July, 2019 Military Aviation News
07/31/2019
On July 19 and again on Jul. 28, the Israeli Air Force carried out air strikes on Iranian warehouses storing arms and missiles at Camp Ashraf, north-east of Baghdad, in Iraq. What is more, during the first raid, the base was struck by an F-35I Adir stealth jet. This is what Israeli media outlets are reporting after the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat broke the news, citing Western diplomats, on Jul. 30.
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07/31/2019
Boosting its capabilities in beyond visual range warfare, India has signed a deal worth around Rs 1,500 crore to acquire R-27 air-to-air missiles from Russia to be equipped on the Su-30MKI combat aircraft. "A contract has been signed with Russia for the acquisition of R-27 air-to-air missile to be fitted on the Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet of the Indian Air Force," government sources told ANI here.
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07/31/2019
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is on track to restore its lapsed maritime patrol aircraft capability within the next nine months, according to Air Commodore Rich Barrow, senior responsible owner for the service’s Boeing P-8 and E-7 acquisitions.
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07/31/2019
The UK is planning to achieve a seamless transition in its delivery of unmanned surveillance services from the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator to the company's more capable Protector RG1 by 2024, with flight testing of the new model now gathering pace.
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07/31/2019
Bulgaria's on-off acquisition of the Lockheed Martin F-16V appears to be proceeding again after the country's parliament overturned a presidential veto of the $1.26 billion deal. On 23 July, President Rumen Radev stopped the procurement – the country's largest since the fall of Communism – arguing that there was no "consensus" over the eight-aircraft purchase and that the process had been rushed through parliament.
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07/30/2019
According to Avia.pro, two Ukrainian Il-76TD cargo aircraft were destroyed on Al Jufra Airbase in Libya, after rocket attacks carried out on the airfield under control of the Libyan National Army. Earlier, unconfirmed news reported that the aircraft were destroyed after multiple Libyan Air Force drone attacks on Al Jufra Airbase conducted by means of a Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) which was instead shot down.
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07/30/2019
The iconic Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a U.S. Air Force single-seat, twin-engine, stealth attack aircraft that was developed by Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works division. The first prototype (YF-117A), developed around the Have Blue Proof of Concept demonstrator, made its maiden flight on Jun. 18, 1981 and entered active service in 1983, even though the USAF denied and covered the existence of the aircraft until November 1988. 64 F-117s were built, 59 of those were production jets.
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07/30/2019
Pyongyang hasn’t made its opposition to the combat aircraft delivery a secret. On July 11, about two weeks before the launch, an unnamed official in the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s Institute for American Studies lambasted Seoul’s purchase of the F-35 as an “extremely dangerous action” requiring countermeasures from the North.
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07/30/2019
The Russian military aircraft industry has started manufacturing the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft, Russia’s first alleged indigenously designed and developed fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, according to the office of Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yuri Borisov.
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07/30/2019
India will receive its full complement of 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters by 2020, with its first four examples having arrived at Hindan Air Force Station. Four more examples will follow "in the coming week", the airframer says.
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07/29/2019
More than 200 Airmen of the 127th Wing returned home from a combat tour in Afghanistan with their A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. Deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Selfridge operators, maintainers, and support staff were responsible for supporting close air support missions, aircraft maintenance, and logistics operations.
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07/29/2019
The MiG-21s and -23s were at an almost total disadvantage against the Israeli F-15s and F-16s. While the Israeli fighters had long-range radars allowing them to position themselves advantageously for the attack, the MiGs were limited to initial GCI vectors from radar sites back in Syria, and as they approached the Israeli fighters, electronic jamming rendered their radars useless and disrupted their radio contact with the Syria-based GCI units.
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07/29/2019
It has been reported that Israel obtained a nearly complete, crated, MiG-29 via a covert deal with a Polish general. The aircraft was at Gdansk awaiting shipment to Syria, but was instead put on a plane and flown to Israel in late 1985. The Soviets soon got wind of this and demanded its return. Because the Israelis were then attempting to foster good relations with the Soviet Union, they complied in about February 1986.
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07/28/2019
China’s. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force inducted its first stealth aircraft into active service in early 2017, and the Chengdu J-20 fifth generation air superiority fighter remains the most advanced combat jet in the Chinese fleet with a role analogous to the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor.
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07/27/2019
Ankara continues to call on NATO allies to acknowledge that Turkey's defense choices are a matter of national security and no threat of sanctions could prevent the country from acting in accordance with its own interests
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07/26/2019
Asia has just taken a giant leap towards disaster: The combat jets of four nations have squared off above a disputed island. Vietnam is challenging an aggressive Chinese spy ship. And the Philippines has appealed to the US for protection. On Wednesday a chaotic confrontation unfolded above a tiny island claimed by both South Korea and Japan. Chinese and Russian bombers infringed the territory, with Tokyo and Seoul fighting over the right to defend the airspace.
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07/26/2019
On July 23, South Korean fighter jets fired more than 300 warning shots at a Russian military aircraft that violated airspace claimed by Seoul as it was conducting a joint air patrol with China. Around the same time, Japan scrambled combat aircraft to warn off the Russian and Chinese planes flying near islands claimed by both Japan and South Korea in the Sea of Japan.
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07/26/2019
“A completely new aircraft”, ‘MiG-35 4++ Generation’ combat plane of Russia, said IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa will be added to the force after going through the due process of tender, evaluation and test flights. The IAF Chief came across the MiG-35 jet during his visit to Russia from July 9 to 12.
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07/26/2019
Ottawa has released a request for proposals (RFP) for its future fighter competition that could see it obtain 88 new fighter jets. Released on 23 July by Public Services and Procurement Canada, it names four potential contenders: Saab, Airbus Defense & Space, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.
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07/24/2019
The FA-50s would help the air force to begin rebuilding. The navy meanwhile has begun its own rearmament program. Five ex-French navy Super Etendard fighters in May 2019 arrived at the port of Bahia Blanca in Argentina.
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07/24/2019
Lockheed Martin expects to sign $3.5 billion worth of hypersonic development contracts within the next two years. The company foresees booking around $600 million in hypersonic sales this year, with the remaining $2.9 billion to come beyond that, according to a quarterly earnings call on 23 July. The aerospace manufacturer appears to be winning more hypersonic development work than any other US defence firm.
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07/24/2019
Bulgaria's president has vetoed the country's planned $1.26 billion acquisition of eight Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters, citing a lack of agreement and clarity over the deal. Issuing the veto on 23 July, President Rumen Radev said that for a purchase of this size it was necessary not only for it to be affordable, but also "to have a broad consensus and support".
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07/24/2019
Jakarta continues to press for concessions on the price of involvement in the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) K-FX/I-FX fighter programme. A recent report by Indonesia's official Antara news portal quotes government minister Wiranto as suggesting that the next payments be not in cash, but potentially a contra deal involving Indonesia-produced defence equipment.
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07/24/2019
The upgrade of Indian air force Antonov An-32 tactical transports is well behind schedule and is only likely to be completed by 2025 - an eight year delay from the original plan. Indian defence minister Shripad Nayak has informed parliament that 55 aircraft have so far been upgraded to the An-32RE (re-equipped) standard.
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07/23/2019
The South Korean military fired two warning shots at a Russian military aircraft that entered South Korean airspace on Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul said, and Chinese military aircraft had also entered South Korean airspace. It was the first time a Russian military aircraft had violated South Korean airspace, a ministry official said.
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07/23/2019
The United States military has accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of endangering the crew of a US navy plane in international airspace. The Venezuelan plane made an "unsafe approach" and "aggressively shadowed" the US reconnaissance aircraft over the Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said on Sunday.
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07/23/2019
Pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force have tested the sea warfare capabilities of their advanced Su-35 fighter jets over the South China Sea, state media reported. An air force brigade from Southern Theatre Command took part in the exercises after modifications to the Russian-built Sukhois, PLA Pictorial magazine said on Monday.
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07/22/2019
The U.S. military has just released a series of four videos filmed by a U.S. Navy EP-3E ARIES II intercepted by a Venezuelan Air Force Su-30MKII Flanker in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on Jul. 19, 2019. According to U.S. Southern Command, the Russian-built multirole aircraft “aggressively shadowed” the EP-3E aircraft, flying at an unsafe distance from the interlligence gathering aircraft “jeopardizing the crew and aircraft.”
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07/22/2019
Rather than tangle with a stronger US military, Iran is poking and prodding its Western antagonists in ways apparently designed to avoid triggering war, but that nonetheless seem to heighten the risk of missteps and miscalculation that could lead to an armed conflict with global consequences.
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07/21/2019
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of July, 2019, a private Israeli business jet entered Croatian airspace from the direction of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the intent to cross over to Italy. ''A combat duo of the Croatian Air Force were engaged in the protection and surveillance of the airspace of the Republic of Croatia and successfully intercepted the aircraft,'' they said in a statement.
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07/20/2019
Iran said it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday but denied Washington's assertion that the US Navy had downed one of its drones, as tensions in the Gulf region grew again. Britain said it was urgently seeking information about the Stena Impero tanker, which had been heading to a port in Saudi Arabia and suddenly changed course after passing through the strait at the mouth of the Gulf.
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07/20/2019
The armed forces are looking forward to learning from the experience of the Syria war with a large scale joint exercise planned with Russia later this year, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa has said. Describing Ex Indra 2019 – which will involve the air force, army and navy – as an `important experience’, the Air Chief said that the exercise will be themed around joint anti terrorism operations.
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07/20/2019
A pilot with the US Air Force’s (USAF) 413th flight test squadron conducted the service’s first flight of a Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter on 11 July at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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07/20/2019
Airbus has revealed a hybrid-electric 80-seat airliner design – with "feathered" wing and tail structures mimicking an eagle or falcon. However, the 1m (3ft)-long model, dubbed Bird of Prey, is unlikely to give too much away about the airframer's future developments in the commercial arena. It is "not intended to represent an actual aircraft concept". Instead, its purpose is to "inspire a new generation of aeronautical engineers".
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07/20/2019
It has been a long time coming, but Europe's largest multinational military aircraft programme appears to be finally flying clear of the turbulence that has buffeted its progress over much of the past decade.
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07/19/2019
President Donald Trump has said the US Navy shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship "took defensive action" on Thursday after the drone came within about 1,000 yards (914m) of the vessel. Iran said it had no information about losing a drone. In June, Iran downed a US military drone in the area.
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07/19/2019
The USA officially removed Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter programme – the international effort to develop and manufacture the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter – less than a week after the country received shipments of the first components of Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft missile battery.
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07/18/2019
This week we’ll mark the 50th anniversary of the first men landing on the moon, a magnificent achievement that we still marvel at half a century later. Wednesday marked another anniversary in the annals of aerospace history that is less well known, but of significant consequence for the security of our nation—the 30th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2 stealth bomber aircraft on July 17, 1989.
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07/18/2019
The RAF has set out plans that could see the production of hypersonic planes flying at more than 3000mph. The Ministry of Defence has announced it is investing £10 million to develop new hypersonic engines that could be used to power manned fighter jets and drones.
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07/18/2019
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov has said Moscow would consider signing an agreement for the sale of fighter aircraft to Turkey. The Russian Deputy Minister signalled a possible deal between the countries when responding to a question on whether Russia and Turkey could sign an agreement for combat aircraft, Euronews Turkish reported on Wednesday.
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07/18/2019
Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis ordered the USAF and US Navy (USN) in September 2018 to increase mission capable rates for the F-35, F-22, F-16 and Boeing F/A-18 to more than 80% by the end of September 2019. The mission capability rate is defined as the percentage of a fleet of an aircraft that are able to perform at least one assigned mission over a period of time.
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07/18/2019
Six Lockheed Martin F-35Bs assigned to the UK Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) 207 Sqn operational conversion unit touched down at the service’s Marham base in Norfolk on 16 July. The short take-off and vertical landing aircraft arrived at their new home following a 10h flight from the US Marine Corps’ MCAS Beaufort site in South Carolina. The deployment was supported by RAF Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transports.
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07/17/2019
From Jul. 1 to 12, 2019, the Indian Air Force has deployed four Su-30MKI Flanker derivatives, belonging to the 15 Wing based at Bareily Air Force Station (AFS), along with an Il-78MKI Midas aerial refueler from the 78 Sqn, based at Agra AFS, to Mont-de-Marsan, France, as part of Exercise “Garuda IV”. A C-17 Globemaster III airlifter supported the deployment of 120 military that took part in the two-week drills in Europe, the largest joint exercise for the IAF this year.
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07/17/2019
Finland has scrambled its F/A-18 combat jets to identify three Russia military aircraft above the Gulf of Finland. "Finnish Air Force F/A-18s on #QRA [quick reaction alert] were scrambled on 15 July to identify Russian Tu-160, A-50 and Su-35 aircraft in international airspace above the Gulf of Finland and the northern part of the Baltic Sea," the Ukrainian-registered media outlet European Pravda reported, citing the Finnish Air Force's tweet.
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07/17/2019
President Donald Trump blamed former President Barak Obama for Turkey’s decision to buy the S-400 missile system – a decision which has caused the USA to ban the sale of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to the country.
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07/17/2019
The US Air Force (USAF) and the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Defence Infrastructure Organisation broke ground during a ceremony on new Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II infrastructure at RAF Lakenheath on 15 July.
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07/17/2019
Boeing and the UK's Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group have signed a risk-reduction-phase contract linked to the latter's modification of five 737NGs for the Royal Air Force (RAF) E-7 airborne early warning and control system aircraft acquisition.
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07/16/2019
Skyworks Global’s retro gyrocopter concept took a turn back toward the serious via a partnership with Northrop Grumman-owned Scaled Composites to design, build and test its first prototype aircraft. Utah-based Skyworks believes its VertiJet gyrocopter could have a 348kt (644km/h) cruise speed with a range of 1,000nm (1,852km). The company thinks it could have a prototype flying in 18 to 24 months now that it has the rapid prototyping expertise of Scaled Composites backing its project.
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07/16/2019
The UK’s first Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft made its flight debut on 12 July, with company test pilots completing a short transfer from the manufacturer’s Renton final assembly site to Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. Online flight tracking sites show that the debut sortie lasted 47min.
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07/16/2019
France is considering the acquisition of an undisclosed number of special forces-roled Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for its air force. Although the French military operates extensive numbers of Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal and NH Industries NH90 Caiman rotorcraft – both in the 11t class – the country's deployment in Mali has been augmented by three Royal Air Force Chinooks.
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07/16/2019
The US government has cleared the potential sale of seven Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to Greece. The $600 million package includes the rotorcraft, which are optimised for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare tasks, as well as sensors, weapons, and services related to the acquisition.
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07/15/2019
The first two fighter jets purchased from Australia are now operational and plans are underway to upgrade those and other jets to keep the country’s CF-18 fleet in the air until 2032. The upgrade program, which will include improvements to navigation systems, communications and other systems, and eventually a new series of weapons and other combat enhancements for a smaller number of planes, could cost up to $1.5 billion, said Brig.-Gen. Todd Balfe.
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07/15/2019
Two F-35 fighter jets landed in Israel Sunday, the army said, bringing the number of fifth-generation stealth aircraft that the military says it has in its arsenal up to 16. The Israel Defense Forces’ first two F-35 jets arrived in December 2016. Approximately a year later, the stealth fighter — known in Israel as the Adir — was declared operational, and several months after that, the head of the air force revealed that the aircraft had conducted bombing raids.
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07/13/2019
China announced it will blacklist U.S. businesses selling weapons to Taiwan, a breakaway island nation over which Beijing claims sovereignty. Addressing a regular press briefing Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang condemned the recent $2.2 billion sales of M1A2T Abrams Tanks and Stinger man-portable air defense systems to Taiwan.
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07/13/2019
Defying threats from the USA that it would be cut from the F-35 stealth fighter programme, Turkey took delivery of the first batch of components for the Russian-built S-400 surface-to-air missile system on 12 July.
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07/12/2019
North Korea has criticized South Korea for the latter’s purchase and ongoing deployment of American F-35 stealth fighter jets and threatened it will respond by developing and testing its own special weapons to destroy the aircraft. North Korea’s warning comes as South Korea expressed hope that the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un will help revive dialogue between the Koreas.
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07/12/2019
Portugal’s government will buy five KC-390 military transport aircraft and a flight simulator from Brazilian aerospace company Embraer for 827 million euros ($932 million), Defence Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said on Thursday. The first of the five planes will be delivered to the Portuguese armed forces in February 2023, with the rest arriving by February 2027.
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07/12/2019
Boeing says it selected Raytheon to design, develop, produce and sustain the radars, which will be based on the company’s APG-79/APG-82 radar family used on the USAF’s F-15E fleet. Low rate initial production is scheduled to start in 2024 and the radar is intended to be used on the bomber fleet beyond 2050.
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07/11/2019
The R-73 was already in service with the IAF's Sukhoi 30s, MiG-29s and MiG-21 'Bison' jets but integrating these onto a Western platform had never been attempted. In Air Force circles, its been referred to as the ultimate 'jugaad' or innovative fix - mating a Russian air-to-air missile to an Israeli helmet mounted display to be worn by an Indian pilot flying a French-built Mirage 2000 fighter.
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07/11/2019
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking to adopt a new European visual range air to air missile across its fighter fleet. The Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) of European missile-maker MBDA has been approved for fitting on Jaguar jets and the IAF was looking to integrating it on the Su-30MKIs and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) as well, defence sources said.
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07/11/2019
After struggling with manufacturing and parts design problems last year, issues which delayed dozens of deliveries, Boeing Defense, Space & Security matched its 2018 delivery totals in the first six months of the year, with 96 military aircraft received by customers.
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07/11/2019
Bulgaria's government has given the green light for the $1.25 billion acquisition of eight Lockheed Martin F-16Vs. Approval from the council of ministers was obtained on 10 July, with the agreement likely to be put before the country's parliament next week.
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07/11/2019
The Australian Department of Defence has issued a request for information (RFI) related to a future acquisition of up to 29 attack helicopters to replace the army's 22 Airbus Helicopters Tigers. The RFI was issued under the auspices of Canberra's LAND4503 requirement. It foresees deliveries commencing in the mid-2020s.
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07/10/2019
The U.S. Air Forces in Europe Air Forces Africa has reported that one squadron of F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets was deployed to Europe. According to a statement, the U.S. Air Force deployed one squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles, Airmen, and associated equipment to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, for theater familiarization and to conduct training with allies, partners, and other U.S. Air Force aircraft in Europe.
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07/10/2019
Seven Kuwaiti military pilots have graduated from Italy receiving courses that included training on one of the world’s most formidable combat aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon. The airmen have completed the courses at the International Flying School and graduated at a ceremony held at the southern air base of Galatina. Eurofighter joint international bureau said in a statement on Tuesday that the graduation ceremony, held last Friday.
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07/10/2019
Without an additional $157 million, U.S. Army aviation readiness could suffer, according to an omnibus reprogramming request sent to Capitol Hill on June 25. The Army is asking congressional defense committees to approve the injection of $157 million into Army aviation readiness drawn from other fiscal 2019 accounts to fill a funding gap.
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07/10/2019
After a news report that said it might pull out of Canada’s fighter competition, Boeing says it’s still participating in the process and hasn’t made any final decisions. Boeing and Airbus, which are respectively offering Ottawa the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon, have complained in letters to Canada’s Department of National Defence that its procurement competition is unfairly favouring Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, according to a report by Reuters.
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07/10/2019
Development of the AVIC FC-31 fighter is going well, and the aircraft is destined to enter service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), according to its chief designer. A report the official China Daily newspaper quotes Sun Cong, a chief researcher at AVIC's Shenyang Aircraft Corporation unit, as saying that observers can expect news about the project at some point. "You will see its latest developments in due course, in the near future," Sun is quoted as saying.
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07/09/2019
The commander of India’s Air Force is heading to Russia for visits to an array of facilities and to try the country’s newest subsonic jet trainer, just as India’s military looks to upgrade its fleet of combat aircraft. India didn’t reveal much about Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa’s “goodwill visit” to Russia, but said the top-tier commander will visit some “operational and training units” and will have talks with his Russian counterparts.
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07/09/2019
As the budget has been all done, the Indian Air Force is now pushing for the two long-pending mega projects that form a part of PM Modi-led ‘Make in India’ project. With a total worth of about Rs. 1.5 lakh crore, the project for Tata-Airbus consortium’s 56 medium transport aircraft is set to commence this year while the other one for 114 fighter jets will have to wait to get to that stage.
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07/09/2019
China's development of the FC-31, the country's second stealth fighter jet, is proceeding smoothly and on schedule, according to its chief designer. Sun Cong, president of the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment under Aviation Industry Corporation of China, said at a news conference on Thursday in Shenyang, Liaoning province, that people should be patient and wait for good news from the project.
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07/09/2019
The first Airbus Defence & Space C295 aircraft due for Canada’s Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) programme has had its maiden flight. Airbus says that this places the aircraft on track for delivery by the end of 2019, whereupon it will begin operational testing.
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07/08/2019
In an op-ed for the Airman official magazine of the U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Air Force Research Laboratory officials have provided few details about future of American combat aircraft. According to the Airman, Air Force Research Laboratory and DARPA are working to push the boundaries of speed and make future technologies possible today.
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07/07/2019
Earlier this week China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force most likely tested a DF-21D or DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missile—sometimes know as "carrier-killers"—in the South China Sea. Details remain sketchy, as Chinese spokesmen have remained close-mouthed about the exercise. The test came on the heels of news last May that PLA weaponeers had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef, and Mischief Reef, west of the Philippine Island
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07/07/2019
It was a close call. Back in 2013, Pentagon press secretary George Little said that an Iranian air force F-4 Phantom combat plane attempted to intercept a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone flying through international airspace near Iran. As we reported back then, one of the two F-4 Phantom jets — in service in Iran since the Shah — came to about 16 miles from the Predator, but broke off pursuit after two American planes escorting the drone broadcast a warning message.
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07/07/2019
The seventh iteration of Cope West, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored, bilateral tactical fighter aircraft exercise involving U.S. and Indonesian air forces, concluded with a closing ceremony at Sam Ratulangi International Airport, Manado, Indonesia, June 28. Cope West is designed to advance interoperability and build upon already-established partnerships between U.S. military forces and Indonesian air forces, with the end goal of enhancing both sides’ combat capabilities and unit readiness.
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07/06/2019
The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday said that it scrambled a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft to intercept a US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance jet heading towards the Russian airspace over the Black Sea. "A Su-27 fighter jet as part of the Southern Military District's air defences was scrambled to intercept the target. The crew flew the aircraft at a safe distance to the aerial target and identified it as a US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance jet.
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07/06/2019
EVEN AT SEVEN in the morning, the south Florida heat and humidity is stifling. It steams up eyeglasses and feels like an iron on your skin. An alligator lurks in a stagnant pond water between the taxiway and the runway. Perhaps a spy sent by Bell, Sikorsky’s chief competitor for the contract to build the Department of Defense’s next generation of vertical-lift aircraft.
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07/06/2019
Indian media reports indicate that investigations are underway into New Delhi’s May 2012 purchase of 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk-II basic trainers. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is apparently looking into corruption allegations related to the basic trainer aircraft contract worth approximately US$523 million, following the completion of a three-year inquiry into the deal.
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07/05/2019
The Indian defence ministry’s response to a parliamentary question suggests that a plan to obtain 110 advanced fighters is inching through New Delhi’s bureaucracy.The response followed a question posted by a parliamentarian regarding India’s ambitions for “public private partnerships” to develop indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
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07/04/2019
The US Army plans to grant Boeing a multiyear contract for the production or remanufacture of up to 600 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. The potential contract’s value was undisclosed, though it would consist of a five-year multiyear contract or one-year contract with options from FY2022 to FY2026, according to a US Army notice online. The army intends on sole sourcing the work to Boeing and posted its plan online so as to give other potentially interested parties a chance to bid.
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07/04/2019
NATO's main operating base for its Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control system (AWACS) fleet is to trial the use of digital tower air traffic control technology next year, with equipment supplied by Swedish venture Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions.
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07/04/2019
Boeing Defence Australia and Airbus Australia Pacific have agreed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) related to future sustainment of the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft fleet.
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07/03/2019
The RAF released photos of the Eurofighter Typhoon jets, part of Operation AZOTIZE of the Baltic Air Policing mission in Estonia, intercepting the Russian Sukhoi Su-30s on June 14 and 15. Ten days later, the Typhoons were directed to intercept two Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighters.
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07/03/2019
Troops and jets from Hill Air Force Base recently took to the sky with a pair of the United States’ most well-known allies. According to the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs office, members of Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing flew their F-35 Lightning IIs with counterparts from the United Kingdom and Israel during “Exercise Tri-Lightning” on June 25.
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07/03/2019
The active duty 388th Fighter Wing (FW) and Reserve 419th FW conducted a very unique integrated defensive counter-air exercise from Apr. 30 to May 2, 2019 at the Utah Test and Training Range. The friendly and enemy forces were made up of F-35 Lightning IIs from Hill Air Force Base (AFB), F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 311th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and 80th FS at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and a team of contracted aggressor pilots from Draken International.
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07/02/2019
An army helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday (Jul 1), killing the pilot, defence officials said, in the second fatal crash in a week for a military plagued with equipment problems. The aircraft hit the ground in Aerzen, near Hamelin in northwest Germany, at around 1.45pm (1145 GMT). The reason for the crash is not yet known.
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07/02/2019
F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft from the U.S, United Kingdom and Israel participated in Exercise Tri-Lightning over the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, June 25. Exercise Tri-Lightning was a one-day defensive counter air exercise involving friendly and adversary aircraft from the three participating countries and consisted of active and passive air defense operations. This exercise is a demonstration of the interoperability between the U.S., U.K. and Israel using the F-35A, F-35B and F-35I respect
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07/02/2019
The U.S. Senate is calling for additional Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopters (CSAR) for the Air National Guard to account for delays in the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter program and planned replacements of HH-60Gs lost in combat.
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07/02/2019
China is reportedly considering an offer to purchase more advanced Russian fighter jets, once again ignoring U.S. sanctions. The state-run Tass Russian News Agency cited the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation as saying Wednesday it was "expecting a response from China on our offer to purchase modern weapons and military equipment manufactured in Russia, including additional batches of Su-35 fighter jets."
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