots who spoke to Business Insider pointed out that the US's fifth-generation fighter is designed in such a way that dogfighting may be an afterthought.
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01/09/2017
On December 12, 2016, the first two F-35A jet fighters (dubbed "Adir," a word meaning "mighty" or "awesome" in Hebrew) landed in Israel. This is a major milestone in the long process of accepting the aircraft into Israel Air Force service, a process that began in 2008, when Israel first applied for the planes.
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01/09/2017
In the late 1990s, the United States was at a post–Cold War apex as an aviation juggernaut. Not only did it have the largest fleet of combat aircraft in the world, it was also producing the only fifth-generation fighter in existence: the F-22 Raptor. By 2009, the U.S. government had turned against the fighter, and only 187 were produced. What happened to the F-22 program, and why?
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01/08/2017
Argentina is trying to rebuild its air force by resuming negotiations with Israel to acquire 12–14 Kfir Block 60 fighters in 2017. These are capable?—?if antiquated?—?fighters originally dating to the 1970s. But the Block 60 includes several upgrades including a modern Elta 2032 AESA radar.
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01/08/2017
The Air Force is surging forward with a massive, fleet-wide modernization overhaul of the battle-tested, Vietnam-era B-52 bomber, an iconic airborne workhorse for the U.S. military dating back to the 1960s. Engineers are now equipping all 76 of the Air Force B-52s with digital data-links, moving-map displays, next-generation avionics, new radios and an ability to both carry more weapons internally and integrate new, high-tech weapons as they emerge, service officials said.
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01/08/2017
The Air Force's stealthy F-22 Raptor is performing very well in its first ever combat missions bombing Islamic State forces over Iraq and Syria, service leaders said Sept. 15. Praising its stealthy super-cruise speeds, maneuverability and ability to help other aircraft in the U.S.-led coalition, the Commander of Air Combat Command called the F-22 an "aerial quarterback" in the ongoing bombing efforts against ISIS.
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01/08/2017
One in three of the £60 million multi-role Typhoon fighters and Tornado combat jets are unfit to fly. Both planes are vital to Britain’s air defence and are on high alert preventing Russian jets from entering UK air space. The two aircraft also taking part in combat missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Shader.
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01/07/2017
A-10C Thunderbolt IIs assigned to active duty fighter squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are in the process of having new lightweight airborne recovery systems installed. The LARS V-12 is designed to allow A-10 pilots to communicate more effectively with individuals on the ground such as downed pilots, pararescuemen and joint terminal attack controllers.
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01/07/2017
China is expected to “own” a third aircraft carrier in the near future, the People’s Daily online, the flagship of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is reporting, quoting a leading naval expert. The website quoted Liang Fang, a military expert, as saying that “the Chinese military’s combat capability has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade.”
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01/07/2017
Frontline Indian Air Force base in Hasimara in West Bengal is likely to be one of the bases for a Rafale squadron, informed sources said on Friday. The first squadron is likely to be based at the Sarsawa base in Uttar Pradesh. One more base for the third squadron remains to be identified. Each of these IAF squadrons will have 12 Rafale fighter jets.
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01/07/2017
Russia kept its word by delivering the first four Sukhoi Su-35S supermaneuverable air superiority fighters to China in December. The delivery was confirmed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is the first foreign customer for the Su-35S --and also the last. After receiving delivery of the four Sukhois, the PLAAF said it will order no more Russian-made fighters and other combat aircraft after Russia delivers the remaining 20 Su-35Ss it bought.
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01/07/2017
When President-elect Donald J. Trump tweeted on December 22 that he had asked Boeing to price-out an alternative to the stealthy F-35 fighter based on the company's F/A-18 Super Hornet, he stunned the defense industry. Although Super Hornet is the most successful carrier-based tactical aircraft the Navy has ever operated, it has long been assumed that production would cease in the near future to make room in the budget for the next-generation F-35.
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01/07/2017
The competition for providing India with a single engine fighter jet is now between US defence major Lockheed Martin and Swedish arms company, Saab. India has already sent requests to US and Sweden, asking for details of single engine fighter jets in service which can be offered for a technology transfer project- these are Lockheed Martin F 16 and the Saab Gripen.
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01/07/2017
The Air Force is not moving faster on an effort to re-engine the Boeing B-52, even after a TF33 dropped from a bomber during a training mission earlier this week. In her final speech in Washington 6 January, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the recent accident would not give more urgency to an earlier effort to re-engine the B-52. However, James notes there remains interests in replacing the bomber’s aging Pratt & Whitney engines.
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01/07/2017
Russia is starting to withdraw forces from Syria and its aircraft carrier group will be the first to leave, the Russian armed forces chief says. The announcement comes days after Russia and Turkey negotiated a ceasefire in Syria which is largely holding, according to the UN.
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01/06/2017
The officially sanctioned Appropriation Act for 2016 – i.e. the 2016 Nigerian Federal Budget – confirms an order for three JF-17 multi-role combat aircraft. The JF-17 is jointly produced and marketed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. In December, PAC announced that it handed over 70 JF-17s to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the platform’s sole user, currently.
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01/06/2017
Below is my exit memo to President Barack Obama outlining some of the many accomplishments of the Department of Defense over the past eight years, my vision for the country’s future, and the work that remains in order to achieve that vision. Each cabinet secretary has provided his or her own memo to the president as of today.
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01/06/2017
In December, Business Insider interviewed a former US Navy Commander, Chris Harmer, who had a unique idea for an alternative to the F-35. Harmer suggested that in 2001, when the F-35 program first came together, military planners simply could have updated existing airframes, like the carrier based F-18, with the advanced avionics and sensor fusion featured in the F-35.
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01/06/2017
The US Navy announced Thursday that it will deploy its leading-edge early-warning surveillance aircraft to Japan in February. The aircraft, developed by defense contractor Northrop Grumman and the latest in air defense technology, can detect missile attacks and stealth aircraft as well as coordinate other ships and aircraft during combat.
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01/06/2017
The Chinese military has confirmed that it received four Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets in late December, but noted that the Su-35 might be the last combat plane China would import thanks to its own defense advances.
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01/06/2017
Russia wants to cement its position as Indian Air Force's key supplier and give a decisive boost to Indo-Russian relationship. In view of this, India and Russia are looking to sign a design and development contract for Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), a stealth fighter.
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01/06/2017
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is still in the process of finalizing its fleet requirements to purchase new multi-role combat aircraft to replace MiG and Kfir fleet. Earlier, the government had announced that it intends to purchase eight to 12 new multi-role combat aircraft for the SLAF.
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01/06/2017
During a 4 January training mission from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, the pilot declared an in-flight emergency after discovering the engine had dropped from the bomber. The mammoth Boeing aircraft, which is powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, landed safely without injuries to the five personnel on board, the air force says in a statement. No weapons were on board during the mission.
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01/05/2017
Since 2001, Lockheed Martin and US military planners have been putting together the F-35, a new aircraft that promises to revolutionize aerial combat so thoroughly as to leave it unrecognizable to the general public. Detractors of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have long criticized the program as taking too long and costing too much, though overruns commonly occur when developing massive, first-in-class projects like the F-35.
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01/05/2017
On 15 December the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) snatched an unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) of the US Navy (USN). This occurred just 50nm from the Philippine coast, a reminder that Beijing sees the whole of the South China Sea as its own turf, to use in an inappropriate metaphor for maritime territory.
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01/05/2017
The dogfight over the choice of fighter jets – known as the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) – that are to provide security for the Indian skies is beginning again, this time for a much larger number than the 2007 figure of 189 asked by the Indian Air Force (IAF), an estimated 400 for for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 60 for and Navy.
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01/05/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has so far exported 40 Kfir Block 60 upgraded fighter aircraft, and plans to assemble and upgrade another 12-14 for Argentina.
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01/05/2017
Worth more than Swfr300 million ($292 million) to the company, the orders will lead to the production of 17 aircraft for the French air force, a further two for previous buyer Jordan and two for the UK company Qinetiq, for use by the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS).
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01/05/2017
General Atomics has been awarded a $56 million contract for the Spain MQ-9 Exportable Block 5 Procurement program. Under the contract, the company will provide MQ-9 aircraft and its associated equipment over the next two years and the work is expected to be completed by January 31, 2019, the Defense Department added.
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01/05/2017
One day following the Russian Navy’s arrival in the Philippines to run regional threat-assessment drills, Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev expressed Moscow’s enthusiasm to equip the island nation with high-tech military hardware.
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01/05/2017
India and Russia are trying to correct the tardy supply of spares for fighter aircraft with a pact that would pave the way for local manufacturing of spares. This move should give further impetus to Indo-Russia defense ties.
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01/04/2017
The Air Force has released details on what it will be looking for in its next jet trainer, but Textron AirLand is still evaluating whether it will offer its Scorpion tactical jet in a competition to win the massive contract. On Dec. 30, the Air Force released its request for proposal on the requirements for the Advanced Pilot Training, or T-X, program.
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01/04/2017
President-Elect Donald Trump has called for hard-hitting initiatives to be included in a first-100-day thrust to make America strong again. Hoping to be included in that effort are some common-sense, low-cost changes to our land-based expeditionary electronic warfare (EW) force posture that would immediately improve operational readiness and have a positive economic effect to boot.
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01/04/2017
The Pentagon’s emerging “Arsenal Plane” or “flying bomb truck” is likely to be a modified, high-tech adaptation of the iconic B-52 bomber designed to fire air-to-air weapons, release swarms of mini-drones and provide additional fire-power to 5th generation stealth fighters such as the F-35 and F-22, Pentagon officials and analysts said.
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01/04/2017
China’s aircraft carrier-based J-15 fighter jets made a high-profile debut over the South China Sea on Monday amid tensions with the United States. The J-15 “Flying Shark”, stationed on board the Liaoning, China’s sole aircraft carrier, since 2013, practised operations as the vessel sailed in heavy seas, Xinhua reported.
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01/04/2017
On December 23, grainy videos and images of a new Chinese stealth jet fighter, Shenyang FC-31 emerged from websites belonging to Chinese military bloggers. The first flight of the FC-31 jet brings it closer to the abilities that US possesses like selling stealth jet to other countries.
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01/04/2017
“The aircraft conducted itself perfectly, meeting the expectations of the design parameters while showing excellent performance,” says Quirino Bucci, a test pilot for Leonardo’s aircraft division. He offered particular praise for the Williams International FJ44-4M-34 engine which “demonstrated a great capacity to react to regime changes, which is a fundamental characteristic for a basic training aircraft”.
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01/04/2017
The F-16A has been in service with the IAF since 1980, and has participated in all combat operations since then, including an attack on an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981. In recent years older aircraft were operated mainly by the IAF's “red squadron” in an adversary training role, and the Israeli ministry of defence is now trying to sell 40 F-16As.
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01/04/2017
Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said at a news conference Tuesday that New Delhi is inviting global bids for a foreign-designed single-engine fighter that would be assembled in India. According to Parrikar, a western partner for the fighter will be chosen based on pricing and terms for the transfer of the technology.
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01/04/2017
China has conducted take-off and landing drills in the South China Sea involving its sole aircraft carrier, media reported Tuesday, citing navy officials. The Liaoning aircraft carrier has been deployed in the waters of the South China Sea with missile destroyers and other vessels since Sunday, the Japanese NHK broadcaster reported.
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01/02/2017
President-elect Donald Trump has again unleashed controversy, this time over the future of the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Trump recently tweeted that “based on the tremendous cost and cost overruns of the Lockheed Martin F-35, I have asked Boeing to price-out a comparable F-18 Super Hornet”, and adding: “ … about the F-35. It’s a disaster, it’s totally out of control.”
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01/02/2017
China is one step closer to selling stealth jets to militaries around world, now that the latest copy of China’s newest stealth fighter has reportedly flown for the first time. The debut of FC-31 number two brings China closer to being an exporter of radar-evading warplanes—and draws the United States closer to, perhaps some day, facing Chinese-made stealth fighters in combat.
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01/02/2017
Known for an ability to keep flying after taking multiple rounds of enemy machine gun fire, land and operate in rugged terrain, destroy groups of enemy fighters with a 30mm cannon and unleash a wide arsenal of attack weapons, the A-10 is described by pilots as a “flying tank” in the sky -- able to hover over ground war and provide life-saving close air support in high-threat combat environments.
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01/02/2017
On December 30, 1947 the MiG-15 fighter jet designed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union (USSR) first flew. The swept wing MiG-15 was small, agile and fast making it a very formidable aircraft. The MiG-15 had a wingspan of only 33 feet, was 33 feet long and stood 12 feet tall. Comparably the United States F-86 fighter jet had a wingspan of 37 feet, was 37 feet long and height of just over 14 feet.
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01/02/2017
In 1937, the Army Air Corps “called for a twin-engine interceptor to pursue and destroy enemy aircraft at high altitude. It also called for a maximum level-altitude flight speed of at least 360 miles per hour and the ability to reach an altitude of 20,000 feet within six minutes. These were unheard-of performance goals at that time in aviation history, and they required the design of an advanced fighter in the truest sense of that phrase.”
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