Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US Air Force seeks the aircraft equivalent of a Swiss Army knife

11/08/2022

The C-17 Globemaster is one of the workhorses of the U.S. Air Force’s mobility fleet, transporting everything from heavy weaponry, like tanks, to hundreds of passengers. But the Air Force has another mission in mind for the massive aircraft: carrying pallets of standoff cruise missiles.

Greek, Turkish, Italian And U.S. Combat Aircraft Take Part In NATO Exercise PODA 22

11/08/2022

Organized by the NATO Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACC), based at Poggio Renatico in northern Italy, between Nov. 2 – 10, 2022, Poggio Dart 2022 (PODA-22) is an exercise that sees the involvement of four NATO nations (Greece, Italy, Turkey and U.S.), and about 30 aircraft, including F-35s, F-16s, F-4s, Eurofighter Typhoons and Tornado ECRs, with the foreign assets deployed to Aviano AB, Italy.

S. Korea scrambles jets on seeing North’s military aircraft

11/07/2022

South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets after detecting about 180 North Korean military flights north of the two countries’ border over four hours on Friday. The North Korean aircraft flew north of the so-called tactical action line, north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas, South Korea’s military said in a statement. The virtual line is used as a basis for South Korean air defence operations, a South Korean official said.

Five dead in Venezuelan military plane crash, says ministry

11/07/2022

Five members of the Venezuelan military died Sunday when their plane crashed during a training mission, authorities in the South American country said. The C-208B aircraft “fell to the ground” 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Jose Antonio Paez air base, in Venezuela’s southern Amazonas state, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a statement. “So far, four lifeless bodies have been rescued and the search continues for the fifth,” he added.

Russian Su-30 combat aircraft used as ‘an aero lure’ in Ukraine

11/07/2022

The Russian Defense Ministry says two fighter jets shot down a Ukrainian warplane. The online information portal Izvestia quoted the ministry as saying that the two Russian fighters that took part in the battle were Su-35 and Su-30. Neither the Defense Ministry nor the reports said when the air battle took place and over which area in Ukraine.

US military's X-37B space plane zooms past 900 days in orbit

11/06/2022

The U.S. military's X-37B robotic space plane just passed 900 days in orbit on its latest hush-hush mission, adding to the program's flight-duration record. The current mission is the sixth for the X-37B program and is therefore known as OTV-6 ("Orbital Test Vehicle 6"). It launched on May 17, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and it's unclear when it will end.

U.S. bombers fly in military exercise with South Korea as North Korea fires more missiles

11/06/2022

North Korea added to its recent barrage of weapons demonstrations by launching four ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, as the United States sent two supersonic bombers streaking over South Korea in a dueling display of military might that underscored rising tensions in the region. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the four short-range missiles fired from a North Korean western coastal area around noon flew about 130 kilometers (80 miles) toward the country’s western sea.

Taiwan tracks 9 military planes, 2 naval ships from China in surrounding area

11/06/2022

The Ministry of National Defense said it had spotted nine aircraft and two ships from China’s military in areas surrounding Taiwan by 5 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 5). Only one plane, a Xi’an H-6 bomber, entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the military tweeted. The aircraft was spotted close to the Taiwan-held island of Dongsha, one of many disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Chilean military trainer Pillán will have a new generation

11/06/2022

The little-known ENAER (Empresa Nacional de Aeronáutica), from Chile, officially launched at the end of October in partnership with the Chilean Air Force (FACh) the program for the development and production of the new Pillán II trainer aircraft, under a contract of $ 142 millions. FACh plans to acquire 33 Pillán II aircraft for primary training missions. The aircraft is an evolution of the T-35 Pillán, which was ENAER’s first product and also the first aircraft designed and mass-produced in Chi

Russo-Ukraine War - 05 November 2022 - Day 255

11/06/2022

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that Russia is probably struggling to provide military training for its current mobilisation drive and its annual autumn conscription intake. The Russian Armed Forces were already stretched providing training for the approximate 300,000 troops required for its 'partial mobilisation', announced on 21 September 2022. These issues will be compounded by the additional regular autumn annual conscription cycle, announced on 30 September 2022.

Chinese Bombers Spotted With Kinzhal-Like Hypersonic Missile That Russia Has Deployed To ‘Threaten’ The West

11/05/2022

The H-6K carried one such missile on each wing, reported Global Times, citing the video report by China Central Television (CCTV). While Chinese officials did not specify the weapon’s exact type, one of the missiles was seen with “2PZD-21” scrawled on its body. Chinese media reports stated that it appeared to be some air-to-ground missile with a shape very similar to a ballistic missile.

Taiwan tracks 27 military aircraft, 4 naval ships from China

11/05/2022

The Ministry of National Defense said it tracked 27 aircraft and four ships from China’s military around the country before 5 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 4). Of the 27 People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft, 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and three intruded into the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the military tweeted.

Bulgarian parliament votes to buy F-16s under $1.3 billion deal

11/05/2022

Bulgarian lawmakers have voted to approve the purchase of eight F-16C/D Block 70 fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The forthcoming acquisition is to be worth close to $1.3 billion. The National Assembly, the country’s unicameral parliament, approved the planned purchase by a majority of 162 votes, with 49 members voting against, and 11 abstentions.

Seoul mobilizes fighter jets after large N Korean air deployment

11/05/2022

South Korea mobilized dozens of combat aircraft Friday after identifying a large deployment of North Korean aircraft, which in the last two days has launched some 30 missiles to respond to large air maneuvers of Seoul and Washington. “Our military took action after identifying some 180 North Korean military aircraft between 11 am and 3 pm (2 am-6 am GMT) Friday, November 4,” the South Korean defense ministry said in a statement.

France to deploy fighter aircraft in Romania

11/05/2022

A squadron of Rafale fighters will be sent to perform air policing missions in the Romanian airspace, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said during a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.

US, South Korea to extend military drills after North Korean launches

11/04/2022

The U.S. and South Korea announced Thursday they will extend joint military drills in the wake of North Korea’s saber-rattling this week, which included an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. North Korea fired at least six missiles into the sea on Thursday and more than 20 missiles a day earlier, prompting condemnation from Seoul and Washington ? including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after a prescheduled Pentagon meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup.

Iran-Russia Military Cooperation: Murky, But In Tehran's Interest

11/04/2022

Iran stands accused by Western powers of supplying drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine, with analysts saying such military cooperation is of immense interest for Tehran at a delicate moment for its theocratic leadership. The United States has denounced as "appalling" Russia's use of Iranian drones after residents of Kyiv and other cites were shaken by a spate of recent attacks.

Russia’s ‘Most Destroyed’ Fighter Jet In Ukraine War Fires Missiles Into The Target To Avoid MANPAD Hit – Watch

11/04/2022

Rare footage has emerged of Russian Su-25 ‘Frogfoot’ launching rockets directly into Ukrainian positions to the west of Donetsk. The video was filmed somewhere over Maryinka, a small city located in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region, according to OSINT analysts.

AFSOC receives final AC-130J

11/04/2022

Air Force Special Operations Command received its 31st and final AC-130J Ghostrider, completing the command’s transition from the legacy AC-130W, AC-130U and AC-130H fleets. Following a commemoration ceremony at the Lockheed Martin Gunship Modification Facility in Crestview Nov. 2, the final AC-130J was delivered to the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.

KC-46 tanker’s boom breaks, dents plane while refueling fighter jet

11/04/2022

Investigators believe that during the rendezvous, the two aircraft were traveling at such different speeds that the refueling boom forcibly broke away from the fighter jet and slammed back into the KC-46, the official said. The Pegasus safely continued on to New Jersey after the mishap.

U.S aircraft flew Norwegian airspace on surveillance mission outside Russia's nuclear sub bases

11/03/2022

Norway’s reassurance policy towards Russia has for the most followed a practice that allied intelligence missions to airspace outside the Kola Peninsula should not take off, land, or fly over Norwegian airspace. On Wednesday, a U.S. Air Force plane was indeed inside Norwegian airspace, both before and after the flight aimed to monitor Russia's military forces from above the eastern Barents Sea.

Congress must act to boost combat-credible airpower in Indo-Pacific

11/03/2022

It is hardly news that for the last decade the Pentagon has fallen short of its strategic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Still, it is quite conspicuous when evidence of that “say-do gap” emerges within 24 hours of the publication of the Pentagon’s most important strategic document.

Let’s Talk About The New Manned Sixth-Generation Fighter Renderings

11/03/2022

Lockheed Martin released new renderings showing a manned sixth-generation fighter aircraft as a notional stand-in design for the U.S. Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD. The images were included in a media briefing about the company’s proposal for the KC-Y competition, the Airbus A330 MRTT-derived LMXT tanker. Interestingly, the images were released only to the media attending the briefing, but not on the company’s website or social medias.

Ukrainian Commandoes Raid Airfield Deep Inside Russia, Destroy Frontline Helicopters

11/02/2022

Ukrainian commandoes blew up three helicopter gunships at a Russian military airfield close to the Latvian border, in one of the most spectacular behind-the-lines raids launched by either side since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, multiple sources confirmed on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

China’s PLAAF Boasts ‘Hot Refueling’ For Superior Fighter Jet Performance; Expert Says India’s LCA Tejas Already Has It

11/02/2022

PLAAF researchers want to replicate the functioning of a Formula 1 racing team’s pit crew for military purposes to further refine the logistical and maintenance processes of aircraft – a critical factor in any fight against a near-peer adversary.