Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

JSTARS Flies Its Last Operational Mission Ahead of November Retirement

10/03/2023

A crew of Airmen at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, flew the final operational sortie of the E-8C JSTARS aircraft on Sept. 21, paving the way for the last of the fleet to be retired early next month. Members of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Air Control Wing flew the very last of more than 14,000 sorties for the JSTARS, which is used for targeting, battle management, and command and control.

Lockheed Martin flies first F-16 for Slovakia

10/03/2023

Lockheed Martin flew the first F-16C Block 70 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft for Slovakia at its Greenville production facility in South Carolina on 29 September. The first of 12 single-seat F-16C and two twin-seat F-16D Block 70 aircraft for the Slovak Air Force made its maiden flight about three weeks after being officially presented to the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic on 6 September.

Croatia receives first Rafale fighter from France

10/03/2023

Croatia received the first of 12 Dassault Rafale combat aircraft from France on 2 October, the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced. Aircraft tail number 170 was officially handed over to the Croatian MoD during a ceremony at the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE) base at Mont-de-Marsan.

China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter, Flying Under AWACS Cover, Very Dangerous; Best Avoided By India’s Rafale: OPED

10/03/2023

To use a cliche, comparing the J-20 and the Rafale is like comparing oranges and apples. The two fighters were conceived and developed for entirely different roles. However, the adversarial deployment of the two fighters in the context of the simmering India-China border dispute has fanned nationalist fervor and clamor for comparison to such an extent that comparing oranges and apples seems perfectly logical.

RAF Fighter jets deploy to Poland for joint exercises ahead of Warsaw Security Forum

10/02/2023

Four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets have deployed to Poland to conduct joint training exercises alongside allied aircraft from Poland, Spain, and Italy. The deployment will provide an opportunity for RAF pilots to practice dogfighting against different types of aircraft, and develop tactics to exploit their weaknesses.

Royal Danish Air Force And Lockheed Martin Celebrate Arrival Of First Four Danish F-35 Aircraft

10/02/2023

The Kingdom of Denmark officially celebrated the in-country arrival of its first four permanently based F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark. During the ceremony, Lockheed Martin officially handed over the certificate of ownership of Denmark's F-35s to the Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization. More than 450 Danish and allied government, military and industry leaders gathered to commemorate the milestone, and over 10,000 local citizens participa

Last F-18 training squadron is decommissioned at Miramar marking the end of an era

10/01/2023

An air squadron that for 50 years has been training pilots to fly F/A-18 Hornets was decommissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar during a “sundowner ceremony” on Friday, marking the end of an era for the Department of the Navy.

Watch, Read: CSAF Brown on ‘The State of the Air Force’

09/30/2023

In his last major speech before ascending to the role of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown delivered a keynote address on “The State of the Air Force,” at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 11, 2023. Watch the video or read the transcript below.

NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania

09/30/2023

This July, the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, was yet another historical gathering for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. After facing years of dilemmas with regard to Russia, the allies agreed to bolster NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroups and established brand-new defense plans. An agreement was reached on Sweden’s path to NATO, and Finland was welcomed as the Alliance’s 31st member.

F-35 program completes key combat simulations, could pave way for full-rate production

09/30/2023

A series of delayed simulated combat trials for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have been completed, a key step toward wrapping up the fighter’s initial operational testing phase and approving it for full-rate production (FRP).

Russian Su-35 Fighter Jet Downed by Own Air Defense, Video Appears to Show

09/30/2023

Russian air defenses close to the frontlines in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region have shot down one of Moscow's own advanced fighter jets, footage circulating online appears to show. Russian air defense systems took out a Russian Su-35 multirole fighter jet around the occupied Ukrainian city of Tokmak, Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers as well as open-source intelligence accounts reported on Friday.

Russia has lost 90 aircraft in combat since war started – British intel report

09/29/2023

“The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have lost approximately 90 fixed-wing aircraft in combat since February 2022. It has also been flying some of its combat aircraft types far more intensively than in peace time,” the UK Ministry of Defence posted on X, referring to intelligence data. Analysts note that all aircraft have a projected lifespan, in flying hours, so Russia is highly likely eating into many of its airframes’ lifespans far more quickly with extra wartime use.

Ukraine asks France for Rafale or Mirage and radars for Su-27s

09/29/2023

Opex360 reports that French MP Julien Bayou made the comment on the sidelines of the French Parliament. “There is a pressing request that we are asked to pass on: supply of Rafale and/or Mirage 2000D, as well as radars to equip Sukhoi and Ukrainian MiGs,” opex360 wrote, quoting Bayu as saying.

Czech gov’t plans to buy 24 F-35 stealth fighters in $6.5bn defence spend

09/29/2023

The Czech government has approved a plan to buy 24 US-made F-35 advanced fighter jets in a deal valued at approximately $6.5bn, the largest defence contract ever signed by the Czech Republic that will see the country significantly boost its military capabilities and integration with NATO.

Weekly Frontline Update: Ukrainian attacks paralyze Russian army command

09/27/2023

Last week, the Ukrainian Army advanced further on the southern front and continued to decimate Russian military targets in Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, the Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in occupied Sevastopol (Crimea, southern Ukraine) allegedly eliminated 34 Russian officers.

Another Ukraine’s MiG-29 Parked Fighter Jet ‘Falls Prey’ To Russian Lancet-3 Kamikaze Drone

09/27/2023

Around a week after a Russian Lancet-3 loitering munition destroyed a parked Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) fighter, another MiG-29 jet was hit in the same way and, coincidentally, in the same region where the UAF air bases are located. The attacks are another landmark moment for drone warfare in general and Russian and Iranian kamikaze UAVs like the Lancet and the Shahed-136 in particular, that have consistently redefined warfare throughout multiple stages in the war.

Romania Begins Largest Ever Arms Deal with Request to Buy F-35 Jets

09/27/2023

Romania has begun the process for the most expensive purchase in the history of the armed forces by officially requesting legislative approval in a document sent to the parliament’s leadership to launch the program to buy 32 F-35 fighter jets worth 6.5 billion dollars. The Supreme Council of Defence of the Country, CSAT, decided in April that Romania would purchase the stealth multirole combat aircraft from the US in a government-to-government deal.

‘Cash Cows’ Saudi Arabia & Japan Could Dramatically Boost GCAP Fighter Jet Program; Eclipse Franco-German FCAS

09/27/2023

After Japan, resource-rich Saudi Arabia has expressed interest in jointly developing the 6th generation fighter jet, which is expected to take to the skies by 2035 and could eclipse the best contemporary fighter jets.

Japan’s growing military power will help the West challenge China’s threat

09/26/2023

Last December, the UK, Italy and Japan agreed to combine their respective projects and build next-generation military fighter aircraft in a scheme dubbed the Global Combat Aircraft Programme (GCAP). At the DSEI international arms fair in London earlier this month, the three principal contractors, BAE Systems, Leonardo SpA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries concluded a Collaboration Agreement to develop long-term working arrangements and capability requirements for GCAP.

Air Capabilities of the Taliban: A Geospatial Analysis

09/26/2023

When the Taliban overran the last government held positions, the bulk of the Afghan Air Force departed for Tajikistan. After the fall of Kabul, the United States likewise left an inordinate amount of military hardware. A good amount of that hardware included rotorwing assets. Attention has now turned towards whether or not the Taliban are capable of fielding offensive air assets.

Generate Airpower, Check: Kadena ACEs no-notice exercise

09/26/2023

The U.S. Air Force’s ability to rapidly generate airpower at a moment’s notice was put to the test at Kadena Air Base, when the 18th Wing conducted a no-notice agile combat employment exercise Sept. 22, 2023. Airmen from the 18th Wing partnered with deployed Airmen from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, to launch multiple F-15C/D Eagles, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35A Lightning IIs without prior notice.

In Argentina’s fighter competition, Washington and Beijing fight for regional influence

09/26/2023

The global influence struggle between the United States and the People’s Republic of China has quietly arrived in America’s backyard, with Washington attempting to fend off Beijing establishing a sizeable military relationship with Argentina. The competition, as it so often does between large powers, is playing out through a defense industrial decision: Namely, whether Buenos Aries buys second-hand Danish F-16 A/B Fighting Falcons or newly-made Chengdu JF-17 Thunder Block Three fighters from Chi

ASEAN concludes first-ever joint military drills in Indonesia

09/24/2023

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have strengthened cooperation in maritime security through their first-ever joint military exercise on Indonesian islands in the South China Sea, where China has been increasing maritime activities. Indonesia hosted the military drills that took place from Tuesday through Saturday on the Natuna Islands and elsewhere. Jakarta holds this year's rotating chair of ASEAN.

A Month After Prigozhin’s Suspicious Death, the Kremlin Is Silent on His Plane Crash and Legacy

09/24/2023

Why Yevgeny Prigozhin's private jet plummeted into a field northwest of Moscow is still a mystery. The Russian military leaders he tried to oust with his armed rebellion remain in power. His mercenary army is under new management. And President Vladimir Putin, whose authority was badly dented by the short-lived mutiny, seems as strong as ever, with Prigozhin's fiery death sending a chilling message to anyone challenging him.

Germany and France: Still keen on joint defense projects?

09/23/2023

The development of the Franco-German battle tank MGCS has taken a step forward this week. Army inspectors from both countries signed a document on the requirements for the joint main battle tank of the future. "This is a milestone that will enable the work to come," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu.