Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

‘Modernization plans of F-16s vital for Türkiye’

01/19/2023

Türkiye has to give importance to the modernization plans to balance the air power in the Aegean in case of Greece’s new aircraft projects, retired Turkish Air Force commander General Abidin Ünal has aid, adding that Türkiye should also rely on its domestic infrastructure.

Crashes behind the front lines hint at a looming problem for isolated Russia's Air Force

01/19/2023

Militaries expect to lose aircraft in combat, and even in peacetime there will be accidents when operating fast, complex jets, but a series of crashes by Russian combat jets may indicate that Western sanctions are cutting into Moscow's ability to maintain its warplanes. "Sanctions placed on Russia by the West could well be affecting Russia's ability to manufacture and maintain parts needed to keep aircraft safe," Michael Bohnert, an engineer and analyst at the Rand Corporation wrote in a Novemb

China’s J-20 Fighter Pilot Claims Flying Over Taiwan Undetected; Did Taipei Fail To Spot The Stealthy Dragon?

01/19/2023

China’s PLA Air Force (PLAAF) has recently stepped up its incursions into the Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). On January 15, Taiwan’s National Ministry of Defense (MND) stated that PLAAF had sent its fighters on at least seven occasions last week.While all the PLAAF fighter jets flying close to Taiwan are regularly monitored by the island’s Air Force, there may have been an instance when the service could not intercept China’s fifth-generation stealth fighter jet flying close t

S. Korea’s homegrown KF-21 fighter jet makes first supersonic flight

01/18/2023

South Korea’s homegrown KF-21 fighter jet flew at supersonic speeds for the first time, leading the way for South Korea to become one of only a few countries that have indigenously produced and flown advanced supersonic fighter jets. A KF-21 Boramae fighter prototype took off for its first-ever supersonic test flight on Tuesday at 2:58 p.m. at the base of South Korea’s Air Force 3rd Training Wing in the city of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Admi

Air Force Moves F-16s from Europe to Japan as Ukraine War Lingers and Pacific Tensions Simmer

01/18/2023

The Air Force is temporarily moving fighter jets from Germany to Okinawa, Japan, after the Pentagon announced it was pulling older F-15 Eagles from Kadena Air Base in an attempt to bring more modern aircraft to the Pacific. F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, arrived at Kadena on Monday, even as the installation continues to slowly return its fleet of F-15C/D fighters to the United States.

Fort Wayne Air National Guard base converts to F-16 Fighting Falcons

01/18/2023

The 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne has been officially approved for conversion to the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft under passage of the National Defense Authorization Act. The move sets events in motion to replace the 122nd FW’s 21 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft with the F-16, a news release said.

Ukraine Eyes 93 Tornado Fighter Jets From Germany That Bundeswehr Is Replacing With F-35 Warplanes

01/18/2023

The Deputy Foreign Minister and former ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Andrii Melnyk, appealed to the German government on January 15 to transfer 93 Tornado fighter jets to Ukraine, which are yet to be replaced by the F-35 stealth fighters. “I have a creative proposal for our German friends. The Bundeswehr has 93 Tornado multirole combat aircraft that will be decommissioned soon and replaced by F-35.

Saab scraps agreement with Adani to build fighter aircraft in India

01/17/2023

Swedish aerospace and defence company, Saab, which had entered into a partnership with Adani Group to manufacture the Gripen E fighter in India, said on Monday that it was no longer going ahead with that agreement. “We have decided not to pursue the arrangement with the Adanis,” said Mats Palmberg, chairman and managing director of Saab India, at a media interaction in New Delhi on Monday.

Japan and India hold first joint fighter jet exercise

01/17/2023

Over the next 11 days, Japanese and Indian fighter jets are taking part in an exercise northeast of Tokyo. The drills come amid growing concerns of China's military power in the Indo-Pacific region.

Striking Images Show China’s 2nd Aircraft Carrier Shandong & J-15 Fighters Performing Drills In South China Sea

01/17/2023

The images appear to be of an exercise conducted by China in response to the US Navy’s Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) operating in the South China Sea, starting from January 12 for the first time during the group’s 2022-2023 deployment. The NIMCSG conducted maritime strike training, anti-submarine operations, integrated multi-domain and joint training between surface and air elements, and flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

Why Asia’s arms race risks spinning out of control

01/16/2023

It’s an arms race bigger than anything Asia has ever seen – three major nuclear powers and one fast-developing one, the world’s three biggest economies and decades-old alliances all vying for an edge in some of the world’s most contested land and sea areas. In one corner are the United States and its allies Japan and South Korea. In another corner, China and its partner Russia. And in a third, North Korea.

Powered By US Missiles, Ukrainian Fighter Jets Could Employ Cold War-Era Tactics To Shoot Down Russian Drones

01/16/2023

There are two ways the Ukrainian forces could employ them, one for air-to-ground attacks and another for a World War II-era (WWII-era) tactic that could be used against airborne targets. The second way could be especially relevant to the threat posed by Iranian-made Kamikaze drones that the Russians are using very effectively to wreak havoc on the Ukrainian energy grid and other critical infrastructure.

Tehran expects Russia to deliver Su-35 fighters in two months says Iranian MP

01/16/2023

Russian Su-35 fighter jets ordered from the Kremlin by Tehran should arrive in Iran at the start of the next Persian calendar year (starts March 21), Shahriyar Heydari, a lawmaker who is a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), has informed Iranian news agency Tasnim.

Top U.S. lawmaker objects to potential F-16 sale to Turkey

01/14/2023

The Biden administration has told Congress it is preparing the potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, sparking an immediate objection from a senior U.S. lawmaker who has long opposed the deal. The State Department sent the informal notice to Congress on Thursday, three sources said, informing committees overseeing arms sales in the Senate and House of Representatives of its intention to proceed with the proposed deal.

HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter Makes First Combat Saves

01/14/2023

A combined force of deployed US assets coordinated to save two lives of partner forces outside the wire in the Horn of Africa late this last December. The force consisted of HC-130J recovery aircraft and Guardian Angels from the 347th Rescue Group, as well as HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters in their first real-world casualty evacuation operation in the African area of responsibility (AOR).

Indispensable Asset! US Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35 Stealth Jets Get New Facility In Indo-Pacific To ‘Hit’ China

01/13/2023

It would serve as a new training facility for US carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35 fighters to simulate aircraft carrier landings close to China. The SDF will also employ the site as a logistic and maintenance depot to defend Japan’s Nansei southwest islands. The ministry also intends to construct a runway, hangars, and pier facilities for ships used by the Self-Defense Forces. Although the development is anticipated to take roughly four years.

F-15EX Fires Air-to-Air Missiles From New Weapon Stations For The First Time

01/13/2023

The U.S. Air Force recently announced that, on Nov. 29, 2022, the two F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, launched air-to-air missiles for the first time from their new outer wing weapon stations. According to the press release, the 96th Test Wing’s pilots fired an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile from Station 1 and an AIM-9X from Station 9 over the Eglin Test and Training Complex’s water range.

Russia is scared to fly its best jets over Ukraine in case they're shot down and NATO gets hold of the wreckage, expert says

01/13/2023

Russia is avoiding flying its advanced combat jets over Ukraine for fear of the wreckage from a crash giving away the plane's secrets, an expert told Insider. The Sukhoi Su-57, a modern Russian aircraft prized for its stealth, has not been a regular feature of the war so far, despite Moscow's efforts to hype its capabilities.

Ongoing headaches with F-35 fighter jets are rippling through the rest of the US military's combat aircraft fleet

01/13/2023

Years of delays, cost overruns, and technical glitches with the F-35 have put the Pentagon in a dilemma. If F-35s aren't fit to fly in sufficient numbers, then older aircraft such as the F-16 must be kept in service to fill the gap. In turn, having to extend the lifespan of older planes consumes money that could be used to acquire new aircraft and results in aging warplanes that may not be capable of fulfilling their missions on the current battlefield.

Germany to head up NATO’s high readiness force

01/12/2023

France led the force in 2022, and Germany is taking over this year. In February of this year, NATO deployed elements of the VJTF to Romania for the unit’s first-ever collective-defence mission in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Indian fighter jets welcomed in Japan with water cannon salute

01/12/2023

The Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent was given a grand welcome as it landed at the Hyakuri Air Base, about 80 km northeast of Tokyo, on Tuesday, January 10, for the inaugural joint Air Exercise between India and Japan that kicks off on January 12. A traditional water cannon salute was given to the IAF's frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, four of which are participating, along with two C-17s and one IL-78, in Exercise 'Veer Guardian-2023' to be held till January 26.

Colombian Air Force to buy more T-6C training aircraft

01/12/2023

The Colombian Air Force plans to buy four additional T-6C Texan II turboprop training aircraft from Textron Aviation in a potential deal worth $38.34 million. The negotiations are part of an effort to acquire up to 24 of the trainers, unveiled by the Defense Ministry on Dec. 9.

Towards a sixth-generation air combat capability for the RAAF

01/12/2023

Last month, the world got its first look at the US Air Force’s new long-range bomber, the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The company has called it ‘the world’s first sixth-generation aircraft’ and says it will incorporate enhanced stealth technology based on new manufacturing techniques and materials. The B-21’s open-systems architecture will allow new technology, capabilities and weapons to be ‘seamlessly incorporated through agile software upgrades and built-in hardware flexibility’.

Navy asks Lockheed Martin to prepare to build 118 F-35 jet fighter-bomber aircraft, avionics, and sensors

01/12/2023

Combat aircraft designers at Lockheed Martin Corp. are preparing to build 118 F-35 jet fighter-bombers for U.S. military services and allies under terms of a $1.1 billion order announced on in December. Officials of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. - the organization handling F-35 aviation technology procurement for all military forces - are asking the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics segment in Fort Worth, Texas, to procure long lead items for 118 Lot 18 F-

‘Retired’ F-117 Nighthawks Will Fly For Another Decade

01/11/2023

Nearly 14 years after officially 'retiring' its F-117A Nighthawk stealth combat jets, the Air Force may now be looking to keep them flying through at least 2034. A portion of the remaining F-117A fleet, flown by Air Force test pilots, has been very actively used for research and development, test and evaluation, and training purposes in recent years. This has included using the jets as 'red air' aggressors and as surrogates for stealthy cruise missiles during large-scale exercises.