September, 2022 Military Aviation News
09/30/2022
For two days, two dozen aircraft and ground forces jointly trained for air defense operations in the Baltic. This exercise is part of NATO's recently adopted defense and deterrence policy. It is also taking place not far from the Kaliningrad exclave, whose Russian military potential is constantly monitored by numerous reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft.
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09/30/2022
The Ukrainian armed forces’ aggressive counterattacks in the south and east starting in late August have chewed up several of the Russian military’s most important formations. The elite 1st Guards Tanks Army and its supporting 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division, to name two. Also, the essential 3rd Army Corps—the Kremlin’s main reserve formation for the Ukraine war.
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09/30/2022
Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 12 conducted an AIM-9X missile live fire from the southern coast of Japan to exercise their air-to-air warfare capabilities. Fourth generation F/A-18 Hornets and 5th generation F-35B Lightning II aircraft from the group’s fighter squadrons, Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA(AW)) 533, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, and VMFA-242 respectively, participated in the exercise.
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09/30/2022
On September 29, 1990, a unique aircraft took off for the first time in Palmdale, California. During its 18-minute flight, it reached a speed of about 290 mph and a height of 12,500 feet before landing at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft was the YF-22, the test demonstrator for what would become the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.
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09/29/2022
Following Kyiv’s successful counteroffensive against Russia’s invading forces, U.S. defense officials say Ukrainians have found new ways to use a patchwork of donated weaponry more effectively. The war has edged closer to a stalemate as it passes the seven-month mark. Faced with recent battlefield setbacks for his forces in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to raise the stakes by threatening to use the nuclear arsenal and calling up military reservists.
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09/29/2022
Egypt has topped the list of arms importers from France in 2021 thanks to an order of 30 Rafale fighter jets, making the Middle East the largest arms buyer from France last year, according to an annual parliamentary report published yesterday. In 2021, Egypt requested the purchase of French weapons worth €4.5 billion, ($4.5 billion) followed by Greece (€2 billion), Croatia (€971 million), India (€492 million) and Saudi Arabia (€381 million), according to the report published by Challenges magazi
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09/29/2022
As Japan’s defense industry struggles, South Korea’s is thriving, driven not only by the need to counter Pyongyang’s growing military threats but also by Seoul’s ambition to make the country one of the world’s top defense exporters. Just how determined the government is to help the industry expand was highlighted in recent statements made by President Yoon Suk-yeol, who last month expressed his intention to make his country one of the world’s top four weapons suppliers.
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09/29/2022
The commander of U.S. 4th Fleet has ordered all ships and aircraft to make preparations for Hurricane Ian’s expected arrival. Ships began departures from Naval Station Mayport today (Sept. 27, 2022) and will complete heavy weather mooring if required to stay in port. Aircraft will initiate evacuations from area airfields or be secured in hangars rated to withstand hurricane force winds. Four ships and multiple rotary and fixed-wing aircraft are expected to relocate and remain out of the local
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09/28/2022
The Air Force’s sixth generation fighter program hasn’t produced a single operational aircraft yet, but the Defense Department inspector general is already looking into whether the service is moving too fast with untested tech.
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09/28/2022
Speaking to the local NTV news channel on September 23, Turkey’s presidential spokesperson, Ibrahim Kalin, confirmed the previously reported plan, saying, “We have negotiations with Europe regarding Eurofighter; Turkey will never be without alternatives.” In October 2021, Turkey asked the US for 40 F-16 jets and almost 80 modernization kits for its existing fleet of Fighting Falcons. With 270 F-16 C/Ds in service, the F-16 has been the mainstay of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for the past 35 y
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09/28/2022
In 2012, as Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Frank Kendall described initiating F-35 production years before the first test flight as “acquisition malpractice.” He cited “optimistic predictions” that resulted in a program that is far more expensive than anticipated. Kendall’s remarks also apply to many other U.S. Air Force acquisition programs over the past 20-years.
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09/27/2022
As tensions between Taiwan and China continue to escalate, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence reported that nearly 15 military aircraft from China as well as four ships breached the Taiwan Strait's median line on Sunday at around 5 p.m. (local time). Taking to Twitter, the ministry said that two Shenyang J-16 fighter planes were located near the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) out of the 15 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft
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09/27/2022
Aerospace and defense giant Boeing secured a contract to produce 96 Apache helicopters for the Polish Armed Forces as the company scales up its manufacturing capabilities in Mesa, Arizona. Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland’s Minister of Defense, announced September 8th that the Central European nation had selected Boeing Defense, Space & Security to be its partner for the KRUK Attack Helicopter Program, an initiative started to replace the currently “outdated, Soviet-designed Mil Mi-24 fleet.”
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09/27/2022
Ukraine’s military is on the offensive against Russian forces and asking for more powerful weapons to press its advantage, but so far there is no sign that allies will step up their commitments. Instead, President Vladimir Putin dramatically raised the stakes in a Sept. 21 speech, threatening nuclear war and launching sham votes aimed at expanding Russia’s borders into occupied Ukraine.
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09/27/2022
U.S. Air Force guided missile experts are asking a team of Raytheon Technologies Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. to develop one of the first hypersonic cruise missiles to be in the U.S. inventory. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., announced a $985.3 million task order Thursday to the Raytheon Missiles & Defense segment in Tucson, Ariz., to design and develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM).
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09/27/2022
Walking into the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber this year, conference goers were immediately greeted with a large display from Google Cloud—a contender for the Pentagon’s major tactical cloud program and one of the conference’s major sponsors. On the floor, SAIC’s tower was right behind the Air Force Research Laboratory's booth, like a beacon of would-be connectivity.
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09/26/2022
On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
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09/26/2022
Slightly after dusk on Sep. 22, Ukrainian air defense operators near Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine detected a swam of Russian drones volleying over the front lines. Coming at themwere some of Moscow’s newest weapons – Iranian–made Shaheed-136s. Russian President Vladimir Putin had trumpeted the purchase of these “suicide drones” after his July visit to Iran, placing great store in both their precision strike capabilities and reputed stealth. But Moscow and Tehran were both in for a shock.
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09/26/2022
China's military has suggested its advanced J-20 twin-seat fighter jets might be used in conjunction with drones to increase firepower. The twin-seat J-20s can carry out coordinated reconnaissance, coordinated strikes, and coordinated command missions when coupled with drones, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Sunday, quoting a Chinese military magazine.
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09/25/2022
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a firm-fixed price contract to produce an additional 12 Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin company) MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Procured via the US Government’s Foreign Military Sales agreement, the new aircraft will add a third ‘Romeo’ squadron of unparalleled capability to the RAN’s Fleet Air Arm.
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09/25/2022
The Russian air force reportedly has had a very bad day. The Ukrainian defense ministry on Saturday claimed its forces shot down four Russian warplanes in 24 hours. An Su-34, two Su-30s and an Su-25. Videos circulating online seem to confirm at least two of the shoot-downs. “Today is a good day,” the Ukrainian defense ministry tweeted.
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09/25/2022
The Russian Air and Space Forces [VKS] have tested and continue to test their new Tu-214R reconnaissance aircraft. These claims were published in several Russian media, including RIA Novosti. According to Russian military analysts, the Tu-214R was sent over to Ukraine to detect military targets. Other experts claim that the Tu-214R was used to map the current situation and detect future military structures.
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09/25/2022
North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday, Seoul’s military said, just days after a United States aircraft carrier arrived for joint drills with the South in a show of force against Pyongyang. South Korea had earlier detected signs the North was preparing to fire a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the president’s office said on Saturday – a weapon Pyongyang last tested in May.
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09/25/2022
The Philippine Air Force [PAF] is experiencing problems after having to ground half of its equipment. There is a shortage of spare parts for the FA-50PH light attack aircraft. Only three of these light fighter jets are operational, and the remaining nine aircraft are grounded. The PAF confirmed that they were experiencing problems, but they said the situation was not stressful.
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09/24/2022
The losses of the Russian occupiers for the day amounted to 550 people of military personnel, 18 tanks, 20 combat vehicles, 14 artillery systems, one aircraft and one helicopter. In total, since February 24, the enemy has lost 56,060 people, according to the General Staff of Ukraine.
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09/24/2022
On September 26 and 27, Allies Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Türkije, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Partner Finland will conduct the third Ramstein Alloy exercise in 2022 with a focus on NATO’s Deter and Defend concept.
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09/24/2022
Bulgaria's caretaker government decided to propose to parliament to purchase a second batch of eight F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft from the U.S. for a total of $1.296 billion (1.32 billion euro), the defence ministry said. The caretaker government also decided to finance 13 priority projects worth a total of 6.6 billion levs ($3.3 billion/3.37 billion euro) to meet some of the requirements for improving Bulgaria's defence capabilities to safeguard national security,.
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09/24/2022
The U.S. Air Force is building manned variants of the emerging sixth-generation fighter jet as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says that the family of systems will likely control as many as five drones at one time, a development that will introduce new tactics, expand the mission scope of a stealth fighter jet, and enable dispersed yet networked weapons and surveillance nodes to increase attack and reconnaissance options.
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09/24/2022
The Air Force’s array of 48 fighter squadrons and nine attack squadrons are today being asked to do the work of 60 squadrons, the head of Air Combat Command said Wednesday. This is stretching the fighter fleet thin, ACC head Gen. Mark Kelly said in a keynote address at the Air Force Association’s Air Space Cyber conference here — and, in a major war, will become unsustainable.
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09/23/2022
Don't get your hopes up. But it looks as though Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANG) is once again in the running to become a training center for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Tuesday for the beddown of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Pilot Training Center (PTC) at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Arkansas, or SANG in Harrison Township, according to Tuesday's news release.
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09/23/2022
The Air Force awarded Raytheon Missiles and Defense a $985,348,124 contract to develop and demonstrate Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile prototypes, underscoring the U.S. Air Force’s focus on increasing interoperability with allies and partners to stay ahead of strategic competitors. HACM is an air-launched, scramjet-powered hypersonic weapon designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances.
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09/22/2022
Iran's military moves in recent weeks have captured worldwide attention, stoking concern among rivals in the US and across the Middle East. On September 1, Iran's navy briefly seized two US Navy unmanned surface vessels in the Red Sea, succeeding on its second attempt capture a US drone within a week.
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09/22/2022
Swedish aerospace giant Saab has been awarded a contract to provide maintenance support for the South African Air Force’s Gripen fighter aircraft. The agreement covers component repairs and minor updates to ensure that the Gripens can continue supporting various missions. According to company business unit head Åsa Schöllin, the contract reflects South Africa’s trust in Saab’s ability to support global customers’ operational needs.
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09/22/2022
Argentina’s government has told lawmakers that it plans to spend about $684 million to procure new fighter jets and build related infrastructure. The information, provided last week in response to questions from the Defense Committee within the Deputies Chamber, came from the chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, Juan Manzur, and the office of Defense Minister Jorge Taiana.
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09/22/2022
With its fighter squadron capacity dwindling since Operation Desert Storm, the Air Force must advance the development of unmanned aircraft that can fill the gap, the head of Air Combat Command said Sept. 21.
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09/21/2022
Russia’s failure to target Ukrainian integrated air defenses at the outset of hostilities in February have cost it at least 55 fixed-wing combat aircraft, while about 80 percent of Ukraine’s Air Force remains intact according to a senior U.S. Air Force general. Most if not all of those shootdowns were caused by Ukrainian surface-to-air missile (SAM) attacks on Russian aircraft, according to Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa.
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09/21/2022
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday announced that two of its FA-50PH light combat fighters have escorted and secured President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s flight up to 200 nautical miles as it departed for New York last Sept. 18. This is for the Chief Executive's participation to the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
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09/21/2022
In this Q&A with Ed Topps, senior vice president of the Strategic Aircraft Systems group for Sierra Nevada Corporation’s ISR, Aviation & Security (IAS) business area, Topps discusses: Foreign Military Sales for the A-29 Super Tucano; how SNC modifies the A-29 from Brazil’s Embraer; and the improved A-29C for Special Operations.
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09/21/2022
Saab has secured a contract to provide service, maintenance and repair support for Gripen C/D fighter aircraft operated by the South African Air Force (SAAF). The estimated value of this contract is approximately $30.70m (Skr333m). It is valid from 2022 to 2025.
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09/21/2022
Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, approved the KC-46A Pegasus for worldwide deployments to meet combatant command taskings effective Sept. 14. “We are ready to use this aircraft globally in any fight, without hesitation,” Minihan said. The KC-46A recently completed an employment concept exercise in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, during which it was evaluated while filling real-world taskings in support of combat operations, supplementing other tankers.
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09/20/2022
“National Armaments Director Martin Sonderegger and the Swiss F-35A Program Manager Darko Savic signed the procurement contract on 19 September 2022 at armasuisse in Bern,” said armasuisse, the country’s arms procurement agency. “With this, the procurement of 36 F-35A is contractually agreed,” it added.
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09/20/2022
L3Harris Technologies has entered an agreement with Brazil’s Embraer to convert KC-390 cargo planes into aerial tankers that can refuel U.S. combat planes in flight. The goal is to create a tactical tanker that can fly closer to the front lines in a war with a peer competitor and refuel all types of U.S. military planes , according to L3Harris Chairman and CEO Chris Kubasik.
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09/20/2022
The J-10C, also known as the J-10CE, is currently the PAF’s most sophisticated platform and is seen as a rival to India’s Dassault Rafale. The Pakistani Air Force refers to the Chinese-built aircraft as “Dragon from the East” and hails them as essential tools for maintaining the ‘security balance’ in the region.
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09/20/2022
The U.S. is negotiating with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to trade nearly 50 military aircraft flown across the border as the Afghan government collapsed last summer for help hunting terrorists in Afghanistan, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.
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09/20/2022
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has reactivated the process to acquire new fighter jets to replace the country’s aging Kfir fleet. Petro’s decision may come as a surprise given his stance earlier this year on the campaign trail, when he said the purchase of combat aircraft or other military hardware would not be a priority during his time in office, if elected.
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09/19/2022
The Ukrainian military have launched a precision strike on a bus terminal in the Luhansk region’s Svatove, where Russian occupiers were based. The relevant statement was made by Luhansk Regional Military Administration Head Serhii Haidai on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
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09/19/2022
Airmen from the 193rd Special Operations Wing here, who operate the only flying military radio and TV broadcast platform in the U.S. military, transmitted their final broadcast today to spectators at the Community Days Air Show at Lancaster Airport, Lititz, Pa., bringing to close a 54-year chapter in unit history.
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09/19/2022
Viewed purely in terms of the size of their formations and equipment, Russian ground forces in Ukraine still pose a serious threat on a number of axes. In practice, however, it is highly unlikely the Russian military can recover from its increasingly terminal trajectory on the battlefield, though its defeat will take time and bitter fighting. To understand why, it is necessary to examine the force beyond its equipment and personnel.
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09/19/2022
In the run up to the Russian invasion in February airpower analysts, including this author, were gloomy about Ukraine’s ability to defend its airspace. Even the more optimistic assessments assumed that Russia would mount a significant air campaign to destroy the Ukrainian Air Force on its airbases, coupled with large-scale strikes with stand-off cruise and ballistic missiles to blind Ukrainian long range early warning and surface-to-air missile (SAM) system radars.
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09/18/2022
In an estimated $6 billion agreement, Turkey asked for 40 F-16 fighter jets and almost 80 modification kits in October 2021 to upgrade its aging fleet. Turkey, which has made clear that it is firmly opposed to any restrictions on the sale of the Lockheed Martin-produced F-16s, currently faces a new obstacle due to a bill recently approved by American senators.
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09/18/2022
For 24 years the F-15 Eagle has roared over the city of Klamath Falls, flying countless training missions and supplying air superiority pilots to the U.S. Air Force. This aircraft is special with an outstanding combat record and a service life dating back 50 years — a remarkable lifespan for a fighter aircraft. Those days are nearing their end as the retirement of the aircraft is fast approaching..
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09/17/2022
The Polish Ministry of National Defence has sent a letter of request to the US government to buy 96 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the nation’s armed forces, Defense News reports. The planned purchase was unveiled on Sep. 8, 2022 by Deputy Prime Minister and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak following a meeting with his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, which took place in Ramstein, Germany.
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09/17/2022
On September 15, a video of an unidentified flying object that crashed in Stavropol, Russia, around 350 kilometers (220 miles) from the Ukrainian border, went viral on the internet. The Russian media reports initially led people to believe it was a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Later, Twitter users noted similarities between the wreckage and the Russian Kinzhal missile.
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09/17/2022
“France is a reliable and trustworthy military power, able to deploy whenever it is required,” says French air force Major General Stephane Groen, chief of staff for Air Defence and Operations Command. “And France is a nation of the Pacific through New Caledonia – we are very much engaged in the security of the region.”
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09/17/2022
With an old family photograph of a man he never met, Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh Jr. can trace the footprints of his military career back to his grandfather, William Gent Welsh. His impression of a determined B-25 pilot flying combat missions in China during World War II set in motion the restless curiosity of the younger Welsh. Soon after completing high school, the Vale, Oregon teenager enlisted in the Air Force, launching his own military journey in 1988.
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09/16/2022
Ukrainian combat aircraft carried out 33 strikes on amassments of Russian troops and their strong points on 9 September, in order to support the actions of ground forces.
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09/16/2022
Approximately 100 Airmen and four KC-46A Pegasus aircraft conducted 24-hour operations during Air Mobility Command’s multi-week Employment Concept Exercise 22-08 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from August 27 through mid-September, 2022. Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and 931st Air Refueling Wing participated in the ECE, working in two teams to operate around-the-clock, testing the KC-46A’s ability to support real-world missions and assess its capabilities.
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09/16/2022
The acquisition of the 36 F-35A combat aircraft was fiercely debated in the National Council, especially with regard to the passage providing for the signing of the purchase contract no later than the end of March 2023 (expiry date of the validity offers). The National Council’s Security Policy Commission here supports the Council of States’ proposal. Concretely, this means that the Federal Council must sign the contracts before the popular initiative “Stop F-35!”, launched on August 31, 2021 an
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09/16/2022
Japan and the U.K. have decided to collaborate on next-generation fighter jets, pooling their technology and resources to get the greatest bang for their money. Japan's F-X program and the United Kingdom's Tempest, both of which are scheduled to fly in the early 2030s, will be the world's first sixth-generation fighters. So far that co-development includes jet engines and sensors for next-generation fighters.
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09/16/2022
On a battlefield a decade or so in the future, a C-130 drops a pallet loaded with small, expendable drones, which break off and immediately begin flying toward a formation of F-35s.
As the F-35 pilots fly toward an enemy surface-to-air missile site, they issue commands to the drones under their control: “Collect data,” “go forward and draw fire,” or “find this target.” Based on data gathered by some of the drones, the pilots are alerted to a probable threat, and an alternate route is suggested
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09/15/2022
After Ukraine’s stunning successes in recapturing Russian-occupied territory in northeast and southern Ukraine over the last week, the pressure is now on Kyiv to maintain the momentum in its counteroffensive. Western governments have hailed Ukraine’s “significant progress” in the war after Kyiv announced it had reclaimed more than 8,000 square kilometers (3,088 square miles) of Russian-occupied territory since the start of September.
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09/15/2022
The Hellenic Air Force took delivery of the first two fully upgraded F-16V Block 72 Viper fighter jets during a ceremony at Tanagra Air Base on Sept. 12, 2022. The aircraft are the first of 83 that will be upgraded from the Block 52+ to the latest standard, with the works being done locally by the Hellenic Aerospace Industries (HAI) at Tanagra, supported by Lockheed Martin.
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09/15/2022
In honor of the Air Force's 75th anniversary on Sept. 18, here are its high-flying craft, from the sound barrier-shattering X-1 to today's cutting-edge F-35 to the upcoming B-21.
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09/15/2022
The Iranian minister of Defense has confirmed that Iran will receive the Sukhoi Su-35SE Flanker-E fighter jet, Scramble Magazine reports. The original order of 24 Su-35SE for the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) will now be diverted to the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF).
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09/15/2022
Defense News attended the multinational air combat exercise Pitch Black, which took part in Australia from Aug. 19 to Sept. 8. Our Asia correspondent, Mike Yeo, was onboard an Australian KC-30 tanker, during which he was able to take some of these photos. He took other shots from a control tower at RAAF Base Darwin or on the ground during the exercise.
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09/14/2022
On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
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09/14/2022
At the multinational air combat exercise Pitch Black in northern Australia that recently concluded on Thursday (Sep 8), the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) was able to engage the stealthy F-35B fighter jet in the skies. The head of the RSAF Next-Generation Fighter Project Office Major Zhang Jian Wei said, during a media session, that the F-35B’s ability to take off on short runways and land vertically was a key capability.
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09/14/2022
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) recently informed Congress of the decision to permit the potential sale of the F-16 Case for Sustainment and associated equipment to Pakistan for an estimated price of US$450 million. The DSCA also notified that the planned transaction would not change the regional military balance and does not involve any new capabilities, weapons, or munitions.
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09/14/2022
U.S. Air Force aerial surveillance experts are asking the Raytheon Co. to build super-high-resolution imaging radar for long-range target detection, radar mapping, and bomb damage assessment. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $184 million five-year contract Friday to the Raytheon Intelligence & Space segment in El Segundo, Calif., for the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System-2 -- better-known as ASARS-2.
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09/14/2022
For 24 years the F-15 Eagle has roared over the city of Klamath Falls, Ore., flying countless training missions and supplying air superiority pilots to the U.S. Air Force. This aircraft is special in its own right boasting an undefeated record in combat and a service life reaching back 50 years—a remarkable lifespan for a fighter aircraft.
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09/13/2022
Yuriy is flying sorties against what was initially viewed as overwhelming odds, with Russia said to have vast numerical and technological superiority. The Su-27 pilot, who has lost friends and mentors during the conflict, spoke as Ukrainian forces made some of the war’s most significant gains.
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09/13/2022
Top Aces Corp. (Top Aces), the world's only commercial owner/operator of F-16 fighter aircraft, today announced that it was selected under the US Air Force (USAF) Combat Air Force Contracted Air Support program to provide advanced adversary air training to pilots at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida and Luke AFB in Arizona.
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09/13/2022
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was the backbone of allied air power in Europe for a generation. Three squadrons on the continent fought over Serbia during the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, repeatedly deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan during the last two decades, and served as a deterrent to keep Russia from making moves in Eastern Europe.
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09/13/2022
Military avionics experts from the Boeing Co. have begun installing an advanced electronic warfare (EW) system on the U.S. Air Force fleet of F-15E jet fighter-bomber aircraft. The Air Force supervised the first installations of the F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) on operational F-15E aircraft in July at the Boeing facility in San Antonio.
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09/12/2022
The Ukrainian military stated that they shot down Russian Aerospace Forces Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft. The statement did not specify whether the crew had survived or if they had been captured after the plane was shot down. Open-source-intelligence analysts conclude the aircraft is Su-34 bort number of Red 20, RF-95004, a modern Russian strike aircraft presumably of the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment.
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09/12/2022
The 123rd Airlift Wing welcomed its eighth C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here Aug. 25, completing the unit’s transition from legacy C-130H transports. The wing had been flying H models since 1992. It said farewell to the last of those on Sept. 24, 2021, and began receiving new J models from Lockheed-Martin Corp. on Nov. 6.
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09/12/2022
On the 21st anniversary of the tragic and world-altering events of 9/11, we look to two unique perspectives, separated by thousands of miles, of those who were in the air in the aftermath of the terror attacks. Simon Radley had only been a member of the Royal Air Force’s E-3D Sentry force for four months when the events of September 11 began to unfold. A Communications Operator, Simon worked alongside a Communications Technician to process all messages coming to and going from the rotating-radar
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09/11/2022
Russian forces are withdrawing from Kharkiv Oblast and elsewhere en masse with Ukrainian forces retaking territory across the eastern frontline. Ukrainian troops have raised the flag over critical cities of Izyum, Lyman, and Kupiansk after nearly a week of gains with a mix of mechanized, special forces, and motorized troops punching through and overrunning Russian positions.
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09/11/2022
An alert mission means that aircraft assigned to this activity must respond to a threat at any time. I.e. it is a network of aircraft loaded and ready for combat upon arrival at a moment’s notice. The news is significant as it means that communication alignment has been achieved between the Spanish and German fighters. Upon receiving a moment’s notice, they will be able to act together in mixed crews.
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09/11/2022
The decision of the Joe Biden administration to give $450 million worth “sustainment” and “related equipment” for F-16 fighter jets that Pakistan has been maintaining since the 1980s is being seen as a recognition of Pakistan Army’s effort to help the Biden administration in generating crucial domestic goodwill by way of helping them eliminate Al-Qaeda chief Ayaman Al Zawahiri.
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09/10/2022
Boise-based pilots of the 190th Fighter Squadron at Gowen Field are some of the nation’s best to fly the A-10 fighter jet — and they proved as much during this year’s Hawgsmoke competition Thursday. The A-10 Thunderbolt II, known as the “Warthog” fighter jet, has played a pivotal role for the Idaho National Air Guard since the late 1990s.
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09/10/2022
A recent image suggests that the Ukrainian Air Force has also now provided its Su-27 Flanker fighter jets with U.S.-made AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, or HARMs. This would make the Su-27 the second Ukrainian combat aircraft (that we know about) to get the missiles, after the MiG-29 Fulcrum. An official video showing Ukrainian MiG-29s firing HARMs appeared last week, and you can read more about it here.
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09/10/2022
The Indian Minister of Defense, Rajnath Singh, and the country’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, met with the Minister of Defense of Japan, Hamada Yasukazu, and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hayashi Yoshimasa, in Tokyo on September 8, 2022. In a joint statement following the ‘2+2’ meeting, the ministers from both countries noted that the air services of the two countries are working closely for the early conduct of the inaugural India-Japan fighter exercise.
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09/09/2022
Today’s surprise announcement that Poland would purchase 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters headlined the 30th annual International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) here, but it was far from the only deal announced during the conference. All told, Warsaw — already in the midst of a massive military modernization push — dropped $1.4 billion in contract announcements, even without a final, likely hefty price available on the Apache deal.
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09/09/2022
The Armed Forces of Ukraine killed 640 Russian military personnel and shot down two aircraft and two helicopters on Wednesday, 7 September. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale military invasion, Ukrainian forces have killed a total of 51,250 Russian soldiers. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook
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09/09/2022
This year’s multinational air combat exercise Pitch Black hosted the largest number of tankers than previous iterations of the drill. The three-week exercise, which took place Aug. 19-Sept. 8 in northern Australia, saw the aerial refueling platforms act as vital force multipliers to keep combat aircraft in the air longer.
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09/09/2022
Although the United States’ sixth-generation fighter jet is not yet in service, it is clear that the drones it will fly with will be just as important as the jet itself. However, what remains to be seen is how the development processes for the drones will unfold.
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09/08/2022
More than six months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced on February 24. With no end to the war in sight, Ukrainian forces do appear to be slowly gaining the upper hand in the conflict. On August 29, the Ukrainian military announced the beginning of its much-anticipated counteroffensive with the aim of recapturing territory in the country’s south.
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09/08/2022
The U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) program achieved a major milestone on July 19, 2022, when Boeing began installing the Electronic Warfare (EW) system on operational F-15E aircraft at its San Antonio facility. Boeing previously installed EPAWSS hardware on eight developmental test F-15 aircraft and is currently installing the system on the new F-15EX aircraft at its production facility in St. Louis, Mo.
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09/08/2022
UN Secretary General António Guterres has called on Russia and Ukraine to agree on a combat-free zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. "The current situation is untenable and the best action to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and its people would be for this armed conflict to end now," Guterres told the UN Security Council in New York.
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09/08/2022
India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will develop an indigenous active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the air force’s Su-30 MKI aircraft, Delhi Defence Review revealed, citing sources. The state-run DRDO Electronics and Radar Development Establishment will develop a scaled-up version of the Uttam radar for the Russian-origin fighter in three to four years, the outlet wrote, adding that flight testing will begin in two years.
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09/07/2022
Singapore is considering buying another F-35 variant despite already selecting and receiving U.S. approval for the “B” version, which can take off from short runways and land vertically, according to a top official with the procurement effort. Speaking to media during a multinational air combat exercise in northern Australia, Major Zhang Jian Wei, who leads his country’s office in charge of the next-generation fighter project, left open the possibility that the nation may choose another variant.
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09/07/2022
U.S. and British personnel joined a Royal Australian Air Force crew to train on the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft as part of a multinational air combat exercise here in northern Australia.
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09/07/2022
Taiwan said its forces flew combat air patrols and readied surface-to-air missiles on Monday in response to approaching Chinese aircraft including a military drone, a sign that Beijing's frequent operations around the island are becoming increasingly complex. At least nine People's Liberation Army aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on that day, the Taiwanese defense ministry said.
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09/07/2022
Japan and South Korea have both sent combat aircraft to Australia for the first time to take part in a large multinational air combat exercise. The South Korean Air Force sent six upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighters to northern Australia for the Pitch Black exercise, while the Japan Air Self-Defense Force deployed its F-2A jets.
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09/07/2022
Over the past year, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has made it clear that “Loyal Wingman”-style combat drones, partnered with stealth fighters like the F-35 or its yet-to-be-revealed sixth-generation fighter, will be a key element of the service’s future tactical aircraft inventory.
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09/06/2022
According to the German daily Bild, the plane reported an issue with cabin pressurization immediately after takeoff. Later, officials lost radio communication with the plane, and fighter jets from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden scrambled to intercept it.
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09/06/2022
Russia is about to fail the most advanced fighter in its fleet. The MiG-35 Fulcrum-F was designed for air superiority, but six prototypes and eight production aircraft have been produced to date. The MiG-35 Fulcrum-F is no ordinary fighter. Little attention is paid to it, both apparently by the Russian government and the Russian media. However, there are no orders. First, it was Egypt, which became interested in this combat aircraft, but subsequently purchased the MiG-29M.
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09/06/2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the most sustained air-to-air combat in decades, pitting the Ukrainian Air Force's prewar fleet of roughly 110 operational Soviet-era warplanes (not one purchased after the collapse of the Soviet Union) vs. roughly 1,200 fixed-wing Russian Aerospace Force (VKS) combat aircraft, many relatively new and the rest extensively modernized.
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09/05/2022
U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge is taking part in international training in the Baltic Sea amid Russia's war in Ukraine and tensions in the region. The Kearsarge is the first ship of the Wasp class to take part in international training in the Baltic in at least two decades. Associated Press journalists visited the ship last week.
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09/05/2022
In July 2022, the Department of State and the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved the sale of F-35A Lightning II multirole combat aircraft to Germany. This came as a climax of quite a protracted and a rather tragicomic story of Germany’s Luftwaffe purchasing a new carrier of nuclear weapons to carry out “NATO nuclear sharing.”
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09/05/2022
The past four years have proved fruitful for Lockheed Martin in Europe, as six nations have hitched their wagons to the American company’s fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet. Despite calls from French leaders for its neighbors to “buy European,” the F-35 has consistently beat out homegrown candidates in the most recent fighter jet competitions, including the Dassault Rafale, Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen, and the Eurofighter Typhoon developed by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
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09/05/2022
The commander of the Iranian Air Force, Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, says Iran does not refuse to buy Su-35 fighters from Russia. The deal is on the table, but the final decision has not been made yet. Speaking to Barna news agency, he said that Iran is not thinking about buying Su-30SM fighters from Russia, as had been said many times before. Instead, the priority is to buy Su-35 fighters, which can be used for multiple roles.
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09/04/2022
After the US approved USD 1.1 billion arms package to Taiwan, four aircraft and five ships from China`s military crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of National Defence said it had tracked four aircraft and five ships from China`s military around the country by 5 pm Saturday (September 3), reported Taiwan News.
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09/04/2022
The Czech Armed Forces are hosting the multinational exercise Ample Strike II/Resilient Sky 2022 across the southern parts of the Czech Republic offering theatre-realistic Air-Land Integration (ALI) training. More than 700 participants from the Czech Armed Forces will host approximately 200 international participants from Estonia, Germany, Latvia Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States of America.
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09/04/2022
Iran has equipped 51 of its cities with civil defense systems and boosted readiness at air defenses to thwart any possible foreign attack, military officials said on Saturday, amid an escalation of tensions with Israel and the United States. The civil defense equipment will enable Iran to “identify and monitor threats by using round-the-clock software according to the type of the threat and risk,” Deputy Defense Minister Brigadier General Mehdi Farahi was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
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09/04/2022
Germany will expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific by sending more warships and joining drills with allies as it keeps an eye on the "enormous" build-up of China's armed forces, the German defence chief told Reuters. Germany is joining other Western nations in showing more muscle in the region amid growing alarm over Beijing's territorial ambitions.
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09/04/2022
Making the claim, Bandarban Superintendent of Police (SP) Tariqul Islam, said that the incident occurred around 9:20am in the district's Ghumdhum area today (3 September). "Eight to 10 rounds were fired from one of the aircraft. Whereas another aircraft shot 30-35 times.
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09/04/2022
This is stated in the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 06:00, September 3, published on Facebook. "The enemy continues to focus its efforts on establishing full control over the territory of Donetsk region, maintaining the captured districts of Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions. Over the past day, the enemy launched six missile and more than 20 airstrikes on military and civilian objects in the territory of our country.
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09/03/2022
After four years of wait the biennial exercise Pitch Blank is back with its largest edition ever. The Australian multi-national large force exercise is now underway, spanning from Aug. 19 to Sept. 8, 2022, and sees over 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from 16 countries around the world training together with Australian forces to enhance interoperability and develop strong relationships between participating military forces.
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09/03/2022
An Su-25 ground attack aircraft belonging to the Russian forces, which struck Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in Kherson Oblast has been shot down. "The Su-25 aircraft that was damaged yesterday near Sukhyi Stavok, is confirmed to have been decommissioned from the enemy forces."
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09/03/2022
Of the 19 aerial refuelers, the USAF has ordered 15 under a $2.2 billion production contract. The remaining four will be delivered to Israel, for which the cost must not exceed $927 million. The work on the KC-46A production will take place in Boeing’s Seattle facility and is expected to be completed by November 30, 2025.
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09/03/2022
Early morning, April 18, 1943. A formation of 16 P-38 Lightning aircraft cruises 50 feet above the Solomon Sea en route to a fixed point 400 miles northwest of Guadalcanal. Secrecy and detection avoidance demand complete radio silence and a roundabout route that adds 200 miles to the trip. Operation Vengeance is underway. Its target: Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, commander in chief of the Imperial Japanese Combined Fleet.
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09/02/2022
The Meteor missile was launched from Gripen E at an altitude of approximately 16500 ft above the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden. “It feels very good that we have now completed the first test firing with Meteor from Gripen E. It is a very important milestone both for the program and for Saab. It shows that the weapon capability of Gripen is at the absolute forefront,” says Mikael Olsson, Head of Flight Test & Verification, Saab.
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09/02/2022
The Air Force announced huge cuts to the F-15EX and HH-60W Jolly Green II programs this year, but neither of those efforts is headed for a “critical” cost overrun that would trigger the programs to be rebaselined or canceled, the service confirmed to Breaking Defense.
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09/02/2022
On the first day of the Vostok 2022 strategic command and staff exercises, fighter aircraft from the Eastern Military District went on combat alert at operational airfields, TASS reported, citing the ministry of defense. Russia’s top-tier Su-35S, Su-30SM, and MiG-31 fighters from the Eastern Military District participated in the mission.
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09/02/2022
The rapid pace of development across China’s military aircraft scene has been well documented, with Western observers keenly awaiting new designs and variants of existing ones, while manufacturing plants keep up a seemingly relentless pace of deliveries. What’s been less well covered, however, is the domestic production of air-launched weapons to arm these aircraft. For many years, Chinese progress in air-to-air missiles, or AAMs, in particular, was overlooked or achievements downplayed.
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09/01/2022
Argentina’s Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Juan Martin Paleo, recently visited Pakistan to inspect PAF’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, which Argentina will procure in the coming months. During his visit, General Juan toured Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra where he was briefed about the capabilities of JF-17 Thunder Block III 4+ generation multirole fighter aircraft.
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09/01/2022
China has been trying since a long time to emerge as a major defence exporter to India's neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. The F-7 BGI is a multi-role capable aircraft manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, China. It was specially designed to meet the requirements of Bangladesh Air Force for cost-effective multi-role fighter aircraft. It is said to be the most advanced version of the F-7 fighter aircraft ever.
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09/01/2022
The Ukraine Air Force only has access to the Soviet-era MiG aircraft in its defense against Russian aggression. However, a recent video shared by the military outfit shows the MiG-29s firing U.S. supplied anti-radar missiles. Six months into the ongoing conflict, Ukraine has held its ground against the mighty Russian onslaught. We have previously reported how Ukrainian drones have troubled Russian supply lines and how munitions supplied by Ukraine's Western allies have been helpful.
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09/01/2022
In the face of the pacing challenge from China and threats from Russia, Iran, North Korea and extremist groups, the Defense Department must transition from experimentation and prototyping to fielding capabilities much more quickly, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said.?
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09/01/2022
Members of the Air Combat Command Federal Laboratory, test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base, and software developers from the 309th Software Engineering Group achieved several milestones on an in-flight F-22 Raptor, Aug. 24. The achievement is the first instance of third-party software running on a fifth-generation fighter and the first in-flight use of open-source container orchestration software on any fighter aircraft.
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