Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

The Menace of a Deepening China-Russia Axis

11/29/2022

As Vladimir Putin’s military’s fortunes wax and wane, China has emerged as Russia’s key supporter. The existence of a Sino-Russian axis was evident as early as the Putin-Xi summit in the lead-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics, after which the leaders issued a joint declaration underscoring their countries’ opposition to further NATO enlargement.

The U.S. Is Considering The Transfer Of GLSDB Munitions To Ukraine

11/29/2022

The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with GLSDBs an exclusive Reuters report unveiled on Nov. 28, 2022. The GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023 and would allow Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines, using Ukrainian MLRS and HIMARS launchers.

Wreckage of Russian Su-34 bomber found in Ukraine

11/29/2022

Pictures of the burned-out Russian combat aircraft began circulating on social media earlier today. According to OSINT experts, it was the wreckage of a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber, with the serial number RF-95005 and bort number Red 22, that was shot down earlier in the conflict near the city of Kupiansk.

Air Force milestone celebrated at air show

11/29/2022

The RAAF’s research and development unit (ARDU) celebrated an important milestone in allied cooperation while taking part in the Aerospace Valley Air Show at Edwards Air Base, California. The ARDU testing team were recently at the US base to complete the B-2A, B-52H and A-10C aircraft testing programs. They were joined by a KC-30A multi-role tanker transport aircraft and crew from RAAF Base Amberley – now capable of refuelling most United States Air Force (USAF) combat aircraft.

Increased firepower provides unique capability for combat rescue

11/29/2022

The 943rd Rescue Group designed a concept to mount four additional M240 machine guns onto the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter to provide more firepower to the 920th Rescue Wing’s personnel recovery task force in contested environments. The wing searched for an innovative way to bring more firepower to the fight and with the HH-60G scheduled to be retired, it had to be cost effective and easily transferred to the new HH-60W Jolly Green II because of the similar design structures.

Footage shows domestic engine on China’s J-15 fighter jet

11/29/2022

China appears to be fitting indigenous engines on its Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark, a carrier-borne fighter jet. Footage shown Nov. 17 on state-owned broadcaster CCTV showed a People’s Liberation Army Navy J-15 with the afterburner nozzles of the WS-10 Taihang turbofans undergoing calibration in preparation for a test flight at the facilities of manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corp.

Move Ukraine Beyond Stalemate By Supplying Combat Aircraft

11/29/2022

News from Ukraine provides signs for hope with Ukrainian forces reoccupying Kherson, and Russians surrendering to drones. However, this conflict is still far from over and much remains on the line, both for the people of Ukraine and for security implications around the globe. The longer the conflict extends, the greater the costs on the Ukrainian people and the coalition supporting them.

Former Estonian Military Chief: 'Ukraine Has Already Won' In War With Russia

11/28/2022

Riho Terras is an Estonian politician and former high-ranking military officer who has served as a member of the European Parliament since February 1, 2020. He was the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces from 2011 to 2018. In a wide-ranging interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Terras, 55, discussed an incident earlier this month when a missile hit Poland, calls for more military support for Ukraine, and the likelihood of Russian President Vladimir Putin attacking NATO and widening the

Egyptian fighter jet crashes, crew survives

11/28/2022

Spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces Gharib Abdel Hafez announced that a fighter jet crashed during training on Sunday because of a technical error, and that the pilot and co-pilot survived. Similar incidents occurred in June, December 2019, and November 2018 where the pilots managed to eject. The cause of the crashes was also technical problems that were not detailed, and they all happened during training.

Argentina Puts India’s LCA Tejas On Backburner; Starts Evaluating US-Origin F-16 Fighting Falcons In Denmark

11/28/2022

A top delegation of the Argentine Air Force is reportedly in Denmark to evaluate second-hand F-16 fighter jets. The South American nation appears to have postponed the technical evaluation of India’s Tejas Light combat aircraft. Along with the Danish alternative, Argentina is also considering the Chinese-built JF-17 Thunder and India’s Hindustan Aeronautic Limited Tejas aircraft. The service has been attempting to examine the different aspects of fighter jets before making the final decision.

Taiwan tracks 11 military aircraft, 4 naval ships from China

11/27/2022

As voters in Taiwan prepared to go to the polls Saturday (Nov. 26) to select new city and county leaders, the Ministry of National Defense said it had spotted 11 aircraft and four ships from China’s military in areas surrounding the country by 6 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 26). Of the 11 aircraft tracked during the 24-hour period leading up to 6 a.m. on Saturday, one unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) and four bombers entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ

Taiwan’s ‘US-Origin’ Military Aircraft, Used To Keep An Eye On China, Reports Mishap; Incident Comes After F-16V Crash

11/27/2022

The Air Force said that the United States-manufactured plane assigned to the Pingtung airbase was returning from a training flight when the incident occurred around 11:08 a.m. The incident didn’t result in any casualties. The pilot was apparently forced to perform a belly landing at the military airfield because the landing gear did not deploy. The military said a special task force had been established to investigate the malfunction’s root cause.

F-35 Jets: Thailand Places ‘Lowest Ever’ Order For Lockheed Stealth Fighters; Awaits Approval From US Congress

11/27/2022

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Commander-in-Chief ACM Alongkorn Vannarot said that the service has decided to acquire two F-35A fighter jets from the United States despite resistance from the opposition parties, Thai PBS World reported.

Taiwan tracks 6 Chinese military aircraft, 4 naval ships around country

11/26/2022

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked six Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 24) and 6 a.m. Friday (Nov. 25). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missile systems to monitor the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and vessels, according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time.

Afghanistan repairs 70 military planes, helicopters damaged by US

11/26/2022

The Taliban interim administration repaired 70 damaged military planes and helicopters that were damaged by US soldiers before they left Afghanistan after 20 years in August last year. The Afghan Air Force has repaired 70 damaged military planes and helicopters given to the previous government of President Ashraf Ghani by the US and its allied forces, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Khawarizmi told Anadolu Agency in Kabul.

BriteCloud decoy for combat aircraft moves closer to US service

11/26/2022

The US Air National Guard (ANG) has issued a ‘fielding recommendation’ for Leonardo’s BriteCloud 218 expendable active decoy, after testing on F-16 aircraft. According to the company, this means the service, which has conducted testing and live trials with BriteCloud since 2019, is confident that the decoy meets operational requirements, delivering an increased protection capability to fourth-generation fighter aircraft.

Pilots hired to help China understand how western planes operate

11/25/2022

China has recruited more than 30 former British military pilots including those who have flown sophisticated fighter jets. UK's Defence Ministry said that they are being recruited to train pilots of the Chinese Army. Chinese plans to counter the West and in the worst-case scenario, of a conflict, say over Taiwan, will then have prior knowledge of Western tactics as far as the air war is concerned, reported The HK Post.

Technical Problems Ground Myanmar’s JF-17 Fighter Jets Bought From China

11/25/2022

Most of the newly acquired Chinese and Pakistan-made JF-17 fighter jets that the Myanmar regime has taken delivery of have been grounded due to technical malfunctions, according to analysts and former Myanmar Air Force pilots who monitor the junta’s air capabilities. The JF-17 fighters—lightweight multi-role combat aircraft jointly manufactured by China and Pakistan—that the Myanmar Air Force has added to its fleet have structural cracks and other technical issues, they told The Irrawaddy.

NATO ALLIES TEST AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCES IN ROMANIA

11/24/2022

Deployed in Romania since May 2022, the MAMBA has been augmenting NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system. Allied fighters including F-16s from Türkiye, Spanish Eurofighters - currently deployed in Bulgaria on a NATO mission -, US E/A 18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft and French Navy Rafale fighters flying from the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle participated in the routine test of the system.

Torpedoes With Wings! US Navy’s ‘Submarine Hunter’ Aircraft Gets Capability To ‘Sink A Sub’ With HAAWC!

11/24/2022

The P-8A maritime patrol aircraft of the US Navy can now carry the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability or HAAWC. The manufacturer of the aircraft Boeing announced in a press release on November 21 that the US Navy has officially announced Initial operational capability, or IOC, with HAAWC.

First F-16 rolls off new production line

11/24/2022

The first F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft has rolled off the new production line in Greenville, South Carolina, Lockheed Martin announced on 21 November. In a message posted from its official Twitter account titled, ‘Guess who's back‘, Lockheed Martin heralded, “a new era of Falcon is about to take flight”, with a video showing the first Block 70 aircraft for Bahrain being rolled out of the facility.

RAF participates in multi-national air warfare training exercise in UAE

11/23/2022

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has deployed its personnel and aircraft to participate in a multinational air warfare exercise in the UAE. Also referred to as the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course (ATLC), the training drills are being held at the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi.

US Pease ANG’S KC-46A completes 36-hour endurance mission

11/23/2022

US Pease Air National Guard’s (ANG) 157th Air Refueling Wing has successfully completed a 36-hour long non-stop endurance mission on KC-46A Pegasus aircraft. This marks the US Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) longest endurance mission so far, which showcased the total force integration concept. It saw the participation of both active duty and ANG airmen from Pease.

China Turns Its Fighters Into UAVs; Could Swarm Taiwan From Five ‘Hardened’ Forward Airfields – Reports

11/23/2022

Legacy aircraft converted into drones (J-6, J-7, J-8) have been concluded to be pressed in as a part of the initial wave of attacks to soften Taiwanese air defenses. These highly developed and defended airfields with hardened airfields can then be taken over by People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Su-30MKK, J-16, or J-10 fighters for sustained operations against Taiwan.

Awaiting F-16s, Bulgaria closes in on interim fighter potentially from Sweden or France

11/23/2022

The Bulgarian government looks to be edging closer to reaching an agreement for an interim fighter aircraft after holding talks with Sweden and France, while the southeastern European nation awaits American F-16s. The potential acquisition of the jets was prompted by Lockheed Martin when it delayed delivery of F-16 Block 70 aircraft to Sofia from 2023 to 2025, following COVID-19 supplier issues, meaning they wouldn’t go operational until 2028 or so.