November, 2019 Military Aviation News
11/30/2019
Turkey activated its Russian-made S-400 missile defence system this week, bringing the drawn-out dispute between Ankara and Washington to a head. The United States has long argued that Turkey's purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defence system may allow Moscow to obtain intelligence on US-made F-35 jets employed by NATO, of which Turkey is a member.
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11/30/2019
A Chinese military plane violated South Korea's air defense identification zone again Friday, prompting the Air Force to deploy its fighters to drive it out, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The plane, presumed to be its Y-9 surveillance aircraft, first entered the KADIZ at 10:05 a.m. from an area west of Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Jeju Island, and exited the zone at 10:53 a.m. It later reentered the zone two more times before its last exit at 1:36 p.m.
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11/30/2019
Russia has started implementing a contract on the delivery of a batch of its newest Su-30SM multirole fighter jets to Belarus, but some analysts raised concerns about costs over the entire life cycle of the aircraft, from fabrication to maintenance. The publication Lenta.ru reported Friday that a wide range of renowned experts has expressed their concerns regarding Belarus selected Russian-made combat aircraft to replace ageing Soviet-era MiG-29 fleet.
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11/30/2019
Singapore's air force has deployed six of its advanced F-16 fighter aircraft to train alongside the IAF's six Sukhoi combat aircraft during their upgraded joint military training in India. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are conducting the Joint Military Training (JMT) from October 31 to December 12 at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal.
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11/29/2019
Poland has returned its fleet of RAC MiG-29 fighters to operational use, removing a grounding order that had been in place since a non-fatal accident earlier this year. Announcing the resumption of MiG-29 duties, Warsaw’s armed forces general command says the decision was taken “after analysing the implemented recommendations” following a spate of accidents involving the Russian-built type.
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11/28/2019
Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, the head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, climbed into the cockpit of an F-16 on the flightline at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Nov. 4 to take his old ride for a spin. The Fighting Falcons of the famed 555th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base in Italy had just arrived in Qatar for the first time in 15 years.
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11/28/2019
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. was an awarded a $93 million modification on a contract for operational flight program upgrades on special operations forces C-130 fixed-wing aircraft along with systems engineering and integration support activities encompassing multiple third party systems sources for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
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11/28/2019
Malaysia has expressed interest in purchasing fighter jets from India, despite the strained relations between the two countries regarding Kashmir, reports said. Malaysia has expressed interest in India’s Tejas, a multi-role combat aircraft, which is touted as the world's lightest supersonic fighter. The single-engine jet is manufactured by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics.
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11/28/2019
Russia appears to be developing a new, small air-to-air missile that could arm the Su-57 stealth fighter. The United States also is working on smaller air-to-air missiles to arm its own growing force of radar-evading warplanes.
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11/28/2019
The United States Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force have signed a $1.2 billion contract with Rolls-Royce for engine maintenance of the Bell-Boeing V-22 fleet. The five-year contract comes under R-R’s MissionCare services, and will cover the AE 1107C engines that power the tiltrotor fleet.
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11/27/2019
President Emmanuel Macron expressed "deep sadness" over the biggest single loss of life for the French military since the 1980s. An investigation has begun into how the two helicopters hit each other. Thousands of French troops have been deployed in Mali since 2013 after militants overran parts of the north.
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11/27/2019
Mongolia has accepted a pair of MiG-29UB two-seat fighters donated by Russia under the orders of President Putin. The acceptance ceremony took place on November 26—the nation’s Independence Day—at the military base within the fence of the Chinggis Khaan International Airport that serves the capital city, Ulaan-Baatar.
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11/27/2019
Spanish military-electronics specialist Indra has claimed the lead in a program meant to equip future European military aircraft with new electronic-warfare capabilities, according to a company announcement. The project, named Airborne Electronic Attack, falls under the European Union’s latest batch of so-called PESCO initiatives, which are meant to foster collaboration among member nations in key military areas.
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11/27/2019
NATO plans to award Boeing a $1 billion contract to upgrade the alliance’s fleet of E-3A airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft at a ceremony at Melsbroek Air Base in Brussels on 27 November. The alliance announced the upcoming ceremony on 25 November.
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11/27/2019
The Afghan Air Force has taken delivery of the final five MD Helicopters MD530F rotorcraft. The five rotorcraft are the last examples of a 30-example order the company received in September 2017. They are part of the $1.4 billion IDIQ (indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity) package the company signed with the US government in September 2017 that covers up to 150 MD530 rotorcraft for partner nations.
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11/27/2019
Korea Aerospace Industries has awarded MBDA a contract to integrate the Meteor air-to-air missile on the developmental KF-X fighter. The contract includes integration support of the beyond visual range (BVR) weapon, test equipment, knowledge transfer, and a trial campaign, says MBDA. It gave no amount for the contract, and did not disclose the time period the contract covers.
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11/25/2019
On a recent episode of ASPI’s Policy, Guns and Money podcast, analysts Marcus Hellyer and Andrew Davies debated the question of whether Australia needs an additional long-range strike capability. The issue had just been raised by two former Royal Australian Air Force chiefs, Leo Davies and Geoff Brown.
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11/25/2019
It’s been a busy year for Hill Air Force Base’s F-35s so let’s do a quick recap of what the 388th FW’s Lightning II have been up to during 2019. The 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, the US Air Force’s first combat coded F-35 unit, deployed again its F-35As just two weeks after the end of the first combat deployment. The 34th Fighter Squadron “Rude Rams” moved last week to Al Dhafra Air Base, in the United Arab Emirates, to support the Central Command (CENTCOM) mission in the Middle East.
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11/25/2019
25th November, 2019) The Russian combat aircraft on Sunday conducted air patrolling along several routes as part of the Russia-Turkey deal over the buffer zone in northern Syria, the commander of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said.
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11/24/2019
‘Don’t mess with us!‘ Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson warns Putin as Britain‘s new state-of-the-art £1billion stealth fighter squadron roars into front-line service. Gavin Williamson has warned Britain‘s ‘enemies‘ including Vladimir Putin not to ‘mess with’ Britain now that the RAF‘s new fleet of supersonic stealth fighter jets are combat ready.
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11/24/2019
China has been showcasing its Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon single-engine fighters prominently since 2018. The latest J-10C model is comparable with modernized variants of the classic American F-16 Fighting Falcon tactical fighter with capabilities including beyond-visual-range engagement, precision air-to-ground strike, digital glass cockpit instruments, in-flight refueling and electronic warfare.
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11/23/2019
The first Mirage F1 for Draken International took to the skies from Lakeland Linder International Airport, Lakeland, Florida. But it looks like it’s not a former Spanish Air Force jet. As we have already reported, Draken International recently unveiled the first of its 22 Mirage F1 jets that the company will employ for CAS (Contract Air Services) adversary role.
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11/23/2019
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded the first four payload prizes for the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary (MUX) programme. The US Marine Corps’ MUX programme ultimately aims to develop a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft which would be ship-based and serve as a platform for airborne early warning,
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11/22/2019
As a part of the joint exposition of PJSC UAC, MiG Corporation held a series of negotiations with potential buyers of the export version of the MiG-35 multirole fighter, and discussed maintenance and modernization of the earlier supplied aircraft.
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11/22/2019
French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation has handed over a total of three Rafale multirole fighter aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) thus far, the Indian government said in a November 20 statement. The three aircraft are reportedly being used to train IAF pilots and technicians in France.
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11/22/2019
The US State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Morocco worth an estimated $4.25 billion for 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and related equipment, including manned-unmanned teaming kits. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency says it notified the US Congress of the possible sale on 19 November.
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11/22/2019
The US Defence Department has pegged the price of five Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports for New Zealand at $1.4 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) statement follows Wellington’s announcement in June that it favoured the USA-built type to replace its five C-130Hs, and that it would request pricing information from Washington.
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11/21/2019
The Israeli Air Force's strikes against targets in Syria mark the latest stage in a developing struggle between Israel and Iran, one that inevitably risks a much broader conflict. Iran is eager to bolster its military footprint in Syria. Israel is just as eager to stop it.
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11/21/2019
U.S. Air Force bombers represent a crucial capability needed to support the 2018 National Defense Strategy, with the range, payload, endurance, and resiliency to hold targets at risk anywhere and at any time. These long-range combat aircraft routinely deploy to both Europe and the Indo-Pacific to send a strong deterrent message to potential adversaries and reassure America’s allies.
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11/21/2019
Today, the fighters landed at the airfield of Baranovichi air base. In 2019, all the obligations to supply aircraft under the contract under the agreement between Russia and Belarus on the development of military and technical cooperation were fulfilled. Today, Su-30SM is considered one of the best fighters in the world. It has excellent characteristics. As it was previously reported, 12 such planes will be delivered to our country.
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11/21/2019
China’s second aircraft carrier has docked at Yulin Naval base at the southern tip of Hainan Island, amid media speculation that it will soon be commissioned into Peoples’ Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) service.
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11/21/2019
The US Army is drawing up its roadmap for the future of medical care on the battlefield and is looking to autonomous vehicles, including unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), to support its medevac mission.
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11/21/2019
A US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report has highlighted the importance of UAVs in Iran’s defence strategy, and the possibility of new fighter buys when United Nations sanctions end in 2020. “UAVs are Iran’s most rapidly advancing air capability,” says the report. “Iran uses these versatile platforms for a variety of missions, including ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and air-to-ground strikes.”
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11/20/2019
Saab is celebrating after the United Arab Emirates, its launch customer for the GlobalEye airborne surveillance system, announced its intention to order two additional units of the Bombardier Global 6000-based platform.
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11/20/2019
India’s long-running process to replace its Hindustan Aeronautics-built HS 748 – or “Avro” – fleet of utility transports could be nearing an end, with Airbus Defence & Space confident of concluding an order for its C295. “We hope to progress soon with India,” says Ioannis Papachristofilou, the company’s head of marketing, who notes that Airbus also has “a lot of open campaigns” for the twin-turboprop type.
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11/20/2019
Rostec is forging ahead with efforts to sell advanced combat aircraft on the international market, although US sanctions present a challenge. The Russian defence conglomerate has offered both the Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-57 to Turkey, according to chief executive Sergey Chemezov. “As soon as they make a decision, we will be ready to sell both the Su-35 and Su-57,” he says.
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11/19/2019
Amid a slump in India’s bilateral ties with Malaysia, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is eyeing the possibility of selling its Tejas fighter jet to the south-east Asian country, ThePrint has learnt. The Malaysian Air Force has shortlisted the Indian jet as a contender for the contract of its 36 new Light Combat Aircraft. If the deal goes through, it will be HAL’s first foreign sale.
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11/19/2019
The U.S. Air Force is taking its time to settle on a next-generation fighter design, awaiting instead lessons learned from the F-35 jet and playing the field with promising technologies, according to a senior service official. Options being kicked around are still in the conceptual stage, as America’s newest fighter, the fifth-generation F-35, is only now “coming off the line,” according to Lt. Gen. David Nahom, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.
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11/19/2019
Boeing and Embraer have rebranded the KC-390 airlifter as the C-390 Millennium to emphasise the transport’s cargo mission. The companies have also announced that their defence joint venture set up to sell the KC-390 will be branded as Boeing Embraer – Defense. The two firms announced their joint venture in 2018.
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11/19/2019
Production of Boeing’s AH-6 Little Bird light-attack helicopter has been at a virtual standstill for around 18 months, but increasing Foreign Military Sales interest has the company believing it can revive the programme with as many as 75 more orders.
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11/19/2019
The Lockheed Martin LM-100J commercial freighter received its type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration on 15 November. The aircraft was approved after 150h of flight testing under the supervision of the FAA, says Lockheed.
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11/18/2019
Dmitry Shogayev, head of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, said at the Dubai Airshow 2019 that negotiations are still under way on supplying the UAE with Russian Su-35 fighter jets. “Negotiations are underway to supply the Su-35 to the UAE and develop the fifth generation of light combat aircraft,” Shogayev said.
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11/18/2019
Russia’s JSC Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the state corporation Rostec, has begun marketing new-generation combat aircraft, according to Alexander Mikheev, director general.
“At the Dubai Airshow 2019, Russia showcases the cutting-edge Sukhoi Su-57E 5th-generation multirole combat aircraft, the Ilyushin Il-112VE light military transport aircraft, and the upgraded Mil Mi-28NE combat helicopter that has been modified on the base of combat experience,” Mikheev said.
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11/18/2019
India is close to inking a defence deal with the US for the procurement of Sea Guardian armed drones and P-8I anti-submarine warfare and surveillance aircraft. The deal is valued at over $7 billion. "Indian Navy, Air Force, and Army are coordinating their requirements and specifications for the acquisition of these Sea Guardian armed drones from the US under the FMS route," Defence sources told India Today TV.
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11/18/2019
In the wake of the loitering munitions attack on the Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais in September, Dubai air show is taking precautions against intruding unmanned air vehicles. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority says it banned unmanned air vehcile flights in a 8nm (15km) radius from the centre of Al Maktoum International airport between 13 November and 21 November.
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11/18/2019
The UK Royal Air Force intends to use the Eurofighter Typhoon as a “testbed” for new development methods and technologies that will be employed on the forthcoming Tempest sixth-generation fighter. If the RAF is going to field the Tempest by 2035 it needs to practise shortening development times by adding new technologies on the Typhoon, said Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston at the Dubai International Air Chiefs conference on 16 November.
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11/16/2019
North Korea on Saturday said leader Kim Jong Un attended a flight demonstration of military aircraft at an airfield on the country's eastern coast where he instructed combat pilots to acquire "great idea and tactics" against enemies "armed to the teeth." The report from Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency followed a slew of statements expressing anger at planned U.S.-South Korea military drills that the North says could derail its nuclear negotiations with Washington.
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11/16/2019
American military aircraft have joined UK fighter jets in a training exercise over the North Sea.
The recurring Point Blank exercise, which on Thursday included 35 aircraft from 10 units, aims to hone how allies will fight in real world operations.
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11/15/2019
The Air Force Academy’s Aerobatic Demonstration Team will showcase their talents to the Las Vegas community for the first time in several years at Aviation Nation at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Nov. 16-17. One of the larger airshows in the country, Aviation Nation traditionally draws crowds of more than a quarter-million people over the two-day event.
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11/14/2019
Further flight testing of a developmental automatic boom refuelling capability for the A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) will be performed for an undisclosed customer next year, Airbus Defence & Space has disclosed. Trials work on the company’s A3R automatic air-to-air refuelling technology conducted since 2017 has included its A310 testbed making automatic in-flight contacts with Lockheed Martin F-16s and an A330 MRTT.
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11/14/2019
Leonardo Helicopters is maintaining its belief in the AW159 Wildcat, despite a barren sales period that has seen its backlog for the platform dwindle to zero. This week, the manufacturer celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Wildcat’s 12 November 2009 first flight. However, with deliveries to the UK and export customers exhausted, there are no new examples of the medium-class helicopter in production.
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11/14/2019
The AN/APG-78 Longbow mast-mounted radar that equips the Boeing AH-64E Apache has completed the US Army’s Follow-On Test and Evaluation (FOT&E) II. The fire control radar, produced by a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman called Longbow LLC, demonstrated several new modes and longer range detection capability against land, air and sea targets, says Northrop Grumman.
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11/14/2019
Tokyo has placed a follow-on order with Norwegian firm Kongsberg for Joint Strike Missiles to equip its Lockheed Martin F-35s. The follow-on contract is valued at NKr450 million ($49 million), according to Kongsberg. It does not disclose the number of weapons involved, or the delivery timeframe.
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11/12/2019
Russian forces have been jamming GPS systems in the Middle East. The electronic-warfare campaign could affect U.S. forces gathering in the region in advance of potential strikes on Iran. “Since last spring, pilots flying through the Middle East, specifically around Syria, have noted that their GPS systems have displayed the wrong location or stopped working entirely,” The Times of Israel reported in late June 2019.
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11/12/2019
It has often been said that Israel lives in a troubled neighborhood. Multiple regional wars and violent conflagrations with at least half a dozen regional states and armed groups certainly depict a country ill at ease with its neighbors.
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11/12/2019
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems plans to demonstrate its MQ-9 Guardian unmanned air vehicle’s (UAV) maritime patrol surveillance capabilities for European nations in December. The company is working with the Greek air force to conduct several demonstration flights from the Greek air base of Larissa, it says in a media release on 11 November. General Atomics also plans to showcase its detect-and-avoid system, which helps the UAV fly near civilian or other manned aircraft without risking col
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11/11/2019
The U.S. Air Force will deploy its F-35 stealth jets to Israel in order to maintain a strong presence in the region, the Israeli publication 9TV reported, as quoted by the Russian publication Avia.Pro on Sunday. “The Americans will place a huge number of hangars for their F-35 fighters on the territory of the Jewish state. We are talking about hundreds of combat aircraft, which creates a certain threat to Russian military facilities in the Middle East,” Avia.Pro said.
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11/11/2019
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned on Sunday against undermining NATO, in Berlin's strongest response to date to French President Emmanuel Macron's critical remarks about the security alliance. Macron told The Economist this week that NATO was experiencing "brain death", citing a lack of coordination and U.S. unpredictability under President Donald Trump. He also expressed doubt about the U.S.-led alliance's security maxim that an attack on one ally would be treated as an attack on all.
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11/11/2019
The nation’s long-vaunted strategic “sea-air gap” moat is shrinking, placing increased pressure on the tactical and strategic capabilities of the Royal Australian Air Force, which is further complicated by the regional proliferation of advanced combat aircraft, precision high-speed munitions and missile systems.
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11/10/2019
Did a Russian anti-aircraft missile hit one of Israel’s new F-35 stealth fighters? Pro-Russian media are claiming that an Israeli F-35I was hit and damaged by a Russian-made S-200 surface-to-air missile during an Israeli air strike in Syria earlier this month. Israel says one of its F-35s was damaged—after colliding with a bird.
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11/09/2019
It's been just over four months since the Air Force's AC-130J Ghostrider kicked off combat missions in the skies above Afghanistan, and the aircraft that the service once described as "the ultimate battle plane" and "a bomb truck with guns on it" is already bringing the pain on a daily basis.
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11/09/2019
The Russian Air Force is expected to receive the first serial-produced Su-57 fighter aircraft, the Russia first purported indigenously designed and built fifth-generation stealth fighter, by the end of this year, Deputy Defense Minister, Alexei Krivoruchko, told reporters during a visit to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Komsomolk on-Amur aircraft plant in the Russian Far East this week.
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11/09/2019
Obviously, technology has changed dramatically since 1940. While contemporary fighters can now go more than five times as fast as the Spitfires and Messerschmitt fighters of the Battle of Britain, two new technologies promise to make hit-and-run tactics more effective: stealth technology and long-range air-to-air missiles.
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11/09/2019
Egyptian and Russian forces have carried out joint air defence exercises using new Russian weapons platforms, the latest of several drills between the two powers which have grown more frequent in recent years. The overthrow of Egypt’s Western backed islamist government in 2013 by popular protest led by the country’s armed forces led Cairo to seek closer defence ties with Moscow - and within weeks the African state had placed considerable orders for Russian hardware.
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11/09/2019
US officials have approved the possible sale of 10 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to the United Arab Emirates. In a 7 November notification, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) gives the total contract value as $830 million.
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11/08/2019
In October South Korea announced it was buying 20 more F-35 stealth fighters. There are already 40 on order and South Korea will have received 13 by the end of 2019. Those 60 F-35s will cost $9.7 billion and a decision still has to be made as to whether any of the second 20 will be the VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) F-35B version. The first 40 will all be the basic F-35A which just operates from land-based airfields. But South Korea has ships that F-35Bs could operate from.
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11/08/2019
It's not a secret that the US Air Force is still flying the F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft at Tonopah Test Range (TTR) although the iconic Black Jet was officially retired from active service in 2008.
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11/08/2019
The US Navy (USN) is moving forward with its plan to add Link 16 communications terminals to its fleet of Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. The service intends to buy 50 Link 16 terminals over the course of five years to install on the unmanned air vehicles (UAV), according to a sources-sought notice posted online on 1 November.
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11/08/2019
Norway has declared initial operating capability (IOC) status for its Lockheed Martin F-35As, with the milestone having been reached on 6 November. The achievement followed a deployment to Rygge air station to check that the aircraft could be successfully operated away from its home base of Orland.
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11/08/2019
Germany appears poised to advance a joint programme with Spain to equip the nations’ later-model Eurofighters with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, as Berlin also nears approving the acquisition of 38 new aircraft to replace its Tranche 1-standard interceptors.
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11/07/2019
Airbus Defence and Space (DS) has showcased a new electronic attack and counter-ground-based air defence variant of the Eurofighter combat aircraft as it looks to secure Germany's Tornado replacement requirement.
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11/07/2019
The Air Force’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft have exited the Middle East after being deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for 18 years. Known as JSTARS, the airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft departed Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar Oct. 1, according to an Oct. 31 Air National Guard news release.
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11/07/2019
China is exporting unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to the Middle East which are capable of launching autonomous attacks. That’s according to the Pentagon’s top leader, US defense secretary Mark Esper, who gave a speech about artificial intelligence at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence public conference on 5 November.
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11/07/2019
Rapid improvements in high-energy laser weapons has the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) concerned that US aircraft could be targeted and attacked by adversaries in the future.
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11/07/2019
Airbus Defence & Space has revealed a more than decade-long research and demonstration effort into very low observable (LO) technologies, conducted as a classified effort for the German defence ministry.
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11/05/2019
U.S. Air Force Capt. Spencer G. Weide and Capt. Justin J. Newman are the first USAF operational pilots to fly the Lightning II aboard an amphibious assault ship. While not operating the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, the U.S. Air Force got a taste of F-35B Lightning II‘s shipborne operations thanks to two operational pilots flying with the U.S. Marine Corps Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122) out of Marine Air Corps Station Yuma, Arizona.
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11/05/2019
U.S. sanctions against Russia's defense industry aimed at weakening exports and pushing other countries to give up on purchasing the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile system have failed, as the world's second-largest military power is moving forward with strengthening its position in the world arms market. Russia has completed the delivery of all components to the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile system to NATO member state Turkey ahead of schedule.
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11/05/2019
The Royal Netherlands Air Force has received the first Lockheed Martin F-35A to be based on Dutch soil, with the initial example arriving at Leeuwarden air base on 31 October. However, the event did not go quite to plan after fire-fighting foam was mistakenly used instead of water to form a traditional welcome arch.
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11/05/2019
Boeing has formally delivered a first P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft to the UK Royal Air Force (RAF), with the adapted 737NG to support crew training activities in the USA for the next few months. First flown on 12 July, aircraft ZP801 touched down at the US Navy’s (USN's) NAS Jacksonville site in Florida on 31 October, after the airframer had completed equipment installation work at its Boeing Field site in Seattle, Washington.
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11/04/2019
United States and South Korea are expected to again skip their yearly winter air drill as they did last year in order to extend support to the present denuclearization talks with North Korea, according to a source. As mentioned by the South Korean News Agency, there is a mutual understanding among the military forces of the two countries to delay the Vigilant Ace air exercise which is scheduled to take place in the month of December.
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11/04/2019
On October 6, around fifty U.S. commandos in northeastern Syria tasked with hunting down ISIS forces were withdrawn from territory near the Turkish border controlled by the Kurdish-Arab SDF faction. The U.S. withdrawal was a prerequisite for a Turkish attack against the SDF which subsequently took place. The remaining hundreds of U.S. forces elsewhere in northeastern Syria were endangered in the crossfire and had to be withdrawn a few days later.
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11/04/2019
A former Spanish Air Force Mirage F1M, now registered N574EM, is about to move to Nellis Air Force Base to start providing advanced adversary services to the U.S. Air Force. In a pretty cool digital paint scheme. The role of Aggressors is to train fighter pilots in the most realistic way: the must fight aircraft that are as analogous as possible to the real threat.
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11/03/2019
On October 18, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $6.4 to $7.5 billion dollar contract to seven private companies to provide aggressor air combat training services to the Air Force through 2024. That huge sum is all dedicated to one goal: sharpening the skills of Air Force fighter pilots by putting them in realistic air battles against foreign jet fighters.
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11/03/2019
Advances in computer power, processing speed and AI are rapidly changing the scope of what platforms are able to perform without needing human intervention. The Air Force and DARPA are now testing new hardware and software configured to enable 4th-Generation aircraft to command drones from the cockpit in the air, bringing new levels of autonomy, more attack options and a host of new reconnaissance advantages to air warfare.
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11/02/2019
The Air Force’s MiG-27 strike aircraft would fly into the sunset on the last day of this year, bringing to an end the era of ‘swing-wing’ fighters in the IAF. IAF sources said the fleet is formally being retired on December 31 and a ceremony is being organised at the Jodhpur airbase, where the last remaining MiG-27 outfit, No.29 Squadron, also called Scorpions, is based.
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11/02/2019
How do you make a 51-foot-long, 35-foot-wide fighter jet, with an engine that generates 43,000 pounds of thrust, vanish? You don't. There's no black magic that exists to make something that big disappear. The F-35A Lightning II isn't invisible, but it does have a "cloak," which makes it very difficult to detect, track, or target by radar with surface to air missiles or enemy aircraft.
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11/02/2019
It couldn’t be better even if the late Tom Clancy were to have written it, and we have to believe he is smiling down from the tactical high ground of the afterlife. The latest Russian 5th generation “stealth” combat aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-57, was assigned an official NATO reporting name this week: “FELON”
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11/02/2019
The U.S. Air Force has taken another step toward bringing a small number of new aircraft to Hurlburt Field as part of the service’s light-attack aircraft initiative. The Air Force hinted at the purchase of up to six light-attack turboprop aircraft earlier this year, when it included $35 million in its budget request for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. However, the federal defense funding bill that would provide money for the purchase remains tied up in congressional wrangling.
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11/02/2019
The Indonesian air force plans to buy two squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 72 Viper fighters, while also following through on its plan to purchase a squadron of Russian’s Sukhoi Su-35s. Jakarta plans to make the formal request for the aircraft on 1 January 2020, Marshal Yuyu Sutisna, air force chief of staff, said to local news agency Antara on 28 October.
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11/01/2019
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $4.5 billion upgrade program for 98 of the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF)’s fleet of Boeing/Mitsubishi F-15J Eagles to the Japanese Super Interceptor (JSI) standards. According to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency release, the program will see the delivery and integration of the APG-82(v)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, Advanced Display Core Processor II Mission System Computer, ALQ-239 Digital Electronic Warfare System, ARC
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11/01/2019
BAE Systems announced a $36.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy to develop and demonstrate a next-generation, dual band Fiber-Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) to protect aircraft and pilots from advanced threats.
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11/01/2019
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter’s mission capability rate was hurt due to difficulty Lockheed Martin and its suppliers had producing spare parts, an issue caused by a three-year push to dramatically increase production of the aircraft, a top US Air Force official says.
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