October, 2020 Military Aviation News
10/31/2020
Three Chinese military aircraft entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, the 29th such maneuver since mid-September, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said the three Chinese planes were models from the Shaanxi Y-8 family -- an electronic signals intelligence variant, an electronic warfare variant and an electronic reconnaissance variant.
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10/31/2020
An official announcement on the French Navy's new generation aircraft carrier (PANG) program is expected to be made "soon" by French President Emmanuel Macron, probably by year-end. During Euronaval 2020, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly confirmed that the PANG (Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation or new generation aircraft carrier) program will be launched in order to deliver a successor to the existing Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in 2038.
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10/31/2020
Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.(KAI) announced that final assembly of KF-X prototype is now launched from 1st September. Final assembly means to put forward/middle/rear fuselage and main wing/empennage together into one whole final aircraft. The KF-X program worth 8.8 trillion won (US 7.3 billion dollars).
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10/31/2020
Beijing remains a bit of an enigma when it comes to military hardware. On the one hand, China has worked hard to keep many of its platforms under wraps, but at the same time, it also can't help showing off some of its latest and greatest hardware advances in the state media. The Chengdu J-20 – also known as the Mighty Dragon – is such an example. While all of the aircraft's capabilities are still unknown, a pair of J-20s was seen flying high in combat training exercises on state television chann
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10/30/2020
The U.S. State Department has told Congress it approves of the potential sale of 50 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II 5th generation aircraft to the United Arab Emirates. The potential value of the contract is reported as $10.4 billion USD.
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10/30/2020
Azerbaijan shot down two Armenian warplanes on Thursday, the country’s Defense Ministry said. A statement said the Armenian combat aircraft were flying over Azerbaijani positions in the Gubadli direction of the front. The ministry added that the Su-25 fighter jets were shot down on Thursday afternoon.
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10/30/2020
The Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum was developed during the late Cold War and entered service with the Soviet Union’s Air Force in July 1982, and despite the age the aircraft has remained in service throughout the world. It has been reported to be the fifth most common combat aircraft in the world. Continually updated, the MiG-29 will likely remain in service for at decades to come.
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10/29/2020
A Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday (Oct. 27) in the 25th such incident since Sept. 16. A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane intruded into the southwest section of the ADIZ, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND). Taiwan dispatched fighters, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missiles to track the Y-8.
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10/29/2020
The US Marine Corps has formally re-designated Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 as part of the Marine Corps’ ongoing transition process from legacy F/A-18 Hornet aircraft to the newer fifth generation F-35B Lightning II.
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10/29/2020
Egypt’s fleet of military aircraft are able to share data and coordinate activity despite their mixed origins, thanks to a locally made command center, according to an Egyptian armed forces expert. It’s rare to witness an air force flying fighter jets and helicopters of different origins, but Egypt operates aircraft from Russia, China, the United States and European nations.
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10/29/2020
Seeking to develop further closer ties with India, the United States of America (USA) has offered its F-18 naval fighter jets for the Indian Navy's requirements of combat jets for its aircraft carriers. The Indian Navy had a few years ago expressed interest in the acquisition of 57 naval fighter aircraft for operations from its aircraft carriers including the present INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.
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10/28/2020
Making sure Brazil does not lag behind in the race, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro gave a timely go-ahead for their procurement of Swedish aerospace giant Saab’s Gripen E fighter jets over Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornets and Dassault Rafales.
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10/28/2020
Approximately 200 Airmen and four B-1B Lancer aircraft with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrived at Andersen AFB, to conduct Bomber Task Force missions in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces Oct. 20.
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10/28/2020
China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier Shandong has completed regular testing and training missions at sea and is expected to be combat-ready by this year-end, state-run media here reported on Tuesday. Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have recently completed routine training and sea trials, the Chinese military said last month. Liaoning, a refit of the Soviet-era ship, was commissioned in 2012, while Shandong was commissioned into the PLA Navy in December last year.
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10/27/2020
For the past week, China has been commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which is being touted on China’s state-run media as a great victory over the United States. In Chinese, the conflagration is known as “the war to resist America and support North Korea,” and the emphasis this time around has been on resisting America.
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10/27/2020
In response to recent reports that U.S. Air Force (USAF) spy planes have been flying directly over Taiwan, China is threatening to send its own warplanes to "defend sovereignty."
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10/27/2020
Following earlier Israeli objections to the sale of Lockheed LMT -1.5% F-35 Lightning II stealth jets to the United Arab Emirates, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz reportedly relented and accepted the sale following a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary last Friday. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, senior Israeli defense officials subsequently sought compensation: “removing obstacles” to purchasing older F-22 Raptor stealth fighters designed for greater air-to-air combat capability th
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10/26/2020
The new humanitarian truce follows four weeks of conflict over the disputed region. Two previous Russia-brokered agreements have broken down, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan blaming the other for a return to violence.
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10/25/2020
Earlier this week, there were allegations that the United States flew an RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft over the Island of Taiwan, which the US Air Force first confirmed and then denied the claims in a highly unusual manner. On Oct. 23, 2020, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Tony Wickman, the Director of Public Affairs for Pacific Air Forces, reached out to The War Zone to say that the original confirmation of the RC-135W flying over Northern Taiwan had been in error.
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10/25/2020
On October 24, in the afternoon, the Azerbaijan Air Defense Units shot down a combat aircraft of the Armenian air force in the Gubadli direction of the front, according to a press release issued Saturday by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The statement did not provide information on the type of aircraft, but some sources claim that was Su-25 close-support aircraft.
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10/25/2020
The video shows practical bombing and firing from aerial cannons at ground targets carried out by the IL-76 crews in the Tver region of Russia as part of a control check. The flight altitude varied from 300 to 1000 meters, and the speed exceeded 500 km / h, the defence ministry said.
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10/24/2020
Photos have emerged showing that the retired F-117 Nighthawk is still active 12 years after it was officially retired, with experts speculating that the Air Force may use the stealth fighters as mock enemy combatants in pilot training.
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10/24/2020
In the last article on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), I looked at one key building block which enhances both the ops tempo of the strike package on the USS Gerald R. Ford as well the flexibility of the weapons packages which can be moved to the flight deck and loaded on the strike aircraft.
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10/24/2020
The Chinese navy's Shenyang J-15 fighters do not stand much of a chance against the US Navy's F/A-18s today, but that may not always be the case, especially as China builds a better aircraft carrier, experts told Insider. China has the world's largest navy, according to the Pentagon's latest assessment, and it continues to grow. In recent years, the country has managed to field two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, both of which carry complements of Shenyang J-15 fighter jets.
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10/23/2020
Just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the Trump administration has cleared yet another billion-plus-dollar Foreign Military Sales package for Taiwan. The latest FMS package involves three sales proposals covering High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), MS-110 Recce pods and AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles. Altogether, the three sales proposals total an estimated $1.811 billion.
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10/23/2020
With the billion-dollar deal to acquire potential new fighters under IAF’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract looming in the air, there was no shortage of bidders with the US F-16s along with Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornets, Eurofighter Typhoons, Russia’s MiG-35 and Sweden’s Saab Gripens jets looking to clinch the lucrative deal.
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10/23/2020
The unmanned multi-role aircraft being developed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) recently moved under its own power for the first time, a key milestone for the aircraft that’s expected to make its first flight this year, according to a company news release.
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10/22/2020
A Sukhoi Su-34 twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/strike aircraft crashed during a routine training sortie on October 21, the press office said. “The pilots ejected. There is no threat to their health. The crew members have now been evacuated to their home airfield,” the press office specified.
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10/22/2020
Under Project Halcón or Project Hawk, the manufacturer is in the process of negotiations with the Spanish government “to mature the proposal,” reported The Drive. Spanish Air Force’s oldest fleet of 20 EF-18 Hornets, although the fleet was modernised to the F/A-18A+ standard, is used to defend Canary Island, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa.
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10/22/2020
On October 9, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency authorized Finland to purchase dozens of Boeing FA-18E/F Super Hornet or Lockheed F-35A Lightning II multi-role jet fighters. Both documents also authorized sale of hundreds of munitions, including 200 AGM-158B JASSM-ER stealth cruise missiles that could reach Moscow when launched from Finnish airspace, as well as JDAM, JSOW and GBU-39 precision guided air-to-ground munitions and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles.
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10/21/2020
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E has crashed near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, on Oct. 20, 2020. The pilot is reported to have successfully ejected from the single-seat Super Hornet and is currently in stable condition at a local medical facility. The aircraft, departed from NAS Lemoore, California, was on a training mission over the Superior Valley, when it crashed at around 10.20LT, near a rock formation on the west side of Highway 14, in Kern County.
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10/21/2020
Spain is the latest European country to move to buy more Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter jets to bolster its air force. The manufacturer announced today that it is now in negotiations with the Spanish government for the replacement of 20 Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornets under what is called Project Halcón, or Project Hawk. The company says it has submitted its offer to the Spanish government and is now in talks “to mature the proposal.” It expects to sign a contract for the 20 new Typhoons
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10/21/2020
It's just a bunch of coral. But Pratas atoll between Taiwan and China has been declared a "danger zone" as combat aircraft ply the skies overhead. Beijing is showing increasing interest in the isolated Pratas (also known as Tungsha or Dongsha) atoll – one of Taiwan's few South China Sea outposts.
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10/20/2020
While Royal Australian Air Force pilots and maintenance trainers based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona wrapped up much of the training presence in 2019, the joint capability developed by the US Air Force and RAAF has meant Australia’s F-35 capability is now fully operational.
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10/20/2020
BAE Systems and Team Tempest industry partners Leonardo, MBDA and Rolls-Royce, in collaboration with the Royal Air Force, have revealed some of the latest concepts under development for the Tempest, Britain’s next-generation combat air system.
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10/20/2020
The Marine Corps is saying goodbye to one of its historic AV-8B Harrier squadrons as it transitions to fly the F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter. The service last week held a "sunset ceremony" for Marine Attack Squadron 311 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, according to a news release.
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10/20/2020
Airbus is pitching a new jet trainer package for the Spanish air force that industry executives hope could one day help school pilots across Europe on next-generation aircraft. The Airbus Future Jet Trainer, or AFJT, would replace Spain’s fleets of Northrop F-5M and CASA C-101 Aviojet aircraft around 2027 or 2028, Airbus officials told Defense News. While the concept has been in the works for several years, the company first revealed the official specifications late last week to Spanish media o
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10/19/2020
According to the U.S. Department of Defense the 5th generation aerial target drone is to make its maiden flight later this month. The first flight is scheduled to take place at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Although the test program suffered from delays due to COVID-19, the ground tests were successfully completed at the Michael Army Airfield on Sep. 18, 2020.
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10/19/2020
The U.S. Air Force said in a statement that a contingent of F-16C Fighting Falcons and support personnel from the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to a statement, the squadron, known by the nickname “Gamblers,” will play a key role in supporting the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing’s mission of sustaining and defending joint and partner forces by projecting combat airpower in support of theater plans and operations.
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10/19/2020
If you live in the U.K. it’s obvious that a defence review is about to occur, even in a news cycle seemingly consumed by a global pandemic and an imminent U.S. presidential election. This time partially hidden as part of a broader study entitled “The Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review,” a defence review acts as a warning siren for current senior officers and a call-to-arms to both the defence industry and retired very senior officers in their capacity as, often ennobled or pr
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10/18/2020
The IAF and the US Air Force held their latest joint exercise involving F-35 fighters, Enduring Lightning 3, this week to practice dealing with various strategic aerial and ground threats in the Middle East. Like the first two Enduring Lightning exercises, the training on October 12 was held in the skies over southern Israel with all briefing and debriefing conducted via secure network connections, with no face-to face meetings between the participating forces due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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10/18/2020
On Friday, the Spanish division of Airbus has released its proposal for a new advanced trainer, the AFJT (Airbus Future Jet Trainer). The presentation was given by Fernando Peces, head of the Eurofighter program in Spain, Military Aircraft part of Airbus Defense & Space and Javier Escribano, head of Future Combat Programs.
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10/17/2020
As the Chinese military’s first fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20 has attracted substantial enthusiast and media interest. One of the suggestions to make its way into online publication over the last year is the prospect of a twin-seat variant of the J-20 emerging at some stage soon.
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10/17/2020
The Swedish defense ministry published a 181-page document on October 14 that outlines a defense bill to be put before the Riksdag (parliament). Having gained cross-party support, the bill is scheduled to become law on Feb. 1, 2021. Known as Totalförsvaret (total defence) 2021-25, the bill covers the largest increase in defense spending in Sweden for many decades. Funding levels are to increase by SEK27.5 billion ($3.1 billion) compared with 2020.
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10/16/2020
While the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Topgun, is world-famous for its work in teaching high-end air-to-air combat skills, its fellow Airborne Electronic Attack Weapons School, known as Havoc, tends to sit in the shadows. This elite school prepares EA-18G Growler aircrews for the rigors of modern-day air combat, following much the same mantra as Topgun.
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10/16/2020
Just two months after India received its first batch of the highly-potent Rafale fighter jets from France, the Indian Air Force is set to receive its second tranche of the combat aircraft in November, reports have claimed. The IAF is preparing to welcome the second lot of the combat aircraft manufactured by the French company Dassault Aviation by November.
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10/15/2020
Leonardo S.p.A., an Italian company specialising in aerospace, defence and security, is planning to deliver M-346FA (Fighter Attack) jets to an international customer, most probably to Azerbaijan. During a visit to Italy in February, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and company representatives signed a deal on the acquisition of M-346 combat jet trainer aircraft.
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10/15/2020
The Air Force’s vision for a sixth-generation stealth fighter include, incredible speeds, improved stealth and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, already a prototype of the secret plane has already taken to the sky, yet virtually all details regarding the stealth fighter are naturally kept unavailable for security reasons. As a result, speculation of about the new fighter jet continues to run rampant.
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10/15/2020
The Spanish air force has taken delivery of the first NH90 helicopter meant to upgrade its aging combat search-and-rescue fleet. NHIndustries — a joint venture between Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo, and Fokker Technologies — has delivered the first of 12 NH90 tactical transport helicopters that will eventually replace Spain’s fleet of AS332 Super Pumas. These new aircraft will be based in Cuatro Vientos, according to an Oct. 14 statement by Airbus.
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10/14/2020
A preliminary design review (PDR) of a Full Motion Video Data Link (FMVDL) for Lockheed Martin's F-35 is planned before the end of the year, according to the company. “Overall FMVDL development, including aircraft installation, is progressing per plan to field in 2024,” per Lockheed Martin.
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10/14/2020
The U.S. Air Force has approved Raytheon's GBU-53/B StormBreaker glide bomb, also known as the Small Diameter Bomber II (SDB II), for use on its F-15E Strike Eagles. This means that the service will now be able to send these impressive weapons downrange for use by F-15E squadrons, which are among some the most in-demand American combat aviation units. The type's predecessor, the GBU-39/B SDB I, which is only capable of hitting fixed targets.
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10/13/2020
AVIC builds more than war machines. It runs a civilian business that makes airliners, private jets and parts — some in tandem with American companies.
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10/13/2020
Taiwan has long looked to the United States for protection from the massive forces of the Chinese mainland 100 miles to the west. Now Taipei is calling for robust defense ties with Washington amid growing concerns of potential conflict as Beijing's warplanes conduct regular fly-by's, threatening reunification by force.
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10/12/2020
After flying for more than a day miles above Earth, a large military drone charts and executes its own landing on a remote island in the Pacific. From takeoff to return, it has completed its entire mission without an active input or command from a human operator on station back in the states. But even this future scenario, featuring an unmanned system with advanced autonomy, is not entirely without human interaction.
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10/12/2020
A Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday, marking the 17th such incursion by the Chinese military into the nation's ADIZ in less than a month. According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft entered the the nation's southwest ADIZ earlier in the day.
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10/12/2020
Mats Palmberg, Head of the Gripen India campaign, said “Our focus is on providing indigenous content and capabilities to be able to achieve self-reliance (for India) for needs of tomorrow,” reported The Tribune. Saab faced rejection during the first Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft Competition (MMRCA) when Dassault Rafale won the contract.
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10/11/2020
A Chinese military anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, while the country was celebrating its National Day, also known as Double Ten Day. According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the Shaanxi Y-8 ASW entered the airspace between southwest Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands, also known as the Pratas Islands, in the South China Sea.
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10/11/2020
It may be an undeclared war of attrition designed to run Taiwan's troops and equipment into the ground. Taiwan says it has spent $1.3 billion scrambling its fighters against the most intense Chinese aggression in 30 years. Every day for more than two weeks, China's combat aircraft have breached Taiwan's air defence identification zone. Many have crossed the sensitive median line separating the mainland from the democratic island.
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10/11/2020
Boeing is aggressively pitching key allies Israel and India and even the United States the most advanced variants of F-15s. Prat Kumar, Boeing’s Vice President had recently stated that the company was in the process of responding to a request for information from Israel for up to 25 new Advanced F-15s, plus upgrades for 25 existing F-15I aircraft.
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10/10/2020
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is now in pole position on a $40 billion contract for that program after developing the X-2 prototype in 2016. Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and BAE systems had all floated offers but, so far, Japan has decided to go it alone on its new fighter that will complement its inventory of F-35s. Since the end of the Second World War, Japan has only developed two combat aircraft, the F1 (developed in 1975) and the F-2 (derived from the F-16 which entered service in 2006)
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10/09/2020
The French government is to order by year-end another 12 Rafale fighter aircraft for its Air and Space Force to replace the 12 in its current inventory of 102 that are being sold to Greece.
“We have the intention, between now and the end of the year, to place an order, in parallel with the orders for Greece, of 12 aircraft for the Air & Space Force," Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told parliamentarians at the National Assembly’s Defence Commission during a hearing on the defense budget.
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10/09/2020
Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) A U.S. MC-130J military aircraft flew along the median line of the Taiwan Strait that separates China and Taiwan Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed that same day. MND spokesman Shih Shun-wen said Taiwan's military has been closely monitoring all kinds of military movement around the country, adding that nothing was out of the ordinary as a result of the plane's passage.
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10/09/2020
Luxembourg has taken the delivery of its Airbus A400M, becoming the seventh operator of this military transport aircraft. The Luxembourg Armed Forces accepted the delivery at the A400M Final Assembly Line in Seville, Spain. The aircraft will be operated by a binational unit of Luxembourg Armed Forces and Belgium. Belgium is also procuring seven A400M aircraft, the first of which is slated to be delivered in the coming weeks.
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10/08/2020
Open mission systems (OMS) is a subset of the open systems architecture approach specifically designed for the military aviation environment. Adopted after two years of collaboration between the DOD and the industry, OMS seeks to leverage competition by requiring prime contractors to use DOD-owned and controlled open standards for their avionics suite.
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10/07/2020
Defense contractor Boeing has announced its interest in supplying the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet fighter jet to the Indian Navy. The jet has earned a reputation of being among the most lethal, advanced, combat-proven, multi-role frontline fighters in service today. The Block III variant can perform in virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum including air superiority, day/night strike with precision guided-weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defense.
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10/07/2020
The R-77 medium-range air-to-air missile is the Russian equivalent of the radar-guided U.S. AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile). The R-77 was first introduced in 1991 but it had a severely protracted development. The improved R-77-1 entered service with the Russian Air Force in 2015, and it has been employed on Su-35S fighters in Syria and used during combat air patrols.
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10/07/2020
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to place an order with Russia for 21 twin-engine MiG-29 jets by December, ThePrint has learnt. Of the 1980s vintage, the jets are no longer in production but 21 airframes built then remain in Russia. Top sources in the security and defence establishment said the jets purchased by India will be upgraded to the latest version before they arrive here.
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10/07/2020
A distracted pilot and a technical issue with the aircraft contributed to the May crash of an F-35 Lightning II fighter jet at Eglin Air Force Base, according to an Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report on the incident. The pilot of the aircraft, from the 58th Fighter Squadron of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, safely ejected from the jet as it landed on Runway 30 at the base, but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
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10/06/2020
Excessive landing speed primarily caused the May 19 crash of an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., though faulty flight control logic, issues with helmet-mounted display, the jet’s oxygen system, and ineffective simulator training and were all contributing factors, according to an Air Force investigation.
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10/06/2020
Recent videos from Russia indicate that the country may be on the verge of introducing significant new air-to-air missile capabilities to its most advanced combat jets. One clip shows a Su-57 Felon advanced combat jet carrying one, or perhaps two, new variants of the R-77 medium-range air-to-air missile family, while another shows a Su-35S fighter jet, the latest variant of the Flanker series, test-firing a very-long-range R-37M long-range air-to-air missile.
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10/05/2020
Defence Minister Mario Banozic said on Sunday that all four offers of fighter jets were equal for now, and that a lot of technical issues needed to be addressed before the financial aspect.
Groups of experts are studying the details of the offers which include not just multi-purpose fighter aircraft but also weapons systems, flight simulators and further training of pilots and technical personnel.
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10/05/2020
As we reported in the past, the U.S. Air Force is contracting the adversary training under the Combat Air Forces (CAF) Contracted Air Support (CAS) program to improve the training of the Formal Training Units (FTU) and increase the number of new pilots trained. On September 29, ATAC (Airborne Tactical Advantage Company) announced that it has been awarded a contract for the last location that was still pending, Eglin Air Force Base.
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10/04/2020
In an exclusive interaction with The Sunday Guardian, the top leadership of Lockheed Martin made a powerful pitch for the F-21 aircraft, by stating that its offer of not selling the aircraft to any other country if Indian Air Force (IAF) gave it the contract for 100-plus aircraft, was still on the table.
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10/04/2020
Six new turboprop warplanes adorned with vintage World War II-era snarling shark face nose artwork will soon be providing close air support for the military’s counterinsurgency missions.
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10/04/2020
However, it’s not just the state-of-the-art features of stealth fighters like the F-35s and F-22s along with other advanced weapons systems that make the Pentagon stand tall amidst other nations, but their longevity to sustain through decades of technological advancements — An example led by none other than American’s 65-year-old veteran bomber aircraft, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
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10/03/2020
After an eight-year process, the Air Force's effort to transfer its F-22 program to Hill Air Force Base is now complete. Earlier this week, two F-22 program management positions were transferred to Hill from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, wrapping up a process that began clear back in 2012 with a call by Congress to shift the program to a location best suited to handle work on the fifth-generation fighter jet. In May 2013 the Air Force began consolidating depot maintenance of the F-22
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10/03/2020
One People’s Liberation Army Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Oct. 1, it says on its Twitter. “Republic of China Air Force fighters scrambled and deployed air defense missile system to monitor the activity. No matter what happened, we will Keep protect our country firmly,” the news release says. Taiwan’s military scrambled fighter aircraft to intercept a Chinese spy aircraft, it said on Tuesday.
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10/03/2020
According to the Economic Times, the primary manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is working out the exact costs and structure involved regarding the joint venture and could require approximately INR 2,500 crore investments from the selected company. Earlier, India had collaborated with Russia on joint development of a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). However, this plan was abandoned as India was also not happy with the progress of FGFA.
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10/03/2020
U.S. Army aviation experts are ordering MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned combat aircraft for reconnaissance and attack, as well as satellite communications air data terminals, maintenance, repair, and support services under terms of a $131.6 million order announced Wednesday.
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10/02/2020
As India test-fired a new version of the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos having a range of around 400 km from an integrated test range at Balasore in Odisha on Wednesday, a veiled message was sent to the country’s adversaries.
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10/01/2020
Japan's military has asked Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's new government for its ninth straight annual budget increase, including funds to begin development of an advanced stealth fighter to counter new aircraft being deployed by China.
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10/01/2020
U.S. contractorized air training services provider Draken International has purchased the Cobham Groups’ Aviation Services UK division. The deal was concluded on September 25 and encompasses several entities, including the former FR Aviation target facilities fleet, and some helicopter training and services activities.
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10/01/2020
A startup led by retired fighter pilot Dan Robinson is developing augmented reality technology to revolutionize the way U.S. Air Force pilots train for combat. Traditional U.S. military flight training is risky, and expensive; it costs about $40,000 per hour to keep an F-22 Raptor jet in the air. From 2013 to 2017, more than 130 service members died in aviation accidents, including collisions with other aircraft.
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10/01/2020
The pilot of a fuel tanker showed impressive skills when he touched down safely in a remote area of California and prevented injuries among the seven other crew members after a mid-air collision with a fighter jet, a Marine Corps official and safety aviation expert said Wednesday.
It was unclear what happened to cause the F-35B to collide with the KC-130J tanker in the late afternoon Tuesday, said 1st Lt. Brett Vannier, a spokesman at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
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10/01/2020
While both the F-35s and F-16s remain top-notch light combat aircraft which are unquestionably rapid in the air with an array of advanced weapons to shoot down targets, Israel possesses an even bigger predator in its ranks, an American fighter which already has a century of kills without conceding, the F-15 Eagle.
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