Military Aviation News Archive
05/07/2024
Amid a rush within NATO to rally around next-generation combat aircraft, new alliance member Sweden is taking a pause to assess what’s next for its lineage as a warplane-producing country. The Nordic state in 2022 suspended its flirtation with one of Europe’s two marquee airpower efforts, the Global Combat Air Programme, an initiative led by the U.K., Italy and Japan that seeks to deliver a sixth-generation fighter capability by 2035.
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05/06/2024
The AI-controlled F-16 went up against another human-piloted aircraft, which marks one of the biggest advancements in military aviation since the introduction of stealth technology. It is a giant leap that could make human pilots redundant. Frank Kendall was very impressed by the demonstration and said that he would trust it with the ability to decide whether to launch weapons.
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05/06/2024
Ukraine shot down a Russian fighter jet in the east of the country on Saturday, according to Kyiv, as Moscow's aircraft continue attacks with lethal aerial bombs. Ukraine's 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down "another Russian Su-25 in the Donetsk region today," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address on Saturday.
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05/06/2024
Taiwan should create a military aviation law to give legal protection to its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in counteracting Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drones, National Defense University associate professor of law and military officer Lee Yen-chang said on Saturday.
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05/05/2024
The Ministry of National Defense tracked nine Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Friday (May 3) and the same time Saturday (May 4). The ministry said it monitored the situation with its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems. However, at the time of publication, it did not mention whether the Chinese planes had crossed the median line or entered the nation’s ADIZ.
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05/04/2024
Taiwan's defence ministry said Friday it had detected 26 Chinese aircraft and five naval vessels around the self-ruled island in the previous 24 hours. The sorties come weeks before the May 20 inauguration of new Taiwan president Lai Ching-te, who China regards as a dangerous separatist. A statement from the defence ministry said 17 of the aircraft "crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and central ADIZ (air defence identification zone)."
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05/04/2024
The United States is moving military aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, from the United Arab Emirates to Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported. The move is the result of the UAE's decision not to allow the US to carry out air strikes on Yemen and Iraq from the Al Dhafra air base in Abu Dhabi, according to unnamed US officials.
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05/04/2024
With the midday sun blazing, an experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet launched with a familiar roar that is a hallmark of U.S. airpower. But the aerial combat that followed was unlike any other: This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
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05/03/2024
A detachment of the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets will participate in NATO’s upcoming Air Shielding Mission in Romania from June to July. The first-time contingent will be composed of up to eight planes and 100 airmen from the Karelia Air Command in Siilinjärvi, Finland. The fleet will operate alongside UK Royal Air Force Typhoons, increasing the alliance’s presence on NATO’s eastern flank, joining quick-reaction alert duties, patrol flights, and air exercises.
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05/03/2024
The Ukrainian Air Force cannot disclose the exact date when F-16 fighter jets will appear in Ukraine. Air Force spokesperson Illia Yevlash announced this on Ukrainian television, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
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05/03/2024
The Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing is set for a significant upgrade as it prepares to transition from the F-15C to the newer F-15EX, becoming the first operational unit to do so. Pilots from the 142nd recently tested the F-15EX at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, noting substantial improvements in power, radar, and avionics compared to the aging F-15C. The F-15EX features modern fly-by-wire control systems and a glass cockpit with large touchscreens, enhancing pilot situational awarenes
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05/02/2024
F-22A Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., recently arrived at Kadena Air Base in Japan, bolstering the fifth-generation airpower at the closest U.S. military installation to Taiwan. “Amid an increasingly challenging strategic environment, it is vital that we continue to retain modern capabilities to ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region,” a base spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine on May 1.
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05/02/2024
“We’ve got a 60 fighter squadron requirement,” across the Air Force, Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, said April 30 at a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. “We have 25 of those in the National Guard, and our ability to retain that capability when we’re already short fighter pilots and maintainers will be critically important in the next coming years as we start to modernize our fleet.”
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05/01/2024
On April 1, pilots of the 422nd and 59th Test and Evaluation Squadrons (TES) participated in this initiative, designed to elevate aircrew capabilities in aircraft maintenance and refueling. The core objective of the IPOP is to equip pilots with the skills necessary to independently inspect and deploy their aircraft, a crucial element to foster self-sufficiency during prolonged flight missions.
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05/01/2024
The Shenyang J-15 "Flying Shark," known as Flanker-X2 by NATO, is a cornerstone of China's carrier-based air power, introduced in 2013 to operate from the People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carriers. Originating from failed negotiations to acquire the Russian Sukhoi Su-33, China initiated the J-15 program by reverse-engineering a Su-33 prototype obtained from Ukraine.
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05/01/2024
An Air Force pilot ejected from an F-16 fighter jet assigned to the 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., when it crashed April 30, the base announced. The crash happened at about 11:50 a.m. local time, west of the base near White Sands National Park. The only person on board the jet, the pilot “was transported by ambulance for medical care,” the base said in a Facebook post. Later that evening, officials said in a release that the pilot was in good condition.
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04/30/2024
Unique and at times peculiar NATO aircraft activity spiked around the Atlantic Alliance’s eastern borders on Monday, April 29 with at least three British Typhoon fighters sharing air space and appearing to closely escort an Iranian airliner, a first-ever sortie in theater by the Pentagon’s best maritime spy drone, and a Ukrainian government plane defying the Russian Air Force and scooting to safety in the Balkans.
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04/29/2024
The Russian Air Force is facing significant setbacks in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with substantial losses including several Su-35 fighter jets. As Moscow intensifies its aerial assaults, the strain on its military arsenal grows, with more than 150 sorties involving Su-34 and Su-35 airframes reported over just 13 days earlier this year.
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04/29/2024
In a bid to arm its aging air force, Argentina signed a $300 million contract with Denmark earlier this month to purchase 24 F-16 aircraft. Commenting on the sale, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said, “In close cooperation with our allies, we have donated 19 F-16s to Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and now we have sold 24 aircraft to Argentina in a good process that has created valuable ties between our two countries.”
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04/29/2024
For several years Kazakhstan has been gradually replacing its outdated fleet of Soviet-made combat aircraft with modern versions, such as the Russian Su-30SM multi-role aircraft and has been in discussion with Western manufacturers to source suitable combat platforms. As part of this process, it was announced in October that the Kazakh government was offering 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft for sale by auction.
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04/29/2024
In the annals of military history, some stories stand out for their unexpected twists and turns. One such event occurred half a century ago, on April 26, 1974, when Flight Lieutenant Sattar Alvi, a Pakistani pilot, accomplished a rare feat by shooting down an Israeli fighter jet while flying a MiG aircraft for the Syrian Air Force.
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04/29/2024
The US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported.
Kazakhstan, which is upgrading its air fleet, auctioned off 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the 1970s and 1980s.
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04/28/2024
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 22 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday (April 27) and 6 a.m. on Sunday (April 28).
Of the 22 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 12 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northeastern section of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND.
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04/28/2024
The long-awaited delivery of F-16s to Ukraine is on the horizon, and these advanced American-made fighter jets can't come soon enough for its forces. Western-provided F-16s will give Kyiv's current fleet of aging Soviet-era warplanes a major upgrade in capabilities, for critical offensive and defensive roles, and boost their firepower with the right munitions.
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04/27/2024
The Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon, often compared to the F-16 due to its similar features, has its own unique design and capabilities. Although some sources suggest the J-10 was influenced by the Israeli IAI Lavi, China maintains it evolved from earlier Chengdu models like the J-9.
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