June, 2020 Military Aviation News
06/30/2020
Even though the 14 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets and Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer bombers delivered by Russia to Libya in May have not yet been used in combat in Libya’s civil war, the question of who exactly is piloting these warplanes has already come up. A definitive answer could well shed a lot of light on the nature and purpose of this deployment.
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06/30/2020
The deployment of Akash Air Defence System comes after China reportedly increased its fighter jets and helicopter activities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), de facto border of India and China.
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06/30/2020
Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, said Tuesday it has received a 688 billion-won ($575 million) order to supply trainer jets for South Korea's Air Force by 2024. KAI signed the deal with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to manufacture a total of 20 TA-50 lead-in fighter aircraft for radar tactical and combat mission training, the company said in a statement.
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06/30/2020
"Iran has not earned the trust to have the embargo lifted... The last thing this region needs is more Iranian weapons," said Brian Hook, President Donald Trump's special representative on Iran during a joint press conference in Saudi Arabia. Mr Hook stood alongside Adel Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs.
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06/30/2020
U.S. Air Forces in Europe will host its own Advanced Battle Management System experiment next spring. The exercise will bring in allies and take advantage of new Joint All-Domain Command and Control capabilities to speed up intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance targeting, USAFE boss Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said.
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06/29/2020
The Nimitz and Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups are conducting dual carrier operations in the Philippine Sea. The ships and aircraft assigned to both strike groups began coordinated operations in international waters, June 28. While deployed, the carrier strike force is conducting integrated exercises and operations that maintain responsive, flexible, and enduring commitments to mutual defense agreements with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
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06/29/2020
As Indian troops remain dug in at Ladakh in a prolonged standoff with China, allies are pitching in with commitments to deliver urgently needed weapons and ammunition for the armed forces. France has promised to deliver additional Rafale jets next month, an in-service Israeli air defence system is expected soon, precision artillery rounds will be sent by the US, and Russia will make early deliveries of ammunition and weapons worth $1 billion.
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06/29/2020
South Korea’s Defense Project Promotion Committee approved on 26 June plans to acquire more airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft from overseas as part of efforts to beef up its aerial surveillance capabilities, the arms procurement agency said.
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06/29/2020
The Russian Su-35 Flanker ‘4++ generation’ air superiority fighter has stood out among the seven contestants for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender as the only heavyweight platform and the only one with an airframe specialised for air to air combat. Coming from a higher weight range the Su-35 can comfortably outperform all other contestants across the spectrum, with a heavier payload, longer range, higher altitude ceiling, heavier and more powerful sensors.
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06/29/2020
Investigations by Kuwait’s permanent parliamentary committee to try the ministers involved in the Eurofighter aircraft deal have reportedly found large-scale misappropriation of state funds in securing a deal for the fighter jets. The probe has currently run into a stalemate over movement restrictions and health protocols that have been imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but there are several questions and doubts that have already cropped up over the contentious defence agreement.
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06/28/2020
China’s fifth-generation Chengdu J-20, its most advanced fighter jet, has recently successfully completed its first maritime combat training. The latest Chinese jet has been in development since 2002 and entered into service in 2017. Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa said the Indian Air Force is capable enough to take on Chinese forces and is fully prepared to meet any challenges.
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06/28/2020
Chinese military aircraft have again entered Taiwan’s air space in an overt attempt to gather intelligence, conduct reconnaissance missions, and intercept U.S planes in the region.
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06/28/2020
US F-22 fighter jets intercepted four Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft Saturday entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), NORAD said in a statement. Saturday's intercept follows similar encounters earlier this month in which US F-22 jets intercepted Russian nuclear-capable bombers near Alaska on three separate occasions. The last previous one was Wednesday when US F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft entering the Alaskan Zone late Wed
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06/28/2020
"As part of the ongoing build-up in the sector, the air defence systems of both Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have been deployed in the sector to prevent any misadventure by the Chinese Air Force fighter jets or the People's Liberation Army choppers there," government sources told ANI.
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06/27/2020
Cross party political talks in Sweden addressing future defence funding have collapsed, following disagreement over whether additional money should be approved. The Swedish government will not commit to any extra funding for the 2026-2030 period until the economic impact of COVID-19 can be better assessed, despite opposition parties pushing for up to SEK5 billion ($536 million) per year more.
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06/27/2020
In the same week that Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in a deadly brawl, one of China’s submarines cruised through the waters near Japan, prompting a scramble of aircraft and ships to track its furtive movements. Chinese fighter jets and at least one bomber buzzed Taiwan’s territorial airspace almost daily.
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06/27/2020
A Russian fighter jet Sukhoi Su-30 of the Black Sea Fleet’s naval air force was scrambled to intercept US reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
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06/27/2020
The MiG-29 is one of the world’s most prolific fighter jets. It currently serves in both NATO and CIS air forces. It’s the fifth most common combat aircraft in the world, even the current president of Bulgarian used to fly them. Despite its popularity, the design has been considered to have some significant flaws and has seen a checkered combat record when it has gone up against Western designs.
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06/27/2020
The Government is considering the purchase of military jet aircraft that would have the capacity to intercept high-altitude planes and fully police Irish skies. A new five-year Defence Forces investment strategy document has said that “future projects at a preplanning stage” include the potential for “air combat interceptors”.
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06/27/2020
Earlier this week, Kazakhstan received the last batch of Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters — a rotorcraft manufactured by Rostvertol, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters. ‘‘Four new multi-functional attack helicopters Mi-35M arrived at the air base of the Kazakhstan Air Defense Forces located in the west of the country, as part of the military rearmament program carried out in the Armed Forces,’’ reads a statement issued by Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
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06/27/2020
European aerospace giant Airbus announced that German and Spanish Eurofighter fighter jet will be equipped with the world’s most capable fighter jet radar. The company’s news release said the Airbus has been awarded a contract for the development, supply and integration of 115 Eurofighter ESCAN Radars for the German and Spanish Eurofighter fleet.
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06/26/2020
The U.S. Air Force wants to lease advanced trainers as early as next summer while it waits for Boeing’s T-7 Red Hawk, creating an opportunity for the two training jets that lost out to the Red Hawk during the T-X competition. The Air Force intends to open a competition for trainer jets that would help it test out a new training concept called “Rebuilding the Forge,” or “Reforge,” said Air Combat Command head Gen. Mike Holmes on June 22.
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06/26/2020
Many military leaders can attest that the ability to conduct operations and win in modern warfare is rooted in a nation’s ability to work by, with, and through allies and partners. For the United States and U.S. Air Forces Central Command, the ability to conduct and deliver combat airpower alongside partner air forces has increased as its close partner, Qatar, has solidified details and logistics with U.S. government organizations and contractors to procure its own fleet of 48 F-15QA fighter jet
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06/25/2020
The SASC is demanding the Air Force “strive to” maintain 386 operational squadrons — a major increase of personnel and weapons and money — while limiting the service’s ability to retire aging aircraft, complicating the service’s modernization efforts.
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06/25/2020
Elements of the US Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) have successfully completed a readiness exercise, designed to validate the wing’s ability to rapidly generate combat airpower with fourth and fifth-generation platforms, including the F-35.
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06/24/2020
Fighter aircraft have been stationed at advance air bases in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab. Days after India-China LAC clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has intensified its Combat Air Patrols (CAP) in Ladakh. According to an IE report, fighter aircraft have been stationed at advance air bases in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab. The CAPs ensure that a credible deterrence is maintained by the IAF in the skies.
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06/24/2020
Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have carried out their largest-ever military operation against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, targeting the defence ministry and a military base in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh. Their announcement on Tuesday came after a Saudi-led military coalition battling the rebels in Yemen said it had intercepted and destroyed missiles and drones fired from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
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06/23/2020
Two aircraft carriers sailed in unison Sunday in the Western Pacific to kick off combined flight operations this week. The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz teamed up for drills in the Philippine Sea to demonstrate “the United States’ unique capability to operate multiple carrier strike groups in close proximity,” according to a Navy statement issued over the weekend.
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06/23/2020
Last week, the U.S. Navy took delivery of the first two examples of the latest model of its F/A-18, the Block III Super Hornet. In service with the Navy and Marine Corps since 1983, the flexible design has gone through a Porsche 911-like evolution. Two type series of the original Hornet, the A/B and C/D preceded the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a larger more capable version of the F/A-18 introduced in 1999.
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06/23/2020
ISIS is not defeated in Libya, and American security remains at risk. Libya is missing from the policy discussion even as the Trump administration reconsiders America’s strategy in multiple theaters. It became an invisible conflict again after the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) lost control of its former stronghold, Sirte, in December 2016. U.S. airstrikes on ISIS training camps in January 2017 degraded the group, but should remind us that all is not well.
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06/23/2020
The Indian Air Force has intensified its Combat Air Patrols (CAP) in Ladakh in the last few days following the LAC faceoff with China that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. Residents of Leh say that these days they are waking up to the noise of IAF fighter jets flying overhead and increased sorties of transport aircraft and helicopters.
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06/23/2020
The Air Force is looking to bolster its fleet of F-22 Raptors by taking some aircraft from the service’s formal training unit and reconfiguring them for combat operations, the commander of Air Combat Command said June 22.
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06/23/2020
India is planning to purchase 33 fighter jets from Russia amid ongoing border tensions with China. Under the proposed government-to-government deal, Russia will supply 21 MiG 29 fighter jets and 12 Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft to Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal is estimated to cost Rs60bn ($787.6m), reported ANI.
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06/22/2020
The tensions in the two countries have been at a peak since the clashes between Indian and Chinese forces on Monday in the Galvan Valley of Ladakh. While China has already mobilized its large arms and military squads near the border under the guise of maneuvers, the Indian Army has also made full preparations to retaliate.
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06/22/2020
Following multiple border clashes with Pakistan in 2019 and more recently with Chinese forces in Galwan Valley, a number of Indian officials and military analysts have referred to the French Rafale fighter as a guarantor of a favourable outcome in future conflicts. The Rafale is a ‘4+ generation’ French fighter which first flew in 1986, and the Indian Air Force plans to induct 36 of the aircraft into service by 2025. The fighter is particularly prized for its low operational cost and maintenance
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06/22/2020
Russia has denied US claims that it has new aircraft active in Libyan airspace. The denial came in the form of a short tweet by the Russian embassy in Greece last Thursday (18 June) quoting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. The tweet read: ‘‘Deliberate falsifications ‘ve been made regarding military equipment. Equipment delivered to Libya long ago is presented as recent Russian deliveries. Reports based on info from unreliable sources interested in supporting Hafter’s adversarie
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06/22/2020
China is set to release its 2020 research report on the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region amid the US' recent increased military activities near China, including repeated trespassing into China's territorial waters in the South China Sea by warships this year. The possibility of a conflict could substantially increase, which must be managed and prevented, the report says.
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06/22/2020
A Chinese fighter jet briefly entered the nation’s airspace at about noon yesterday, the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force said in a news release. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Chengdu J-10 fighter was detected near the southwestern region of Taiwan’s airspace, and was immediately intercepted and escorted away following radio warnings, it said.
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06/21/2020
Amid efforts to de-escalate tensions at the India-China border in Galwan Valley of Ladakh, the Indian Air Force has reportedly flown in combat air patrols after information of Chinese incursions at multiple sites, an NDTV report stated.
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06/20/2020
Russian aircraft delivered to Libya in late May are being actively flown in Libya. These Russian aircraft are being used to support private military companies (PMCs) sponsored by the Russian government. U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) has photographic evidence of a Russian aircraft taking off from al-Jufra, Libya. A MiG-29 was also photographed operating in the vicinity of the city of Sirte, Libya.
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06/20/2020
The face-off between India and China in Ladakh, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, has put the spotlight on their war machines. On paper, China may look superior, but India has more experience in the high-terrain battlefield. Mint takes a deep dive.
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06/20/2020
Military chopper and fighter jet activity were seen in Leh region of Ladakh on Friday.
The activity assumes significance in view of the ongoing dispute with China and after the violent face-off with Chinese troops in Galwan valley in Ladakh. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has moved its critical frontline assets including the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighter aircraft fleet to advanced positions where they can fly in at a very short notice to carry out operations.
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06/20/2020
Two B-2 Spirit strategic stealth bombers were Thursday flying from an airbase in Missouri across the North Atlantic to the skies over the northernmost parts of the Norwegian Sea. The origin of the planes belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing and indications of the flight patterns were confirmed by the public affairs office of the United States European Command.
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06/20/2020
A second F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighter jet squadron is expected to be stood up at Eglin Air Force Base next year, a move “which will effectively double our operation by 2022,” Col. Jon Wheeler, commander of the Eglin-based 33rd Fighter Wing, said this week. Wheeler spoke at an online defense issues forum convened Thursday via YouTube by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz. He said the new squadron will bring an additional 24 aircraft and between 370 and 410 additional personnel to the base
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06/20/2020
U.S. Air Force aerial warfare experts will upgrade RF and microwave hardware and software on modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for F-16 jet fighter aircraft. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced an $18.7 million order to last week to the Northrop Grumman Corp. Mission Systems segment in Linthicum Heights, Md.
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06/20/2020
The Russian military sent Su-30 Flanker and Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jets and MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors to monitor two U.S. Air Force B-52H bombers that flew over the Sea of Okhotsk yesterday. This the first time B-52Hs have flown into this body water, which is surrounded on three sides by Russian territory and where American combat aircraft typically have not ventured in the past, in recent memory.
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06/19/2020
The Air Force will test a new fighter pilot training plan designed to fix deficiencies and reduce the time needed to transform a raw student pilot into a fighter flight lead from 40 to as few as 22 months. The new concept of operations exploits the in-jet simulation capability of the new T-7 Red Hawk, paired with ground-based virtual reality and artificial intelligence to accelerate student progress.
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06/19/2020
Standoff weapons are just too expensive to be relied on exclusively for an ongoing air campaign against China or Russia, and the better investment is more bombers, according to the author of a new paper from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
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06/19/2020
A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed into the sea Thursday, the US Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement. The fighter jet, part of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt's air wing, crashed during routine pilot proficiency training. Both naval aviators were able to safely eject from the aircraft and were recovered by a helicopter crew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8. Both individuals are in good condition.
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06/19/2020
In a move likely to boost the strength of its fighter jet squadrons, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has proposed to acquire 33 new combat aircraft including 12 Sukhoi and 21 MiG-29s. A proposal for speedy acquisition of these combat fighter jets has already been initiated and sent to the central government for approval.
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06/18/2020
The tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between Indian security forces and China’s PLA have renewed the question of how New Delhi should deal with a rising, assertive Beijing.
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06/18/2020
China has a group of honor guard members to Moscow as part of a deliberate show of support by attending Russia’s seventy-fifth World War II Soviet Victory Parade, a move signaling ongoing collaboration or even partnership between the two countries. At the same time, the Chinese move appears to be a clear effort to demonstrate the range and scope of its Y-20 cargo plane which, Chinese media reports, will soon be developed into a tanker refueling aircraft variant.
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06/17/2020
A Hawk aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force that crashed into a residential area in Riau Province on Monday had just completed a combat training mission in Siabu, said TNI AU Commander Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo. The Hawk 0209 TT fighter aircraft crashed in Siak Hulu Sub-district, Kampar District, Riau Province, after reportedly developing engine trouble.
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06/17/2020
Raytheon has confirmed the first successful guided release of a StormBreaker smart weapon from a US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, ahead of the missile’s planned integration into the F-15E Eagle and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. No, it isn't the Marvel superhero's axe, forged in the heart of a dying star, it is however the latest generation of guided missile that will enhance the lethality of both the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
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06/17/2020
Amid the ongoing border standoff with China, the BrahMos air launched cruise missile has received clearance for combat use. The BrahMos armed SU-30 squadron was inaugurated earlier this year in January. "The fleet release clearance certification has paved the way for the pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) squadrons to use the missile during combat missions," BrahMos Corporation told India Today.
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06/17/2020
The received wisdom that “missiles and rockets don’t win wars,” always a dubious assertion, is now obsolete and demonstrably false. Modern precision-guided missiles have the same combat effectiveness as fighting aircraft yet are easier to operate and less vulnerable as they don’t rely on huge, immovable, target-rich air bases. Precision-guided missiles and rockets can paralyze the civilian and military infrastructures of entire countries, thus paving the way to their defeat in war.
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06/17/2020
The U.S. government has approved the potential sale of an extensive upgrade package, dubbed the Hornet Extension Program, for Canada's CF-18A/B+ Hornet fighter jets. The proposed deal most notably includes enough AN/APG-79(V)4 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars to equip two squadrons worth of jets, which would give those aircraft a desperately needed boost in their ability to detect, track, and engage threats at extended ranges.
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06/16/2020
NATO fighter jets stationed in the Baltic states as part of the NATO air policing mission were scrambled eight times last week to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea, Lithuania's Ministry of Defense said on Monday.
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06/16/2020
A military aircraft ploughed into a residential area in the Kubang Jaya Village, Siak Hulu Sub-district, Kampar District, in Riau Province on Monday. "Yes, an aircraft crashed some 500 meters from my house. The incident occurred at around 8:30 a.m. local time," Wahyu, a local resident, stated. No further report was received of any casualty, and the Air Force personnel have sealed off the crash site.
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06/16/2020
The Israeli air force’s F-35 special test aircraft is set to arrive in Israel, suitably enough, on the Fourth of July, along with three more Joint Strike Fighters. The arrival will start a planned process of upgrading the IAF’s F-35 aimed at making them the main target supplier for the Israeli defense forces.
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06/16/2020
Legendary Bangladeshi-origin fighter pilot Saif-ul-Azam, who passed away Sunday morning, evokes memories of his courage, steadfastness, and bravery in the Middle East, far away from his home. He will go down in history, perhaps the only pilot who piloted fighter planes for four countries -Jordan, Iraq Pakistan, and Bangladesh. He also holds the unique record of destroying fighter planes of two different air forces -- India and Israel.
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06/16/2020
Now, the stealth fighter will have a safer and more direct way to transmit intelligence data, video-sharing, targeting information and other combat essential communication through Link 16 data exchange enabling non-radio or voice connectivity between aircraft in war.
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06/16/2020
The pilot of the US Air Force F-15C fighter jet that crashed off the north-east coast of England has been found dead, RAF Lakenheath have confirmed. This evening Col Will Marshall, comandander of the 48th fighter wing at Suffolk’s RAF Lakenheath where the aircraft was based, said the pilot of the downed F-15C Eagle had been “located and confirmed deceased”.
He added that the pilot’s name would not “be released until all next of kin notifications have been made”.
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06/15/2020
The pilot of an F-15C Eagle fighter jet that crashed into the sea east of the United Kingdom Monday morning has been found dead. The F-15, from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, crashed into the North Sea at about 9:40 a.m. local time Monday, the Air Force said. The wing said the aircraft was on a routine training mission with one pilot on board, but that the cause of the crash remained unknown.
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06/15/2020
The F-15C Eagle, from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, crashed shortly after 09:40 BST while on a training mission. The cause of the crash is currently unknown but the US Air Force confirmed only one pilot was on board. Search and rescue teams are looking for the aircraft, which is believed to have crashed 74 nautical miles off the East Yorkshire coast.
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06/15/2020
The Egyptian Air Force intercepted two Russian military aircraft that were en route to Libya this past weekend, Avia.Pro reported on Sunday. “The Egyptian military for the second time in the last 48 hours intercepted a Russian military plane flying from the Khmeimim airbase to the Libyan national army airbase in Libya,” the publication said.
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06/15/2020
China has responded to an "unusual" flight by a US transport aircraft by sending its combat jets into Taiwan's airspace. Taiwan says it had to "forcibly" remove them. Communist China considers Taiwan its sovereign territory. Taiwan – never conquered during the 1949 Cultural Revolution – does not. Chairman-for-life Xi Jinping, however, has repeatedly asserted his intention to bring the island under Beijing's rule – by any means necessary.
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06/15/2020
According to information released by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 11, 2020, American Company Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $368,194,942 not-to-exceed, undefinitized contract modification (P00036) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-17-C-0001. This modification provides for the procurement of five F-35A Lightning II lot 14 aircraft
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06/14/2020
China at the Line of Actual Control is not the only thing India needs to worry about. According to recent media reports, China is growing its military presence in the Indian Ocean too. Satellite pictures in May this year suggest China’s military base at Djibouti is being modernised. The facility, set up in 2017 as a logistics support unit, is being upgraded into a full-fledged naval base with a 1,120-feet pier that can berth Chinese warships, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier.
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06/14/2020
Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus, China and the US have been at each other’s throats. While China has been taking advantage of the pandemic to forward its interests in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and India, the US has resorted to passing ant-China bills and pushed anti-China rhetoric globally.
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06/14/2020
The United States Air Force says that a woman has flown its new class of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets into combat for the first time ever. Captain Emily ‘Banzai’ Thompson piloted the stealth aircraft after deploying from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, according to the military.
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06/13/2020
China is apparently operating some of its Y-8FQ ASW (Anti-submarine Warfare) aircraft from a 3,100 meter (10,000 foot) airstrip on the Fiery Cross (Yongshu) Reef airbase. This base was completed in 2016 by dredging up enough sand to create a 271 hectare (677 acre) artificial island. Before that there were two tiny “islands” that were rocky outcroppings only exposed at low tide.
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06/13/2020
The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract $368.2 million to produce five F-35A fighters and an F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet. “Lockheed Martin is awarded a $368.2 million contract modification. This modification provides for the procurement of five F-35A Lightning II lot 14 aircraft, one F-35B lot 14 combat aircrafts and associated red gear for the government of Italy. Work is expected to be complete by June 2023,” Pentagon said in a statement Thursday.
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06/13/2020
Bolshakov blames the situation on Russia’s weak finances. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia in the 1980s and 1990s focused on improving its fourth-generation Cold War aircraft instead of fifth-generation models like the Su-57. While several hundred advanced fighters were produced, many were exported to foreign customers for cash instead of the Russian air force.
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06/13/2020
The Senate Armed Services Committee isn't keen on the U.S. Air Force's plans to retire legacy aircraft in favor of new technology, putting a stop to some proposed aircraft retirements and delaying others. In the committee's version of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers say that the service must operate a minimum number of aircraft for each major mission set.
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06/13/2020
Deliveries of a new precision-guided bomb under development by Raytheon for the F-35 and other fighter jets have been at a standstill for about a year as the company struggles to correct a technical problem involving a key component. A fix for the issue, which brought production of the Small Diameter Bomb II to a halt in July 2019, could be approved by the government as soon as July, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Jake Bailey in response to questions by Defense News.
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06/12/2020
Moscow has also repeatedly voiced concern over the deployment of NATO forces near Russian borders, describing it as a threat to its security. Russia and the alliance have also blamed each other for conducting destabilising military exercises near borders. The US and NATO allies have repeatedly said that Russian fighter jets have performed unsafe maneuvers while shadowing their planes - accusations that the Russian military has rejected.
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06/12/2020
The Navy confirms to WKRG News 5 that two people killed in a plane crash in Alabama were personnel assigned to NAS Pensacola. According the Selma Times the local district attorney has identified the victims as Joshua Fuller and Vincent Segars, two Navy pilots. The Navy has not officially confirmed that information. Captain Segars currently serves as the commanding officer, Naval Aviation Schools Command according to his Navy bio.
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06/12/2020
Meggitt has signed a $15 million contract with Chemring Australia Pty, for the continued supply of flare countermeasure assemblies on the F-35 fighter jet. The contract award strengthens the existing partnership between Chemring Australia and Meggitt on the multirole combat aircraft. Countermeasures are critical to pilot survival in a combat environment. They provide decoy heat signatures that attract enemy fire, enabling an aircraft to return to base safely.
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06/12/2020
A twitter user said – “I definitely saw jet planes, live near airport. Whats up,” said Laraib Mohib from Karachi. “There were a lot of fighter jets flying around in Karachi probably,” added Ayesha Zafar, also from Karachi. However, IAF sources have rejected any such activity by its fighter aircraft over Pakistan.
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06/12/2020
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to give the Air Force more F-35 fighter jets and drones, but the panel’s version of the 2021 defense policy bill leaves many questions open about the future of the service’s legacy aircraft. In the Air Force’s fiscal 2021 budget request, the service proposed retiring a number of its B-1 bombers, A-10 Warthog attack planes, RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones, KC-135 and KC-10 tankers, and C-130H planes.
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06/11/2020
The Russian military plane entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone and was intercepted by US combat aircraft, supported by US oil tankers, NORAD said in a statement. In the first encounter, NORAD said, two Russian bombers, two Russian fighter jets and a Russian control and early warning aircraft approached 20 nautical miles off the coast of Alaska. The second formation consisted of two bombers and an airborne early warning and control aircraft that reached 32 nautical miles.
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06/11/2020
The next generation of MiG-35 fighter jets used by the Russian military will use a voice assistant named Rita to help out in complex situations, according to a report from Russian news service Sputnik. The new features will expand Rita’s role to include providing suggestions when matters in the air become fraught, like a more high-stakes version of Alexa or Google Assistant.
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06/11/2020
There are as yet unconfirmed reports that at least one MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter from a tranche of jets that Russia sent to Libya to bolster forces aligned with strongman Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army last month has now flown a mission over the strategic coastal city of Sirte. This comes as the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord is pushing to retake control of that area after weeks of substantial victories fueled by Turkish military assistance, especially deliveries of armed dron
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06/11/2020
The Republic of Georgia is ready to flip a switch, power up an old factory and churn out copies of the rugged old Su-25 Rook attack plane, the Soviet answer to America’s A-10 Warthog. But don’t hold your breath awaiting factory-fresh Rooks to flood the warplane market. The tiny Eastern European country, population 3.7 million, can’t afford to buy a bunch of Su-25s. And it’s not clear that the international market is clamoring for the plane, either.
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06/11/2020
Crew members of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ (VKS) Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber and Il-78 long-range aircraft have conducted night refuelling in the air. The flight training was performed in the airspace over the Volga region in Russia. During the flights, crew personnel of VKS performed two night aircraft refuelling missions under harsh weather conditions with a strong crosswind. It saw the participation of more than five aircraft units.
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06/10/2020
A civilian aircraft collided with a sitting MV-22 Osprey last month in San Diego, resulting in millions' worth of damage to the tiltrotor aircraft. The Class A mishap, defined as one that involves fatalities, damage totaling $2 million or more, or a complete loss of the aircraft, happened May 30 at Brown Field, a Marine Corps official told Military.com. The incident was highlighted in a recently released Naval Safety Center accident report.
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06/10/2020
Taiwanese fighter jets reportedly "drove off" Chinese Su-30 Flankers after the latter briefly entered the island's air defense identification zone earlier today. That incident came after a U.S. Navy C-40A Clipper passenger transport aircraft flew an extremely unusual route over Taiwan's western coast, a flight that was almost sure to draw some form of rebuke from authorities in Beijing, who consider the island part the country's sovereign territory.
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06/09/2020
Four service members were injured Monday when a C-130H Hercules overran the runway while landing at Camp Taji, Iraq, and crashed into a wall, sparking a fire. The service members’ injuries were not life-threatening, and they are being treated at the base’s medical facility, according to a release by Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
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06/09/2020
Taiwan's Air Force is set to test the first locally developed advanced jet trainer (AJT) on June 22 at Taichung Air Base weather permitting, with President Tsai Ing-wen expected to attend, a military official told CNA on Monday. The test will be moved to a later date should the weather be bad, said the official who asked not to be named.
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06/09/2020
India is facing constant threat from its neighbors on both eastern and western front of the country’s border. India has fought 5 wars in the short span of time on both the fronts and already facing continuous insurgency and malpractices sponsored by the nations around its border.
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06/09/2020
“I am part of the air policing mission, which consists in scrambling fighter jets whenever a suspicious aircraft is spotted and visuals checks are required to assess the situation”, explains Quentin. His work also consists in regular air combat training to be able to quickly take action if required.
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06/09/2020
The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) F-35A aircraft has completed 1,000 flying hours over the skies of Arizona, US. In 2014, the aircraft was manufactured by Lockheed Martin in Texas, US. Currently, the aircraft A35-001 is operated by the international Pilot Training Centre (PTC) at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in the US.
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06/09/2020
The development of South Korea’s indigenous KF-X fighter jet has taken another step forward with GE Aviation delivering the first engine for program, although development partner Indonesia continues to rack up overdue payments for its share.
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06/08/2020
Scenarios involving China taking military action against Taiwan have been a hot topic for decades. The most dramatic one would be a full-blown invasion involving amphibious landings. Back in the 1990s it was derided as the ‘million man swim’ because it was not believed that China had the naval means to pull it off. Some may still make that joke, but it may no longer reflect reality.
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06/08/2020
Today we will try to bring you inside the mind of a fighter pilot engaging an adversary aircraft during a dogfight. And we will do that through a bit of the theory behind WVR aerial combat, explaining the so-called BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers), the tactical movements performed by a fighter during an aerial engagement to gain a positional advantage over the opponent. BFM are based on aerodynamic, physics, kinematics, energy and geometry concepts.
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06/07/2020
The Air Force plans to test an autonomous fighter drone controlled by artificial intelligence against a human pilot in war games, it has been revealed. Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, head of the Pentagon's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, said on Thursday that the Air Force Research Laboratory hope to conduct the test in July 2021.
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06/07/2020
The failure of illegitimate forces in Libya and Yemen cost its supporter UAE billions of dollars, which provided weapons, ammunition and mercenaries to the militias in the two countries. Supporting warlord Khalifa Haftar in Libya, the UAE clashed in Yemen even with the coalition it is part of and backs the separatist forces in the south.
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06/06/2020
New Zealand's military said Friday it will buy five Super Hercules transport planes from Lockheed Martin for $1 billion. The planes will replace the military's existing fleet of Hercules, all of which are more than 50 years old and have been involved in a series of embarrassing breakdowns over recent years.
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06/06/2020
Although the Communist nation is reportedly years away from controlling the highly disputed region, Taiwanese officials warned of the threat posed by the Chinese air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Beijing is working to establish a framework to assert control. Military news site US Navy Institute (USNI) reports China has hinted at an ADIZ over the South China Sea for years.
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06/06/2020
Russia is pursuing additional tests, demonstrations and “familiarization flights” of its emerging Okhotnik stealthy heavy attack drone. These tests are intended to bring surveillance technology and stealthy assault mission options to this 5th generation aircraft.
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06/06/2020
In light of the recent Russian move of sending advanced MiG-29 fighter and SU-34 ground attack jets to Libya, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), is in talks with neighboring Tunisia to bolster ties between the two nations. U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend, the Commander of AFRICOM, spoke via phone with Imed Hazgui, Minister of Defense of the Republic of Tunisia.
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06/06/2020
So-called 'elephant walks,' air readiness exercises that involve large numbers of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft that are meant to demonstrate the ability to rapidly get significant numbers of planes and helicopters into the air during a major contingency, have become increasingly common within the U.S. military in recent years.
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06/05/2020
Syrian forces have started to carry out missions on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 fighters which they received from Russia a few days ago. Confirming the delivery of the MiG-29s, the Russian Embassy in Syria on Wednesday (June 3, 2020) tweeted that the second batch of the combat aircraft had joined the Arab country's military.
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06/05/2020
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (Kongsberg) has signed a contract with Marvin Engineering to supply air-to-air pylons for the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter programme.
The $14.3m (Nkr136m) agreement covers production lot 14 for all types of the fighter jet.
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06/04/2020
The head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin, has visited the Lightning Force for the first time since the appointment of a new “Senior Service” commanding officer to an F-35B squadron.
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06/04/2020
A former Stealth Jet pilot provided some details about a previously unknown role of the F-117 during a recent interview at the Fighter Pilot Podcast. And here are some comments.
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06/03/2020
This coming Friday, June 5, marks the anniversary of the day in 1946 when the Air Force announced that Boeing BA had won the competition to build the plane that would become the B-52 Stratofortress. That event unfolded so long ago that the Air Force was not yet an independent service, and the plane Boeing initially proposed was propeller-driven. It isn’t likely anybody at the time imagined the new bomber would become the most iconic military aircraft in history.
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06/03/2020
According to The South China Morning Post, which first reported on Shandong’s sea trials, at-sea training of Shandong‘s crew was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but the vessel is now carrying out its first exercises at sea since being commissioned with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese navy) last year.
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06/03/2020
Russia delivered a batch of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 combat aircraft to Syria on May 30, 2020, to counter the threat posed by Israel's F-16 Fighting Falcons. The MiG-29 fighters, the most advanced versions of the legendary jets, were handed over to the Syrian Arab Air Force at the Hmeimim base in Lattakia.
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06/02/2020
Former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly hadn’t been out of the job more than a month before the Navy canceled an ongoing study he’d launched into the future of aircraft carriers — a review he optimistically termed “Future Carrier 2030.”
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06/02/2020
India is keeping a close eye on Chinese jets after aircraft flew extremely close to the hostile border between the two nations. The Indian Air Force has been keeping strict aerial surveillance in the disputed region. Referring to the build-up of aircraft capability in the area, Defence Editor at The Economist, Shashank Joshi tweeted: "10 to 12 Chinese fighter aircraft have been stationed at the PLA Air Force bases in Hotan and Gargunsa.
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06/02/2020
Backed by military contractors, Russia deployed military fighter jets to Al Jufra Airfield in Libya, prompting the US Army to consider sending military training personnel to neighboring Tunisia.
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06/01/2020
Beijing has been making plans for an air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea since 2010, the same year it said it was considering the introduction of similar airspace controls over the East China Sea in a move that was widely criticised around the world, a military insider said.
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