Military Aviation News Archive
10/18/2023
Thales today announced that it has been awarded a contract by Korea’s Aerospace Industries (KAI) to equip FA-50 fighters for Poland with its highly successful Scorpion® Helmet Mounted Display (HMD). Under the terms of this contract, Thales is responsible for adapting, integrating, and qualifying the Scorpion® HMD onto KAI’s FA-50 Fighting Eagle, as well as installing production systems, to support the Republic of Korea’s FA-50 contract with Poland.
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10/18/2023
Four years after losing anti-submarine and maritime surveillance capability, Argentina will re-acquire it soon as it signs an agreement with Norway for Lockheed Martin-built P-3 Orions on October 18, ahead of a much-awaited purchase order for F-16 fighters.
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10/18/2023
Chinese fighter jets conducted several hundred “risky and coercive” aerial intercepts against aircraft flown by America and its allies in the Indo-Pacific over the past two years, the US defence department said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Pentagon, Ely Ratner, the top Asia defence official, said the manoeuvres were not the acts of rogue pilots and instead a “centralised and concerted” effort by the Chinese military to pressure the US and its allies.
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10/17/2023
South Korea's homegrown fighter jet KF-21 made its public debut on Monday, ahead of an international defense exhibition set to open at the Seoul Air Base this week. The KF-21, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), staged an aerial demonstration at the Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, during a press day event for the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, which opens Tuesday for a six-day run.
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10/17/2023
As Poland awaits the first units of its 2020 order of 32 F-35 fighter jets, Warsaw is considering further expanding its combat aircraft fleet with a purchase of 32 additional warplanes, according to Polish defense officials.
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10/17/2023
Canada’s defence minister has accused China fighter jets of carrying out a “dangerous and reckless” interception of a Canadian military plane over international waters. Bill Blair spoke after Canada’s Global News said a Chinese jet had come within five meters (16ft) of a Canadian surveillance plane taking part in a UN operation to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
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10/17/2023
Israeli fighter aircraft have been bombing the Gaza Strip, often with precision-guided weapons like Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), but photos and videos posted by the Israeli Air Force suggest it's also using less accurate, unguided munitions, experts told Insider.
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10/16/2023
Wars bring new weapons and battlefield platforms that can change future warfare. The Ukraine-Russia war is no different. Fighting a much larger and well-equipped Russian force, Ukraine has tested and proven the use of many low-value technologies on the battlefield.
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10/16/2023
The Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition, known as Seoul ADEX, kicks off Tuesday with the public debut of Korea's indigenously developed KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, as the country looks to score record-breaking exports for the defense industry this year.
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10/16/2023
During a six-day trip to Russia in September, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, traveling abroad for the first time since 2019, met with a litany of senior Russian military officials and with Russian President Vladimir Putin himself. The Russian officials on hand — including the defense minister, the commander of the navy, and the commander of the long-range bomber force — reflected Moscow's desire to court Kim's regime.
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10/16/2023
We already knew a J-20 mock up was at Bogue Field, North Carolina, since 2019. A new video shows that the full scale replica was (most probably) moved to MCOLF Atlantic where at least one (possibly two) Fishbed-derivative trainer mock up is based.
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10/16/2023
The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is sending Air Force fighter jets to the region as Israel prepares to expand its Gaza operations, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Saturday.
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10/15/2023
Multiple B-1B Lancers arrived at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, on Oct. 12, kicking off a Bomber Task Force deployment as tensions rise across the globe. More than 100 Airmen deployed to support the B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, the first Bomber Task Force rotation of fiscal 2024. U.S. Air Forces in Europe emphasized in a release that the deployment was “long-planned,” and was not triggered by events such as Hamas’ incursion into Israel and events since.
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10/15/2023
Amidst the challenges of resource and pilot shortages within the Russian Air Force caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Moscow has announced that female pilots have commenced their service in military transport aviation. Lieutenant General Vladimir Benediktov, the BTA’s commander, revealed this information to the Russian state media agency TASS on October 14.
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10/15/2023
F-15Es arrived in the Middle East on Oct. 13, as the U.S. continued to bolster its forces in the region, the U.S. Air Force announced. The planes, which deployed from RAF Lakenheath, U.K., are part of a broader package of forces that have been deployed after Hamas’ attack on Israel, including an increased number of A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft and F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighters.
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10/14/2023
American A-10 “Warthog” attack planes arrived in the Middle East on Thursday as the Pentagon scrambles to keep the nascent war between Israel and Hamas from sparking a broader regional conflict. Airmen from the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, deployed as part of a larger effort to rush firepower to U.S. Central Command, a senior defense official told reporters Thursday.
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10/14/2023
The international air exercise Frisian Flag 2023 took place from Monday 2 to Friday 13 October 2023 at Leeuwarden Air Base, The Netherlands. Unrest around the world and the ongoing war on Europe’s eastern border show a once again clearly that peace and security cannot be taken for granted. Well-trained units are therefore of great importance to ensure the security of the Netherlands and NATO territory and to defend them if necessary, now and in the future.
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10/14/2023
Shaw Air Force Base hosted eSports tournament ‘GameX: Mission Generation Under Attack,’ an Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC) initiative designed to test Airman and Guardian decision-making in a contested environment through video gaming, Sept. 22-23, 2023.
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10/14/2023
Ukraine’s Armed Forces shot down a Russian SU-25 fighter jet and an Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone on 13 October. In its evening update, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said: “Over the past day, the Air Force carried out 12 strikes on areas where enemy personnel, weapons, and military equipment were concentrated, as well as on an enemy bridge. Our defenders also destroyed a Russian Su-25 fighter and an Orlan-10 operational-tactical level UAV.”
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10/13/2023
The Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, on Wednesday, said it had taken delivery of two combat aircraft, Diamond-62 (DA-62), procured by the federal government. A statement by the Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said combat the planes would add impetus to ongoing air operations across the country.
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10/13/2023
Arms regulators in Washington have approved the transfer of US-made Lockheed Martin F-16As from Denmark to Argentina. The US Department of State said on 11 October it delivered a formal letter to Argentinian ambassador Jorge Arguello saying Washington signed off on the deal, which reportedly covers 24 of the multi-role fighters. “The transfer reaffirms our close defence ties and steadfast support for Argentina’s air force modernisation efforts,” the state department says.
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10/12/2023
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 20 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around the country between 6 a.m. Wednesday (Oct. 11) and 6 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 12).
The defense ministry said that 20 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and six People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels were detected. Of the detected aircraft, 14 entered the north and southwest sectors of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
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10/12/2023
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Wednesday that the transfer of the first F-16s to Ukraine will take place in early 2024. Thar’s according to Breaking the news, Ukrinform reports. "We expect that in March or April, we will be able to transfer the first batch of combat aircraft to Ukraine. But there is a lot of work to be done to ensure that the Ukrainians can exploit them,” Lund said.
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10/11/2023
A few months ago, the Army’s aviation community appeared to be facing a dire situation. A series of deadly helicopter crashes killed 14 soldiers between February and April, interrupting one of the safest periods in the Army’s flying history. That led the service’s leaders to order an Army-wide safety stand down in May — the rare move grounded all non-deployed flying units until they completed a mandatory safety training program led by their commanding generals.
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10/11/2023
The KC-10 Extender took another step toward retirement last week, as the venerable tanker finished off its last ever deployment. A KC-10 from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., conducted the aircraft’s final combat sortie from Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 3. The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, which has flown the KC-10 since 2003, then held a formal deactivation ceremony Oct. 4, and the last KC-10 departed the base Oct. 5.
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