March, 2023 Military Aviation News
03/31/2023
Allied and Partner fighter aircraft conducted a large-scale training exercise over the Baltic States, March 29. Finnish F/A-18s landed in Amari Air Base, Estonia and took part in large-scale training drills over the Baltic States with up to 20 fighters involved. Allied units based along NATO’s eastern flank including French Rafales, US F-15s, Dutch F-35s, Estonian L-39s and Eurofighters from the joint British and German detachment in Estonia were involved in the exercise.
(Read More...)
03/31/2023
F-35 Lightning II fighters arrived on Okinawa this month as the Air Force continues to swap out its permanently deployed F-15 Eagles at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The 18th Wing at Kadena said the 355th Fighter Squadron from Eielson Air Base, Alaska began the deployment on March 28. It is unclear how many F-35s are now operating there. Air Force officials declined to provide the exact number of F-35s at Kadena or say when more F-15s would depart, citing operational security.
(Read More...)
03/31/2023
Saab, the Swedish aerospace and defence company, is testing the oxygen and anti-gravity system of its new Gripen F aircraft in extreme conditions to identify potential deficiencies early in development. The tests are being conducted in the Life Support rig at Saab’s facility in Linkoping, Sweden, where the Gripen aircraft’s systems are pushed to their limits. The Life Support rig is installed in a high-altitude chamber that enables Saab engineers to simulate high altitude with extremely low pre
(Read More...)
03/30/2023
The 19th Airlift Wing demonstrated their newly developed concept of operations for C-130 Hot-Integrated Combat Turns, March 27, 2023, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. A C-130 Hot-Integrated Combat Turn focuses on a minimum turnaround of aircraft and recovery launch times through simultaneous fueling and loading/unloading of cargo, aircraft reconfiguration and other servicing with all engines running.
(Read More...)
03/30/2023
The US Air Force (USAF) has ordered an additional 54 air combat radar systems as part of the service’s bid to modernise its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center on 28 March disclosed a contract with Northrop Grumman for 54 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars.
(Read More...)
03/30/2023
On March 28, the US Air Force announced the arrival of advanced multi-role F-35A Lightning II fighter planes at Kadena Air Base. These cutting-edge aircraft are being deployed to replace the outdated F-15 Eagle fleet. According to the statement from the service, the deployment of F-35s will guarantee a continuous fighter presence as the F-15C/D Eagles fleet of Kadena is gradually brought back to the United States.
(Read More...)
03/29/2023
F-35A Lightning IIs from the 355th Fighter Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, arrived at Kadena Air Base, Japan, March 28, 2023, to ensure continuous fighter presence through the phased return of Kadena’s fleet of F-15C/D Eagles to the United States. While deployed to the Keystone of the Pacific, the Lightning IIs will work in conjunction with other fighter units at Kadena Air Base to ensure continued steady-state fighter capabilities in the region.
(Read More...)
03/29/2023
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Monday that his country remains open to sending fighter jets to Ukraine. “In the Netherlands, we don't see any taboos, we don't rule anything out, and we consult intensively with our partners. But at the moment, no decisions have been made to train pilots for combat aircraft with us. Nothing has been decided here yet,” Rutte said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.
(Read More...)
03/29/2023
While the Air Force released scant details about the latest test of its AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon late last week, Secretary Frank Kendall told a Congressional panel it was “not a success”—and given ARRW’s checkered test history overall, Kendall indicated the service may shift focus to its other hypersonic program, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.
(Read More...)
03/29/2023
The US Department of Defence has awarded Lockheed Martin with a $210m modified contract on 27 March to provide wide-ranging logistical support for the F-35B Lightning II fleet in the UK Royal Air Force (RAF).
(Read More...)
03/29/2023
Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be able to carry out missions without direction from crewed aircraft and may not always fly as their “wingmen,” in order to maximize employment flexibility, Air Force leaders developing and testing the new platforms said March 27.
(Read More...)
03/28/2023
Anatoliy points to the few reinforced panels inside one of Ukraine's Mi-8 helicopters where he spends five-week shifts firing rockets at Russian positions. "This is a joke, not armour," says the 39-year-old gunner, who has taken part in some 300 combat missions since last spring.
As President Volodymyr Zelensky pushes Western allies for modern weapons, pilots in eastern Ukraine admit their ancient Soviet-made helicopters are outplayed technologically by Russia.
(Read More...)
03/28/2023
An imposing U.S. aircraft carrier is set to arrive in the southeastern port city of Busan on Tuesday, officials here said, in yet another show of America's military might against growing North Korean threats. The nuclear-powered USS Nimitz carrier is slated to dock at ROK Fleet Command in the city, 325 kilometers south of Seoul, after its strike group trained with the South Korean Navy in the international waters south of the southern island of Jeju the previous day.
(Read More...)
03/28/2023
“No, I don’t think we’ll give all MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine,” he said. Jablonski noted the transfer of combat aircraft to Ukraine would take place gradually. “First of all, for these deliveries to be effective,” the official said. “At the same time, we must bolster Poland’s security.”
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/28/2023
The Air Force is rigging F-16s to fly autonomously, but that’s not the main point of automating one of the service’s most numerous fighter jets, the commander of the Air Force Test Center said Monday. Instead, the Venom project aims to refine an AI engine to fly a wide variety of today’s and tomorrow’s aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/28/2023
The U.S. Navy plans to request more than $9 billion in funding for its Next Generation Fighter aircraft, or F/A-XX, over the next five fiscal years. This, together with other details from the service's latest budget request for the 2024 Fiscal Year, may point to possible plans to acquire prototypes of its next-generation stealth combat jet design, or at least get closer to doing so, before the end of the decade. Of course, it's very possible that early developmental demonstrator test articles ha
(Read More...)
03/27/2023
Ukraine's army aircraft are continuously inflicting significant losses on Russian invaders despite the powerful countermeasures of the enemy's air defense system. According to Ukrinform, Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said this in a Telegram post. According to him, in the first days of the large-scale invasion, the Russians expected to destroy Ukrainian army aircraft. However, even one year on, Ukrainian helicopters continue to strike enemies wherever needed.
(Read More...)
03/27/2023
Following a visit by its Director General Sergey Chemezov to the Gorbunov Aviation Plant in Kazan, Russia’s state firm Rostec announced on March 24 that the upgrades to the Tu-160M strategic missile-carrying bomber would allow it to carry new weaponry, including modern armaments.
(Read More...)
03/27/2023
The F-117 Nighthawk was developed in response to the urgent national need for a jet fighter that could operate completely undetected by the enemy. In true Skunk Works fashion (Skunk Works is Lockheed Advanced Development Projects in Burbank, California) it was developed rapidly and in complete secrecy.
(Read More...)
03/26/2023
Jet fuel for Myanmar’s armed forces has been targeted in the latest sanctions imposed by the United States on the country’s military regime and crony businesses. The US Treasury Department said on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on two people and six entities connected to Myanmar’s military, who had enabled the regime’s continuing atrocities.
(Read More...)
03/26/2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans on Saturday to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, a warning to the West as it steps up military support for Ukraine. Putin said the move was triggered by Britain's decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.
(Read More...)
03/26/2023
Hours after a military base housing US troops was struck allegedly by an Iranian drone, the US Central Military Command (CENTCOM) dispatched its most trusted and combat-hardened fighter, the F-15E, to launch retaliatory strikes. Tensions have significantly ratcheted between the two adversaries after intelligence officials announced that an Iranian kamikaze drone struck the military base and killed a US contractor.
(Read More...)
03/26/2023
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Army practiced air defense with the PLA Air Force (PLAAF). The Air Force sent a J-20 stealth fighter jet as a mock enemy in a move experts said could simulate attacks by a US F-35, a stealth aircraft that poses threats to the country’s national defense.
(Read More...)
03/25/2023
Two C-17 Globemaster IIIs hailing from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, forward deployed to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to participate in Exercise Monster Jam, March 6-9, 2023. The intent for the exercise was to verify the 7th Airlift Squadron’s ability to employ and perform in a high intensity environment while supporting wartime operations against a peer adversary.
(Read More...)
03/25/2023
The U.S. Air Force wants to speed up its procurement of Boeing E-7A battlefield management and command-and-control aircraft, as part of the service’s so-called wish list for the fiscal 2024 budget. The nearly $2.5 billion unfunded priorities list, obtained by Defense News, includes more than $633 million for accelerating the delivery of the E-7, which the Air Force plans to eventually replace the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control, or AWACS, aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/25/2023
Earlier this month, the Congressional Research Service issued a report on the possibilities and implications of handing over fighter aircraft to Ukraine. In providing Congress with options to consider, the CRS illustrates evolving institutional support for the idea. Whether it comes to pass and how remains in question.
(Read More...)
03/25/2023
Ukraine's Air Force said it will now allow foreigners to serve as pilots and engineering specialists, with a spokesperson stressing the fact that Ukraine will likely need international recruits if and when it starts to receive Western combat aircraft. Yurii Ihnat, a spokesperson for the commander of Ukraine's air force, said in a statement Thursday that foreign citizens will be able to join if they have suitable military training.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
Korea's state-run arms procurement agency said, Thursday, it seeks to achieve "tentative" combat suitability of the KF-21 Boramae by May ? six months earlier than planned ? in order to kick off mass production of the domestically developed fighter jet next year. The 4.5-generation combat aircraft is expected to enter service in 2026, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration added.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
American aerospace prime, Lockheed Martin, has been keen to bring the fourth-generation legacy F-16 into use for contemporary aerial combat. The manufacturer has recently declared its ambition to enable the F-16 to operate well into the 2060s. To this end, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 upgrade campaign seeks to keep the aircraft in play as a continuously standard jet in many of the world’s increasingly dynamic fleets.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
Planned to fly in 2023, the first images of the National Combat Aircraft were shared by Ismail Demir, President of Defense Industries. Turkey continues to make its name known to the world with its domestic and national productions. Turkey continues to make its mark in defense production in 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
The United States plans to deploy ageing A-10 attack planes to the Middle East as a replacement for more advanced combat aircraft that will be shifted to the Pacific and Europe as tensions with China and Russia intensify, a news report says. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday the move, scheduled for April, is part of a broader plan that also calls for retaining modest naval and ground forces in the Middle East region, according to American officials.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
The near-sighted, myopic military strategists and experts believed the days of crewed fighter aircraft were over. The United Kingdom was then in the process of developing a multi-role combat jet code-named TSR-2. They had come up with two prototypes of the TSR-2. Yet, the then British Member of Parliament Duncan Sandys initiated a vitriolic against manned fighters and bombers and prophesied that the heat-seeking air-to-air missiles would shoot down every fighter/bomber.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/24/2023
In a move bound to raise hackles in Moscow, four Ukrainian pilots climbed into MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets in Slovakia and flew them home to join their own air force, the Slovakian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced Thursday. The Fulcrums were the first tranche from a total of 13 promised last week by Slovakia to Ukraine, which has had dire need of combat aircraft since the full-scale Russian invasion began.
(Read More...)
03/24/2023
The news that Poland and Slovakia are to deliver MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine — some of which have reportedly arrived — signals their departure from the long-standing stance of the international community, which had hitherto resisted Kyiv’s calls for more combat aircraft to help fight off Russia’s invasion. While this donation will be welcomed in Ukraine, it could raise political and practical issues the West must address to maximize the benefits.
(Read More...)
03/23/2023
According to information published by the New Indian Express on March 22, 2023, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to clear the multi-billion dollar acquisition of 26 Rafale Marine fighters.
(Read More...)
03/23/2023
For the first time, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has revealed the technical futures of Türkiye’s first flying-wing, deep-strike stealth unmanned fighter jet, Anka-3. The state-of-the-art platform is expected to make its maiden flight this year. The features of the unmanned fighter jet and a photo of the aircraft were revealed as part of the two-day Military Radar and Border Security (MRBS) Summit held in Ankara.
(Read More...)
03/22/2023
The United States Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $32,446,000 contract for the production of nine Lot 17 F-35C aircraft. The contract will cover the long-lead materials, parts, components, and associated support for the aircraft production, which the US Navy will use.
(Read More...)
03/22/2023
China is reportedly offering to export the JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a sign of the rising sale of Chinese weapons in sub-Saharan Africa. A high-ranking group from the Chinese aerospace firm CATIC (China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation) and members of the People’s Liberation Army recently flew to Kinshasa.
(Read More...)
03/22/2023
The Baltic Fleet’s press office said on March 20 that more than ten crew of sophisticated Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 fighter planes began tactical flight rehearsals with bombing and missile strikes in Russia’s westernmost exclave of the Kaliningrad Region, TASS News Agency reported.
(Read More...)
03/22/2023
Since Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, some defense analysts, U.S. defense officials, and Members of Congress have debated whether or not to enable the transfer of U.S. or NATO military aircraft, including fighter jets and unmanned aircraft, to Ukraine. In general, the debate has centered around two broad questions: (1) Is providing advanced military fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force necessary to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.
(Read More...)
03/21/2023
An American assessment of Ukrainian fighter pilots has revealed they would be ready to fly F-16 jets after fewer than six months of training, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Gen. Serhii Holubtsov told The Times. He says two Ukrainian fighter jet pilots returned to Ukraine last week after an assessment by the US military:
(Read More...)
03/21/2023
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has extended its KC-130J services contract to support the tanker aircraft fleet of the Kuwait Air Force. The contract was awarded to the Oklahoma-based Aviation Training Consulting LLC for $28m on 16 March. Work will be performed in Altus, Oklahoma (13%); and Kuwait (87%), and is expected to be completed in March 2025.
(Read More...)
03/21/2023
Speaking at an Aerospace Nation event hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Wilsbach said March 20 that air superiority is a joint endeavor of the U.S. and its allies in the region, and includes everything from combat jets to tankers, airlifters, and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and command and control assets like the E-7 Wedgetail.
(Read More...)
03/21/2023
Turkey’s Victory Day (March 18), which commemorates the battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli), coincided this year with the 100th anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey by Kemal Atatürk. Given the date's significance, Turkish Aerospace (TAI) chose it to unveil its Milli Muharip Uçak (MMU, National Combat Aircraft) fifth-generation fighter, formerly known as the TF-X. The aircraft taxied under its own power on March 16 before a low-key rollout ceremony two days later.
(Read More...)
03/20/2023
Japan's Defense Ministry says the Air Self-Defense Force and the US Air Force conducted a joint drill on Sunday. The ministry says a total of ten aircraft - F-15 fighter jets from Japan and US B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters - took part in the exercise over the Sea of Japan. It says Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the US Navy also carried out a joint exercise with ships equipped with the Aegis missile-tracking system on Saturday and Sunday.
(Read More...)
03/20/2023
North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, ramping up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
(Read More...)
03/20/2023
According to the MND, 15 of the 26 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were observed in Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). Four Chengdu J-10 fighters, four Shenyang J-16 fighters, one CH-4 reconnaissance drone, and one Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line. Another reconnaissance drone from Harbin flew along the southern edge of Taiwan's ADIZ.
(Read More...)
03/19/2023
Royal Air Force and German Air Force Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled for a second time in recent days, after four Russian military aircraft were spotted near Nato airspace. The German and British Typhoon jets are currently operating from Ämari Air Base in Estonia and conducting Nato Air Policing missions in the region. After four Russian military aircraft were identified, Nato fighter jets were then scrambled to intercept.
(Read More...)
03/19/2023
As noted by the company, this $1.9 billion award brings the total current funded value of the contract to $2.1 billion, and has the potential to increase to more than $3.8 billion with future obligations.
(Read More...)
03/19/2023
Germany's Defence Ministry wants to buy 82 Airbus (AIR.PA) H-145M civilian helicopters and convert some of them into combat helicopters to replace its Tiger combat fleet, Business Insider reported, citing military internal documents. Germany last year shifted its defence policy after Russia invaded Ukraine, committing 100 billion euros ($107 billion) to modernize the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.
(Read More...)
03/18/2023
The U.S. Air Force has decided to move forward on Raytheon Technologies‘ Pratt & Whitney Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) for the F-35 fighter and end the service’s Advanced Engine Transition Program (AETP), which received the Air Force-requested amount of $286 million last year. The Air Force’s fiscal 2024 budget requests $245 million for ECU and increases research and development funding for an advanced engine for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) manned fighter.
(Read More...)
03/18/2023
Forces News has been checking out the Indian air force's upgraded Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The French-made multi-role Mirage aircraft was first flown in 1978 and has been exported to various countries, including Brazil, the United Arabic Emirates, Egypt, Greece, Peru, Qatar, and India. More than 500 of these powerful aircraft, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, are operational across the world today.
(Read More...)
03/18/2023
Elbit Systems has signed four contracts with the Romanian military to upgrade helicopters, provide electronic warfare technology, deliver systems to support search and rescue operations, and supply avionics suites for training aircraft. Tuesday’s announcement comes after the Israeli firm inked two other deals with European costumers in early March, one of which was to supply Romania with unmanned turrets, remote weapon stations and mortar systems.
(Read More...)
03/18/2023
Russia has threatened to destroy any fighter jets given to Ukraine by its allies, after two countries promised planes. Slovakia became the second Nato country to pledge Kyiv some MiG-29 aircraft on Friday, a day after Poland. Slovakia's fleet was grounded last year and it no longer uses the jets.
(Read More...)
03/17/2023
The U.S. Air Force may be ditching its aging U-2 spy plane in favor of a mysterious drone. The U-2 is heading for retirement by 2026 due to budget concerns, according to a new report. While no replacement for the iconic U-2 Dragon Lady has officially been named, one likely candidate is the classified Northrop Grumman RQ-180 stealth drone, about which little is known.
(Read More...)
03/17/2023
The U.S. Air Force is looking to cut the already relatively small size of its F-15E Strike Eagle fleet by around 54 percent before the end of the decade, according to a recent report. This comes despite the service's F-15Es being some of, if not its most in-demand tactical jets thanks to their highly-desirable blend of speed, range, payload capacity, crew size, and other capabilities.
(Read More...)
03/17/2023
U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptors from the 525th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, with support from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, traveled to Clark Air Base, Philippines, to integrate and train with Philippine Air Force 5th Fighter Wing counterparts, March 13-14, 2023.
(Read More...)
03/17/2023
Poland will become the first country to deliver fighter jets to Ukraine in the next few days, marking a significant upward step in military backing for Kyiv ahead of an expected counter-offensive. The precedent, involving four Soviet-era MiG-29s as a first instalment, could lead to other Nato members providing warplanes, a longstanding Ukrainian request.
(Read More...)
03/16/2023
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 28 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (March 14) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (March 15). Of the 28 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 16 were tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. Four Shenyang J-11 jet fighters, two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, and two Chengdu J-10 fighter jets crossed the Taiwan Strait median line.
(Read More...)
03/16/2023
Ukrainian forces reportedly shoot down a Russian combat aircraft near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. According to the military, Ukrainian Soldiers have shot down a Russian Su-24 Fencer two-seat strike jet. The footage shows a Russian aircraft crashing down to the ground in flames and one of the pilots was seen just after ejecting.
(Read More...)
03/16/2023
Top Gun: Maverick was the second highest-grossing film of 2022, scoring a magnificent total of six Academy Award nominations this year. To mark the occasion of Maverick’s Oscar nomination success, Lockheed Martin, whose Skunk Works division worked with the filmmakers on the fictional “Darkstar” hypersonic aircraft, put out a series of tweets in the lead-up to the ceremony
(Read More...)
03/16/2023
With Congress starting to go along with the Air Force’s wish to retire its aging A-10 fleet, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s “4+1” fighter plan of two years ago is “probably just ‘4’ now,” he said March 15. “We’re retiring A-10s faster than we originally thought”, Brown said at the annual McAleese defense forum in Washington, D.C. “I think that’s probably the right answer.”
(Read More...)
03/15/2023
The two Typhoons were scrambled on Tuesday to intercept an Il-78 Midas refuelling plane flying between St Petersburg and Kaliningrad. The plane had failed to communicate with air traffic control in Estonia. The British and German air forces are currently conducting planned joint Nato air policing in the region.
(Read More...)
03/15/2023
With age comes reliance – at least that is what the old American prime, Lockheed Martin, is telling us with its new F-16 Block 70 combat aircraft. New production of the F-16s leverage structural and capability upgrades that “ensure the international F-16 fleet can operate to 2060 and beyond” according to the original equipment manufacturer.
(Read More...)
03/15/2023
Pakistan Air Force has sent a technical team for repair and maintenance of Myanmar's JF-17 combat aircraft, a move that will help upgrade their defence partnership. This comes as Myanmar Air Force officials are visiting Pakistan for a six-month training course on maintenance of JF-17, ET has learnt.
(Read More...)
03/15/2023
John Kirby, US National Security Council spokesman, has said that the White House supports Poland's decision to provide Ukraine with MiG fighter jets that Kyiv has been asking from its Western partners. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland would be able to give Ukraine the aircraft within four to six weeks.
(Read More...)
03/15/2023
In what could be seen as a stark departure from its traditional practice, the US Navy’s proposed budget for the 2024 Fiscal Year includes almost $1.53 billion for developing a Next-Generation Fighter aircraft, popularly known as the F/A-XX. The US Department of Navy officially published its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2024 on March 13, including budget requests for the US Marine Corps.
(Read More...)
03/14/2023
A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US drone, causing the unmanned aircraft to crash into the Black Sea, the American military says. It says the drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it. The US European command said the crash was the result of an "unprofessional act by the Russians".
(Read More...)
03/14/2023
Since Russia attacked Ukraine last year, US airmen have been on the phone with their Ukrainian counterparts, discussing ways to operate against Russian forces and how to use US-made weapons, US Air Force officials said this month. While Russia has some aerial advantages, both sides have effective air-defense systems that have kept the other from gaining air superiority, but Ukraine's air force continues to receive US-made weapons that allow it to strike valuable targets.
(Read More...)
03/14/2023
Hidden from the eyes of the general public, an impending decision could rewrite history. Perhaps for the first time, a Chinese fighter will be chosen over an American one. Such a decision, however, will not be because of the indicators of the two destroyers, but because of political, including budgetary differences.
(Read More...)
03/14/2023
The Air Force wants to retire 310 aircraft, including 42 A-10 Warthogs, as part of its fiscal 2024 budget to free up money for its modernization programs. The proposed FY24 budget calls for buying 72 fighters — 48 Lockheed Martin-made F-35As and 24 Boeing F-15EX Eagle IIs — and spending more on the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber, the Boeing E-7A battle management and command-and-control aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/13/2023
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has unveiled the first FA-50 light fighter/attack aircraft for Poland. The East European nation signed for 48 FA-50s in July 2022, making the first down-payment in November. Under a $705 million contract KAI is delivering a batch of 12 aircraft that it had been manufacturing for the Republic of Korea Air Force in order to kick-start the Polish air force’s replacement program for its aging and difficult-to-support MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-22Ms.
(Read More...)
03/13/2023
Chinese aircraft are a mixed story. Historically, the country has operated and sold a variety of legacy aircraft that can be charitably termed “inadequate”. But in recent years, this has been changing, with considerable resources provided to create a series of fourth and fifth generation aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/13/2023
Bahrain on Sunday received the first aircraft of the advanced F-16 Block 70, becoming the first nation in the world to get the combat jet. According to the state news agency BNA, the Royal Bahraini Air Force has been handed over the first F-16 Block 70 fighter jet. A handover ceremony was held at the Lockheed Martin headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina.
(Read More...)
03/13/2023
Türkiye on Sunday reiterated its frustration over the prolonged process of its request to acquire F-16 fighter jets from the United States, again signaling it could look elsewhere in case Washington fails to provide it with the warplanes. “We want everyone to know that we are not desperate in this matter; we have options in our hands,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, stressing they were waiting for approval by the U.S. Congress and that “there is a constructive environment in general.”
(Read More...)
03/12/2023
After Russia invaded Ukraine, guerrillas from Belarus began carrying out acts of sabotage on their country's railways, including blowing up track equipment to paralyze the rails that Russian forces used to get troops and weapons into Ukraine. In the most recent sabotage to make international headlines, they attacked a Russian warplane parked just outside the Belarusian capital.
(Read More...)
03/12/2023
The military-political expert and advisor to the acting DPR leader, Yan Gagin, told TASS news agency on March 10 that the Ukrainian military dropped a JDAM bomb on the area of Kurdyumovka near the Bakhmut region of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to test the viability of employing it from Soviet-made aircraft. Gagin told the media, “These are air- launched bombs. Originally, they were made for NATO aircraft. Ukraine has no such aircraft. This could have been a combat test with a non-standar
(Read More...)
03/12/2023
Media in Finland have reported that Prime Minister Sanna Marin is prepared to discuss providing U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine. Marin, who visited Kyiv on March 10, said Helsinki plans to purchase 64 modern F-35A fighters to replace 62 Hornet fighters. The Hornets could be provided to Ukraine, Marin has said, although she noted that discussions are at a preliminary stage.
(Read More...)
03/11/2023
Hawaii - Total-Force weapons specialists from 154th and 15th wings rearmed F-22 Raptors at the Pacific Missile Range Facility for the first time March 8-9, demonstrating their ACE capabilities. The maneuver operation was part of a larger Joint Base Readiness Exercise carried out by Hawaii Air National Guard and Active-Duty Airmen stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
(Read More...)
03/11/2023
Russia has been capturing some of the US and NATO-provided weapons and equipment left on the battlefield in Ukraine and sending them to Iran, where the US believes Tehran will try to reverse-engineer the systems, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
(Read More...)
03/11/2023
Yuriy, who earnt the nickname ‘Skywalker’ in the UK, told Metro.co.uk that it is an ‘honour’ to fly despite knowing that ‘every day could be your last’ due to Russia’s numerical and technological superiority in the skies. He described the sensation of flying combat missions as like multiplying everyday stress by ‘100 or 1,000’ but sees it as his duty to fight for the freedom of his family and other Ukrainians.
(Read More...)
03/11/2023
In the United States, discussions are reportedly underway for a possible delivery of AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles to equip Ukrainian combat aircraft. The use of this missile would be advantageous in several ways for Ukrainian pilots, but it would first be necessary to resolve numerous technical problems concerning the use of this American missile on Soviet-designed aircraft.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/11/2023
Last month, the Air Force’s evolving Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine received arguably its most rigorous test yet in the annual Cope North exercise, as Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fighter and bomber aircraft, backed by aerial refuelers and airborne early warning and control aircraft and supported by Japanese fighters and French and Australian transports, fanned out across 1,200 miles of ocean and far-flung Pacific islands.
(Read More...)
03/11/2023
Days after a Russian A-50 Beriev (Mainstay) early warning aircraft came under attack by an unmanned aerial system (UAS), a new set of claims regarding the contentious attack—which may have dealt a blow to Russia—have been made in a latest UK intelligence update.
(Read More...)
03/09/2023
Japan is mulling the use of drones for aerial interception missions as the cost of scrambling manned fighter aircraft becomes increasingly unsustainable amid intensified Chinese air incursions.
(Read More...)
03/09/2023
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase on Wednesday assured that Indonesia’s military air fleet will continue to be expanded. The latest plan, he elaborated, is to acquire a number of used military planes that are still considered to be in good condition. “We plan to acquire a number of aircraft from overseas that are not too old,” said Prabowo after the official handover of the Super Hercules C-130 Type J at the airbase on March 8.
(Read More...)
03/09/2023
In a first for the country, five US Air Force F-35 fighter jets will operate out of the Skrydstrup airbase in Denmark. The aircraft arrived at the base in Southern Jutland on Monday, where they will be hosted until March 16 in preparation for the arrival of Denmark’s first F-35s from the US in the autumn. The new planes will replace the Royal Danish Air Force’s current fleet of F-16s.
(Read More...)
03/08/2023
The two pilots were on board U-208 training aircraft and were participating in a training mission according to a statement from Italy’s air force, the Aeronautica Militare. The cause of the collision was not immediately known. Four aircraft were flying in formation when two of the planes collided, witnesses told local media.
(Read More...)
03/08/2023
The Air Force will field 200 Next-Generation Air Dominance aircraft and notionally 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and will request funds in the fiscal 2024 budget to develop these new systems, Secretary Frank Kendall said in his keynote address at the AFA Warfare Symposium on March 7.
(Read More...)
03/08/2023
When Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the Kremlin had an air force that could draw on hundreds of MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets in reserve. Ukraine’s fighter fleet was, by some estimations, far more meager, with 69 jets at most. Experts say that put it at about one-tenth the size of Russia’s.
(Read More...)
03/07/2023
More than 5,000 miles from NATO’s eastern flank, a new generation of allied fighter pilots is coming of age in North Texas. After decades of peace at home, American and European airmen here face a new reality: They are the frontline flyers who will keep Russia’s war in Ukraine from spilling across NATO’s borders, and the instructors who will teach the new pilots how to do it.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/07/2023
General Atomics’ pitch for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s LongShot program — a three-phased effort to build a turducken-like unmanned aircraft system (UAS) dropped from a bomber or fighter that can launch missiles of its own — is still on the menu for DARPA, following its selection by the agency to move into the program’s second phase, the company told Breaking Defense.
(Read More...)
03/07/2023
British and German air forces will patrol the skies over Estonia together for the first time as Britain prepares to take the lead of NATO's mission in the former Soviet Republic, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. In a show of "unity," Royal Air Force and German Air Force Typhoon jets will fly integrated missions with the eventual aim of carrying out full joint and integrated NATO Air Policing missions in the future, the Defense Ministry said in a news release.
(Read More...)
03/07/2023
In less than a decade, Turkey has become a drone powerhouse. Unmanned aerial vehicles were its defense industry's single largest export last year, totaling $871.5 million — an 80% increase over 2021.
Much of that market is served by the firm Baykar, which produces the TB2 model widely known for its use in recent conflicts, including in Ukraine. Baykar has built more than 400 TB2s for 24 countries. But the TB2 is just one of Baykar's models. On January 23, the company announced that the Kizile
(Read More...)
03/06/2023
Russia has been met with a roadblock - foreign suppliers of crucial aircraft are hesitant to provide for Russia amidst sanctions. Russia is unable to further produce vital A-50 radar aircraft due to a defense industry crippled by foreign sanctions, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate said on Friday. Russia has 6 or 7 operational A-50s according to a UK Defense Ministry Tuesday intelligence update.
(Read More...)
03/06/2023
The Air Force has revealed Australian pilots and aircrew are offered counselling after they encounter Chinese military jets during patrols over the South China Sea. Tensions are rising in the strategically important waterway, and the RAAF says it is noticing a trend of more dangerous behaviour by aircraft from the People's Liberation Army.
(Read More...)
03/06/2023
A total of 37 reserve pilots out of the 40 members of an elite Israel Air Force (IAF) unit announced that they will absent themselves from a scheduled training this week in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul. Air Force Squadron 69 is one of the top units in the IAF. It operates the advanced F-15 Thunderbird aircraft that serve as the Israeli military’s long-range attack arm.
(Read More...)
03/06/2023
The arrival of the pair marks the first time Ukrainian pilots have travelled to the US. But officials said their presence does not mean the US has decided to send fighter jets as part of its military aid. Two Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing a training assessment in the US to fly American fighter jets, including F-16s. The F-16 planes are believed to be the aircraft Ukraine wants the most to fight back against Russia's invasion in the skies.
(Read More...)
03/06/2023
Amid fierce combat raging in the Bakhmut region, Russian fighter jets reportedly shot down two Mi-8 combat helicopters of the Ukrainian Air Force. The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenko, announced on March 4 that two Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters were shot down by fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) on March 3.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
Air Mobility Command has directed its refueling and cargo planes to obscure the majority of identifying information painted on the aircraft, citing national security concerns -- an unusual move that is alarming to government watchdogs. James Stewart, a spokesman for Air Mobility Command, told Military.com in an emailed statement that airmen's missions take them around the globe and often involve sensitive movements of cargo - the main reason behind the change.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
International participants have commenced preparations for Britain’s largest air exercise exercise, Cobra Warrior. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has dispatched the first aircraft to RAF Coningsby and RAF Waddington, where they will be stationed throughout the exercise. The Indian, Finnish, and Belgian Air forces will soon follow suit, joining the UK-based aircraft from the United States Air Force and a variety of RAF aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
During Exercise Winter Camp, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) from allied nations deployed in NATO’s enhanced forward presence battle groups in the Baltics have been practising Air-Land Integration. The exercise included Allied fighters stationed in the Baltics under the NATO Air Policing mission such as French Rafales, German Eurofighters, and Polish F-16s.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
Less than a year after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) took a giant leap and inducted China’s cutting-edge J-10C fighter jets into service, it reportedly commissioned a highly upgraded and advanced version of the JF-17, called the JF-17 Block III. Earlier this week, some reports on social media indicated that Pakistan’s most famous air squadron – 16 Squadron nicknamed ‘Black Panthers’ had received the first batch of JF-17 Block III aircraft.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told the Spiegel on March 4 that he was sure that combat aircraft would be delivered to Ukraine by Western countries, calling it “a matter of time” before the decision is made. “If the Ukrainians need fighter jets, they should get them,” he said, adding that Ukrainians have repeatedly proven that they quickly learn to operate new equipment.
(Read More...)
03/05/2023
A Russian Su-34 Fullback fighter jet was shot down on March 3 in the Donbas region in east Ukraine. While both sides agree that the Fullback was shot down, there is a dispute on how exactly the aircraft went down. The images and videos of the Russian strike aircraft crashing to the ground have been doing the rounds on social media. An air defense missile shot down the fighter.
(Read More...)
03/04/2023
Unmanned surveillance aircraft flown by the Australian Defence Force are already being used as part of the "kill chain", according to the RAAF chief, who has stopped short of saying when he believes this country will get its first armed drones. Australia last year cancelled plans to acquire its first lethal drone technology known as SkyGuardian, more than 20 years after the United States military first deployed the killer Predator drone in Afghanistan.
(Read More...)
03/04/2023
Boeing and the AH-64 team are observing a unique milestone as the US Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have officially reached five million flight hours. The accomplishment is equivalent to flying nonstop for more than 208,333 days or 570 years and nine months. Additionally, 1.3 million of those five million flight hours were accomplished during combat.
(Read More...)
03/04/2023
Sweden will reassess options to replace a fleet of six Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules tactical airlifters after an attempt to acquire used C-130J Super Hercules aircraft unexpectedly failed to meet requirements. The acquisition “needs to be reviewed after completed analysis of quotation from industry,” stated a translated version of the Swedish Armed Forces Budget 2024.
(Read More...)
03/04/2023
South Korea and the United States will press ahead with large-scale military drills later this month despite North Korea threatening to take “unprecedentedly” strong action against such exercises. The South Korean and US militaries will conduct military exercises from March 13 to 23 to strengthen their combined defensive capabilities, the two militaries said in a statement on Friday.
(Read More...)
03/03/2023
Slovakia is considering transferring 10 of its 11 Soviet-made MiG-29 aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were withdrawn from service last year. Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad announced this in an interview with AP, Ukrainian News Agency reports. A decision can be made within the coming days or weeks. "We will never use the MiGs anymore. They have no real value for us. If we give them to Ukraine, they can help save their lives,” he said.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/03/2023
For the first time, an unspecified number of F-22 fighters from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Japan have been stationed in the Northern Mariana Islands, a strategically important location close to China. The Raptors are positioned there to participate in Exercise Agile Reaper 23-1 (AR 23-1). The information regarding the deployment was published on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website on March 1.
(Read More...)
03/03/2023
The jet which the U.S. Air Force will soon use to coordinate air battles has already earned its stripes helping the Royal Australian Air Force fight the Islamic State. The E-7A Wedgetail, which is based on the Boeing Next Generation 737-700 commercial jet, is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, meaning it has a large multi-role electronically scanned array radar mounted to the fuselage which helps the crew see hundreds of miles in all directions.
(Read More...)
03/03/2023
A video has emerged showing a drone that is claimed to have been launched by a Belarusian partisan group, landing on the radar dome of a Russian A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft at Machulishchy Air Base, Belarus. The video was released by BYPOL, the organization of Belarusian military dissidents opposed to the Lukashenko government that claims it struck the A-50, damaging it in two critical places its radome and its upper forward fuselage area on February 26.
(Read More...)
03/03/2023
Since Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) inducted its first F-5N Tiger II, the depot has forged forward despite the challenges associated with standing up a new product line. The F-5s were initially purchased in the 1970s by the Air Force and then sold through foreign military sales to Switzerland. In 2002, the Department of Defense decided to repatriate many of these aircraft back to the Navy. The F-5 is a twin-engine tactical fighter aircraft that provides air-to-air combat training.
(Read More...)
03/03/2023
The Biden administration formally notified the US Congress of the proposed sales of F-16 missiles and associated equipment on March 1, 2023. The announcement comes days after Pentagon’s top China official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Michael Chase, visited Taiwan, drawing sharp criticism from China.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
03/03/2023
Taiwan has reported a large-scale Chinese air force incursion into its air defence zone for a second day running, just as the United States approved the potential sale of $619m in weapons to the island – including hi-tech missiles for Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets. Taiwan’s defence ministry said a total of 21 Chinese combat planes – 17 Chengdu J-10 multirole fighters and four advanced Shenyang J-16 strike fighters – had flown into the southwestern corner of the island’s ADIZ on Thursday.
(Read More...)
03/01/2023
The monitoring group stated that a Russian Air Force Il-76 (RF-86843) and an An-26 military transport aircraft arrived at the Machulishchy airfield late on Feb. 26. Early on Feb. 27, the Il-76 flew to Russia’s Ivanovo Severny airfield. The planes arrived on the day a Russian Air Force A-50U AEW aircraft was reported to have been attacked and damaged.
(Read More...)
03/01/2023
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AGM-88E extended-range anti-radiation missiles to Australia.
Valued at approximately $506m, the proposed deal has already been approved by the US State Department.
(Read More...)
03/01/2023
As the backbone of the US Navy’s carrier air wing, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet remains a top priority for Naval Aviation. The Navy expects the final delivery of new Super Hornets to occur in 2025, ensuring the strike fighter’s capabilities remain at the nation’s service for decades to come.
(Read More...)
All Articles