January, 2019 Military Aviation News
01/31/2019
On January 2019, Singapore announced that it planned to buy a limited number of F-35 fighters for evaluation purposes. While this didn’t come as a surprise to many Singaporean military watchers, the decision comes at a tense time for Singapore, with China becoming more assertive and rising tensions with Malaysia. Could the F-35 purchase accelerate the arms race in the region? How might the F-35’s unique technical characteristics make it suitable for Singapore’s tactical environment?
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01/31/2019
The word “warfare” summons images of bombs bursting in air, tanks rolling across scarred battlefields and the rat-a-tat of gunfire. But technological advances in warfare are making war invisible as tools like infrared lasers, fire control radars and cyberweapons are increasingly being deployed. As these tools evolve, many conventional weapons are losing some of their punch.
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01/31/2019
China's Ministry of Transport opened a maritime rescue center in Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef) in the Spratly Islands earlier this week. The Ministry stated that the center has been built to better protect navigation and transport safety in the South China Sea. The move follows last year's establishment of two rescue ships to operate in the area. The two ships have so far rescued 16 people and two ships in eight operations, says the Ministry. Property worth about $1.7 million has been salvage
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01/31/2019
When US Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson's aircraft was grounded because of smoke in the cockpit, causing her to miss the delivery ceremony for the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker, the snag seemed to be par for the course for the programme.
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01/31/2019
Lockheed Martin chief executive Marillyn Hewson said she was assured by Department of Defense officials that any order of Boeing F-15 aircraft will not come at the expense of future Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II purchases. Hewson was responding on a 29 January earnings call to rumours that the US Air Force might buy F-15 fighters to fill a hole in its future inventory caused by delayed F-35 deliveries.
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01/30/2019
On 29 January, some Russian media claimed, with reference to Egypt source, that a Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft of Egypt Air Force has crashed during a routine training mission. Later Egyptian military officials categorically denied Russian media reports and stated a possible provocation against the background of the started phase of negotiations on the purchase of an additional 12 Rafale fighter jets for Egypt’s air force.
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01/30/2019
VFA-34 “Blue Blasters”, the remaining F/A-18C Hornet squadron in the U.S. Navy, will perform their last flight in the Legacy Hornet this week. The only squadron that has not transitioned to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet yet will say farewell to the “Legacy Hornet” at their home base at NAS Oceana, Virginia, on Feb. 1, 2019.
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01/30/2019
Boeing’s Block III upgrades for the Super Hornet platform will enhance the interoperablity of 4th and 5th generation strike and air combat capabilities of many air forces, with the RAAF’s Super Hornets prime candidates for the modernisation program.
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01/30/2019
Latest social media has shown what is reportedly Russia’s Okhotnik, or Hunter – an unmanned combat vehicle (UCAV). The aircraft has been in development for years in one form or another, with Russian aircraft design house Sukhoi leading-up the project. The craft looks large and with a hardy landing gear that looks similar to those used on modern Russian tactical jet designs.
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01/30/2019
Bell plans to make no more significant investments in its V-280 Valor tiltrotor until the US Army makes a commitment to Future Vertical Lift Capability Set 1 or Capability Set 3 programmes.
After the V-280 reached its 280kt (519km/h) speed goal on 23 January, Bell believes that it sufficiently demonstrated the tiltrotor technology.
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01/29/2019
The US Air Force's 64th Aggressor Squadron, which uses 20 F-16 fighter jets to train the rest of the force on realistic battle scenarios against enemy fighters, will take the paint scheme of Russia's newest fighter jet, the Su-57. And this should give the US a considerable advantage in aerial combat against the Russian jet that's meant to take on US F-22 and F-35 fighters, Brig. Gen. Robert G. Novotny, who commands 38 squadrons including the 64th, told The Drive.
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01/29/2019
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) said that Bell Helicopter Textron Canada will be undertaking the design and development work necessary to upgrade the helicopter’s avionics systems, engines, cockpit displays and integrated sensor systems. Pratt & Whitney Canada says it has been selected to replace the engines on the fleet with its PT6T 9 TwinPac, which is equipped with an engine electronic control system.
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01/29/2019
The UK Royal Air Force is within days of completing its last combat deployment involving the Panavia Tornado GR4, as preparations gather pace for the ground-attack stalwart's formal retirement by 31 March.
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01/29/2019
Joining an editorial board meeting with the Washington Examiner on Sunday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that the most advanced allied fighter-bomber aircraft can degrade Russia's ability to use anti-access/area denial systems, or A2/AD, to threaten NATO territory.
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01/28/2019
On January 21, Iranian, Syrian and Israeli forces unleashed a hail of missiles upon each other in what is becoming yet another flare-up of violence along the Syria-Israel border. Afterwards, the Israeli Defense Force released a video depicting unidentified munitions eliminating two or three short-range air defense systems—apparently including Russia’s latest short-range system, the Pantsir-S2.
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01/28/2019
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corp. was awarded a $33,7 million contract for C-130J long-term sustainment support for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
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01/28/2019
A pair of Russian supersonic, nuclear-capable bombers buzzed North America Saturday, forcing American and Canadian fighter jets to scramble and intercept them, the U.S. military said. The two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack bombers “remained in international airspace,” but were escorted by two U.S. Air Force F-22 fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 jets, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD.
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01/28/2019
The U.S. Air Force has announced that high-tech F-35A fighter jets, from the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, will be to take a lead role in Red Flag 19-1 Operations at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. According to a 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs statement, from Jan. 26 – Feb. 15, approximately 200 Airmen from Hill AFB, including reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing, will participate in what is known as the Air Force’s premier combat training exercise.
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01/28/2019
On 25 January, team McConnell’s Total Force crews delivered the first two KC-46A Pegasus aircraft to the Home of Air Refueling – in the Air Capital of the World. “This day will go down in history as a win for Team McConnell and the Air Force as a whole,” said Col. Josh Olson, 22nd ARW commander. “With this aircraft, McConnell will touch the entire planet.”
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01/27/2019
China has started hard-selling its J-10 fighter jet to Laos and Bangladesh to wean them off Russian aircraft such as the Yak-130 trainer/light fighter which both countries are considering.
The country has been trying to get Pakistan interested in the J-10 but Islamabad has shown little interest despite several photo-ops of Pakistani military leaders in the cockpit of the J-10 fighter jet.
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01/27/2019
The Chinese foreign ministry on Friday urged Washington to abide by its “one China” principle after two US warships passed through the Taiwan Strait the previous day. It was the first such operation this year and analysts said that while the coming year may see increasing confrontation over the self-ruled island, the two sides would both be very cautious about taking things too far.
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01/27/2019
Boeing received a $2.5 billion foreign military sales order for 19 P-8 maritime patrol aircraft for the US Navy, Royal Air Force and Norway. The USN is ordering 10 aircraft, the UK is ordering four aircraft and the government of Norway is ordering five aircraft. Thus far, Boeing says it has delivered 78 P-8A Positions to the USN, eight to the Royal Australian Air Force, and eight P-8Is to India. The RAF is scheduled to receive its first aircraft by the end of 2019, says Boeing.
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01/27/2019
The decade since Flight International celebrated its centenary in 2009 seems to have flown by – if you pardon the pun – and during this period there have been some key developments across the aerospace industry, as outlined elsewhere. But that poses the question: what could the next 10 years hold in store? Here, we present some potential advances across the industry that could play out during Flight’s 12th decade.
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01/27/2019
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has signed contracts with MBDA and Raytheon Systems for the armament of the UK Royal Air Force's future Protector remotely piloted air system, which is based on the manufacturer's MQ-9B SkyGuardian.
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01/26/2019
Canada is poised to contribute tens of millions of dollars toward further development of the F-35 stealth fighter even as the federal government wrestles with whether to buy the plane or not. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Department of National Defence’s head of military procurement says there are no plans for Canada to quit as one of nine partner countries in the F-35 stealth fighter program until after the Trudeau government completes the competition.
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01/26/2019
TAIPEI - The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency’s 125-page report, “China Military Power – Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win,” details China’s military modernization efforts with an emphasis that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is not a “national army” but a military arm of the Chinese Communist Party that exists to guarantee the CCP’s survival.
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01/26/2019
Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) fighters intercepted a Russian Navy Ilyushin Il-38 “Dolphin” maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft over the Sea of Japan on January 17, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a recent statement. The intercept took place in international water and Japanese airspace was reportedly not violated, according to the MoD.
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01/26/2019
Bell has hit its target speed of 280kt (518km/h) with the V-280 tiltrotor in a little over a year since the technology demonstrator performed its first flight. The airframer says it will continue to expand the aircraft's flight envelope, as it eyes the US Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
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01/26/2019
Deliveries of the Boeing KC-46A to the US Air Force will rise sharply in the early part of 2019 following the delivery of the first two examples on 25 January, but will eventually level off at three aircraft monthly for the remainder of this year.
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01/25/2019
The U.S. aerospace company Lockheed Martin denied the claims circulating in some media recently that the F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria will be manufactured in India, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.
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01/25/2019
The Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) is set to receive first recently purchased Dassault Rafale multirole fighters. The new Rafale fighters have already painted in a full two-tone grey camouflage color scheme, and are expected to be delivered on 7 February to Qatar. According to deputy commander of the QEAF, the first Qatari squadron will be deployed at Doha Air Base. Also noted that all oredered fighter aircraft will arrive in the emirate between 2019 and 2022.
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01/25/2019
Taiwan’s defense ministry says the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flew “various military aircraft” close to the island on Tuesday, one week after Taiwan held its first large-scale military drills of 2019 to deter a potential Chinese invasion.
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01/25/2019
US Air Force researchers are looking at using swarms of autonomous unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) for search and rescue missions. The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in collaboration with the Wright Brothers Institute and University of Dayton Research Institute, said on 22 January that they plan to run a competition to explore the concept.
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01/24/2019
Endowed with state-of-the-art aviation, stealth capabilities and an advanced weapon system, China's fifth generation fighter jet J-20 is considered as one of the world's most advanced fighter jets. China's ace fighter, developed by the Chengdu Aerospace corporation, is somewhat similar to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the Sukhoi T-50 fighters. But, the Chinese media has claimed that J-20 is superior to the United States' F-35 stealth fighter.
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01/24/2019
China's J-20 stealth fighter jet represents a massive milestone for Beijing's armed forces and the first stealth aircraft ever fielded outside the US, but the impressive effort still falls noticeably short in some areas. The J-20 doesn't have a cannon, and represents the only entry into the world of fifth-generation fighters that skips the gun, which has seen 100 years of aerial combat.
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01/24/2019
Modern armed forces could cope with the loss of some space-based capabilities, but disabling orbiting assets would be a "game-changer" in the areas of imaging, positioning and ballistic missiles.
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01/24/2019
Poland has advanced plans to modernise its fleet of Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters operated by the nation's army aviation branch. Warsaw intends to conduct a dialogue with potential suppliers, running from July to September, to analyse the feasibility of the project, which will mean extending the lifespan of the Cold War-era helicopters.
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01/24/2019
Portugal is exploring the possibility of contracting advanced jet training for its air force pilots to an external provider that would acquire Leonardo M-346s for the operation. Lisbon has struggled with its pilot training requirements since the retirement of its Dassault Alpha Jets at the beginning of 2018, sending some crews to the USA as a stopgap measure.
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01/23/2019
Lockheed Martin sees a potential export market of more than $20 billion for its F-16 fighter aircraft from an assembly line in India it has offered to set up in order to win a large Indian military order, a top executive said. The U.S. defence firm is competing with Boeing's F/A-18, Saab's Gripen, Dassault Aviation's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and a Russian aircraft to supply the Indian air force with 114 combat planes in a deal estimated to be worth more than $15 billion.
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01/23/2019
The US Marine Corps has ordered 25 additional Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for $439.5 million. The helicopters are part of production Lot 16, the Department of Defense said in a notice on 18 January. Naval Air Systems Command is contracting the aircraft on behalf of the USMC.
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01/23/2019
France has signed a contract with a ceiling value of $89 million to buy an undisclosed number of FLIR Systems' Black Hornet 3 micro unmanned air vehicles for its armed forces. The contract will be managed and executed by FLIR in Hvalstad, Norway, the manufacturer says. About 30 countries around the world operate variants of the Black Hornet, including a number of NATO allies.
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01/23/2019
A Russian Air Force Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber crashed at Olenegorsk airbase, in the Murmansk region, shortly after 13:30LT on Jan. 22. According to the first reports, the aircraft was attempting to recover at its homebase in bad weather after a training sortie when it performed a hard landing. Of the four crew members, two were injured and were transported to a medical facility to receive assistance whereas two were killed.
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01/23/2019
Tokyo will review indigenous production of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter with an eye to saving production costs. No decision has been made about the fate of long-term F-35 production in Japan, but the Japanese government clearly sees potential to save costs by taking jets from the main Fort Worth production line, according to a government document viewed by FlightGlobal.
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01/20/2019
The bodies of two airmen were found during a complicated search and rescue operation in stormy waters after two Russian Su-34 warplanes collided during a training flight. One crew member was saved, and one is still missing. The bodies of two crew members were recovered during the search and rescue operation, the military confirmed. An aircraft navigator was earlier located and evacuated to safety. The Defense Ministry said he was found in “satisfactory condition”.
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01/20/2019
The F-35 strike fighter is supposed to be streets ahead of the competition. It’s stealthy. It’s smart. It networks with everything and everybody around it to give its pilot an unprecedented picture of what’s going on. So why does the US Air Force already want to replace it? Warfare is changing fast.
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01/20/2019
Seeking to make up for the losses in different crashes, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is planning to place an order for eight new Su-30MKI combat aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics LimitedNSE 0.74 % (HAL), likely to be worth over Rs 3,000 crore. "The plan is to acquire eight new Su-30MKI combat planes," top Indian Air Force sources told ANI.
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01/19/2019
Two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers collided in mid-air during a training event over the Strait of Tartary near Japan, Russian media reported on Friday. A rescue helicopter has recovered one pilot while efforts continue to save others. Russian media quoting Russia's Ministry of Defense carried conflicting reports saying that the pilots ejected and that one of the jets may have managed to stay airborne.
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01/19/2019
Russian media announced on 18 January that the country air force had agreed to buy 14 MiG-35 multirole combat aircraft in 2020. According to the state-owned TASS news agency, Russian Aerospace Forces will sign a contract for the delivery of another batch of MiG-35 4++ generation multirole jet fighters in 2020.
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01/19/2019
For the first time, the US Air Force has 3-D printed and installed a replacement titanium part on a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor as part of a greater effort to shrink repair costs and time. The USAF has only 186 operational F-22s and has struggled to deploy and maintain the aircraft effectively. Managing the small fleet is especially difficult because the stealth fighters are notoriously expensive to maintain or fix after damage.
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01/19/2019
Production of the F-35 Lightning II is on course to make its latest rate rise this year, after Lockheed Martin met its contractual target to deliver 91 of the fifth-generation fighter during 2018. Detailing last year's delivery total, Lockheed says a combined 54 aircraft were handed over to the US Air Force, US Marine Corps and US Navy, while 21 went to partner nations. The remaining 16 were shipped to Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme customers.
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01/19/2019
Singapore has confirmed that it will replace its Lockheed Martin F-16s with the F-35, but will assess a “small number” before deciding on its long-term fleet. The country’s defence ministry announced the decision to acquire to acquire the F-35 in a brief statement on its website.
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01/17/2019
A Nellis Air Force Base’s Aggressor Viper to be painted with the same color scheme as the Russian radar-evading 5th generation aircraft. Eye-catching paint schemes which make fighter planes similar to their Russian counterparts have become a distinguishing feature of U.S. Aggressors and Adversary jets.
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01/17/2019
This was a milestone week in Air Force history. The U.S. Air Force and Boeing found agreement on the terms for the KC-46 air-refueling aircraft to enter the active inventory. The long-sought goal of recapitalizing the KC-135 air-refueling force is set to begin. As former Secretary of the Air Force Donald Rice explained in the 1992 version of the seminal “Global Reach—Global Power” whitepaper: “Our global power ensures our friends are not alone. With our responsiveness, potential adversaries unde
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01/17/2019
On 14 January 2019 Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, received the F4-standard development contract for the Rafale combat aircraft during the visit of the Dassault Aviation Mérignac plant by Florence Parly, French Minister of the Armed Forces.
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01/17/2019
Embraer’s defence joint venture with Boeing will use the American company’s leverage over suppliers to cut parts and components costs on the KC-390 tactical transport. The Brazilian company said at an investor conference on 16 January that it will also lean on Boeing’s international sales and marketing network, as well as the USA’s geopolitical influence, to expand the transport’s sales.
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01/17/2019
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has partnered with five Belgium-based suppliers as part of its effort to include local suppliers in its deal to deliver MQ-9B SkyGuardian unmanned air vehicles to the Belgian Armed Forces.
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01/16/2019
Russia reportedly has upgraded the stealth features on its radar-evading Su-57 fighter. But the enhancements don't amount to much. Even with upgrades, the Su-57 still is a niche, mostly experimental aircraft that lacks critical combat systems and which Russia has not committed to building in large numbers.
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01/16/2019
The F-35 fighter has successfully completed flight testing. It is now joining the combat fleets of three U.S. military services and a dozen overseas allies. By the end of 2019, nearly 500 fighters will have been delivered.
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01/16/2019
Lockheed Martin has won a $172 million contract from the US Navy and US Air Force for the second production lot of its stealthy Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). The contract continues production for the air-launched variant of LRASM, including engineering support, the manufacturer says in a statement. The first set of LRASMs were delivered to the USAF in December, a milestone reached as part of Early Operational Capability for the weapon.
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01/16/2019
Austria's government has committed funding for the acquisition of a total of 15 new helicopters in the coming years as it renews its rotorcraft capabilities. Vienna has assigned more than €300 million ($343 million) for the purchases, which cover 12 light multirole helicopters – replacing 21 Aerospatiale Alouette IIIs – and an additional three Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks, adding to the nine examples already in service.
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01/15/2019
Eurofighter intends to pitch its Typhoon aircraft to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet of Boeing CF-18A/B Hornet fighters. Eurofighter, a joint venture among Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, was assumed to be one of the bidders in the competition to replace the RCAF’s fighter fleet with 88 advanced jets, but it hadn’t yet publicly acknowledged its desire to play for the contract.
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01/15/2019
Dassault has been contracted by the French government to begin development work on the new F4 standard for the Rafale fighter. Upgrades over the current F3 and F3R variants include the integration of MBDA's Mica NG air-to-air missile and the Safran Defence 2,200lb (1,000kg) AASM air-to-surface weapon, alongside improvements to sensors, including radar and connectivity.
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01/15/2019
Preliminary information from Iran indicates fatalities resulted from a Boeing 707 crash in the west of Tehran, according to news agency reports. Local media reports suggest that the aircraft was carrying from 10-16 passengers, and that only one survived.
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01/15/2019
Tokyo plans a major investment in electronic warfare (EW) to help counter rising threats in the region. According to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo plans to adapt the Kawasaki C-2 tactical transport aircraft as an EW platform, with deployment planned for 2027.
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01/14/2019
The F-5E “Tiger” is one of U.S. aerospace industry’s largest export successes. Designed as a budget lightweight fighter, the F-5E is still operated by many nations around the world despite the availability of more modern fighters.
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01/14/2019
The Russian air force in 2018 received more than 36 new+bild combat aircraft, included modern Su-35S fighter jets. According to the report of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), the Russian Air Force took the delivery in 2018 of 14 Su-30SM and ten Su-35S fighter aircraft, 12 Su-34 Su-34 fighter-bombers, and 14 Yak-130 advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft.
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01/12/2019
The Royal Lao Air Force has received the batch of three Yak-130 advanced jet trainer aircraft from Russia. Lao media released a photo of three Russian-made Yak-130 trainer aircraft received by the People’s Army of Laos at the Vientiane airfield. Aircraft have Lao tail numbers “044”, “045” and “046”.
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01/12/2019
The US Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.3 billion upgrade and sustainment contract for its Litening advanced targeting pod. The Litening pod is carried aboard a variety of USAF and US Marine Corps aircraft including the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules, Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.
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01/12/2019
The US Army intends to grant Boeing a low-rate initial production contract for the CH-47F Block II Chinook cargo helicopter, despite rumours that the upgrade programme might be cancelled in order to shift funds to the service’s modernisation priorities.
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01/12/2019
Israel's government has abandoned a plan to sell surplus Lockheed Martin F-16s to Croatia, as the Middle Eastern country could not obtain approval from the USA to transfer the second-hand fighters fitted with Israeli equipment.
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01/11/2019
The new year isn't even a week old, but two Israeli airmen may have already pulled off the aviation feat of 2019. Haaretz reported Monday that the pair of aviators from Israel's air force got a rude surprise on Jan. 2, when without warning, the canopy flew off their F-15. They were at 30,000 feet on a routine training mission, and had just taken off from the Tel Nof air base in central Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.
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01/11/2019
A drone attack on a Yemeni government base by the rebel Houthi movement has reportedly killed six soldiers. The drone exploded above a podium at al-Anad base, in the southern province of Lahj, where high-ranking officers and officials were watching a parade.
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01/11/2019
Sky News understands a plan is being drawn up for the jets to be sent to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus this spring. If initial operations run smoothly, it is possible that they could be used on strike missions against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria by the summer.
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01/11/2019
After a two-day search for a missing fighter jet, French military authorities said Thursday the pilot and a navigator were killed when the plane disappeared during a training flight. The Mirage 2000D vanished from radar Wednesday while flying in a snowstorm near the Swiss border. More than 100 rescuers, police officers and others searched icy mountains for the aircraft and the two-person crew.
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01/11/2019
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country would consider buying Raytheon-made Patriot missiles from the US government, but would not cancel its order of S-400 anti-aircraft missiles from Russia as a condition of the deal.
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01/11/2019
The US Air Force formally accepted the first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus air tanker and will receive delivery of the aircraft at McConnell Air Force Base, in Wichita, Kansas, in the next several weeks. Boeing said that the USAF signed a DD Form 250, a material inspection and receiving report, on 10 January, officially ending years of missed delivery deadlines for the aircraft.
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01/11/2019
The UK has met its initial operational capability target for the Lockheed Martin F-35B, with nine examples assigned to the Royal Air Force's 617 Sqn now deemed "ready to be deployed on operations around the world".
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01/09/2019
In December, two supersonic nuclear-capable Russian bombers visited Venezuela, the third such excursion for the warplanes since 2008. Might Moscow intend to pose a threat, perhaps even nuclear, to the Western Hemisphere? If so, how could Washington respond?
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01/09/2019
The Chinese navy reportedly is considering acquiring a new stealth fighter to replace existing carrier-launched warplanes that have proved unreliable and unsafe. The People's Liberation Army Navy could buy "fourth-generation" FC-31 fighters from the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute to replace older J-15s, state-run Global Times reported.
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01/09/2019
Six Royal Netherlands Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16s returned to the service's Leeuwarden and Volkel air bases on 2 January, after completing a year-long deployment to Jordan as part of an international coalition conducting operations against Islamic State militants in the Middle East.
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01/08/2019
An MQ-1B Predator drone crashed in 2017 after its crew lost contact with the remotely piloted aircraft, a report released Monday said — but the reason why remains a mystery. The Predator, which was from the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, crashed Sept. 4, 2017, in an unidentified part of U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East and parts of North Africa and Central and Southwest Asia.
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01/08/2019
Saab's second of three GlobalEye surveillance aircraft on order for launch customer the United Arab Emirates (UAE) completed a 2h 54min debut flight from its Linkoping site in Sweden on 3 January.
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01/08/2019
Last year brought twin milestones for the Royal Thai Air Force’s fleet of Saab Gripen C/Ds, with the service having marked a decade since ordering the Swedish-built fighter, and completed its first 10,000 flying hours with the single-engined type.
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01/07/2019
While the opposition is targeting the NDA government on the Rafal fighter plane deal, neighbouring Pakistan is engaged in taking full advantage of the opportunity. The Pakistani government has approached China to make the JF-17 (Block 3) Jet fighter plane available for the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) as soon as possible.
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01/07/2019
Chinese fighter-jet and engine manufacturers are emerging as a bright spot in a stormy stock market that’s been besieged by a trade feud with the U.S. and a slowing economy. Avic Shenyang Aircraft Co. and AECC Aviation Power Co. may stand out because their largest customer is the Chinese military, whose purchasing decisions have more to do with the nation’s plans for upgrading its air force and less to do with macro-economic fundamentals, analysts say.
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01/06/2019
Within the next several months, a proposal to update military training airspace around Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range and an environmental assessment will be available for public comment for 45 days public comment phase, the Michigan Air National Guard said in a news release.
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01/06/2019
While China’s ambassador to the United States was celebrating the forty-year anniversary with conciliatory words in the pages of USA Today and President Xi Jinping was writing to President Donald Trump in the hope of jumpstarting a more productive relationship in 2019, a Chinese admiral was pontificating about sinking American aircraft carriers in the open ocean.
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01/05/2019
China’s first locally-developed aircraft carrier remains on target for going into service as early as October, and the next generation of carrier is already under construction. Yet still the development of the People’s Liberation Army’s carrier-borne fighter squadron appears stuck in the slow lane.
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01/05/2019
The US is looking beyond the fifth-generation F-35 with plans already underway for the sixth-generation 'Penetrating Counter Air' concept, which will be operated by the US Air Force and Navy and, potentially, allies like Australia.
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01/05/2019
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has received a W130 billion ($117 million) payment from Indonesia’s defence ministry, suggesting Jakarta’s involvement in the K-FX/I-FX programme is back on track.
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01/04/2019
Observers of the twin-engine stealth fighter long had speculated that the J-20 lacks a cannon. Photography of J-20s since the type's first flight in January 2011 hadn't revealed bulges or openings that might point to an internal gun. The J-20 hadn't appeared in public carrying an external gun pod.
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01/04/2019
U.S. Navy air combat experts are asking electro-optics engineers at the Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to build infrared search and track (IRST) sensors for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter-bomber to enable the aircraft to detect, track, and attack enemy aircraft in a stealthy way without making its presence known.
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01/04/2019
Boeing will upgrade Spain’s fleet of 17 CH-47Ds to the CH-47F standard, in the first such order outside the United States. The work will see the 17 helicopters receive a digital automatic flight control system, a common avionics architecture, and an improved cargo handling capability,” says Boeing.
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01/04/2019
The improved United Aircraft (UAC) Ilyushin Il-78M-90A tanker commenced factory flight testing with a debut sortie conducted from the Aviastar SP production site in Ulyanovsk in late last month.
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01/04/2019
Russia's first modernised Tupolev Tu-22M3M strategic bomber got airborne for the first time on 28 December 2018, completing a 37min sortie from the Kazan Aviation Plant. United Aircraft (UAC) says the type underwent tests of its updated systems and equipment during the flight, and reached an altitude of 16,400ft. The test asset had been rolled out in Kazan in August 2018 after undergoing modification.
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01/03/2019
When a single F-35 used sensors, on-board computers and targeting systems to find, track and destroy two airborne drones at the same time with air-to-air missiles, the emerging 5th Gen fighter transitioned into a new era for offensive attack missions.
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01/03/2019
Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets and supporting personnel recently arrived in France to take part in evaluating the stealthy qualities of the Dassault nEUROn unmanned combat air vehicle, or UCAV. This comes as the Spanish are considering buying more of the fighters and are looking to join the French and Germans in the development of a new stealth fighter, as well as advanced unmanned combat aircraft.
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01/03/2019
The Navy’s first-of-its-kind carrier-launched F-35C has been conducting aerial maneuvers, weapons integration, “cyclical” flight take-off missions and other war operations from the flight deck of a Nimitz-Class carrier in recent weeks, marking the first operational tests of the stealth fighter slated to deploy in 2021.
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01/03/2019
U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking the Raytheon Co. to build 926 AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $434.4 million order announced last week.
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01/03/2019
Sweden has dropped a plan to reuse some parts from its air force's in-service fleet of Saab Gripen C/Ds during production of new-generation Gripen Es, citing operational considerations.
Announced on 21 December 2018 and worth around SKr430 million ($47.5 million), a new contract from Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) covers the provision of unspecified new-build components for some of the nation's future inventory of 60 E-model fighters.
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01/02/2019
On May 22, Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin announced that its F-35I stealth fighters had flown on two combat missions on “different fronts,” showing as proof a photograph of an F-35 overflying Beirut. While details on those missions have not been released—apparently, they were not deployed in a massive Israeli air attack on Iranian forces in Syria that took place on May 9.
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01/02/2019
The MiG-29, one of Russia’s most exported military jet has been upgraded in India that expands its capabilities from an air superiority fighter to a multi-role aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) revealed the upgrade, called the MiG-29UPG ahead of the Air Force Day celebrations in October 2018.
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01/02/2019
Beijing has a devastating plan to force the world out of the East and South China Seas — and it could cost the US 10,000 lives. They’re the pride of the US fleet: enormous 100,000 tonne, 333m long nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. But Beijing thinks they’re Washington’s achilles heel. Rear Admiral Lou Yuan has told an audience in Shenzhen that the ongoing disputes over the ownership of the East and South China Seas could be resolved by sinking two US super carriers.
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01/02/2019
The Russian Air Force has taken delivery of an upgraded Beriev A-50U Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft as part of a broader fleet upgrade. Following the work, the aircraft, based on the Ilyushin IL-76, can “track more targets and guide more fighters,” says state arms company Rostec in a statement. The upgrades were conducted by Beriev Aircraft Company and Vega Radio Engineering.
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