Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

New Ford-class Aircraft Carrier and F-35C Stealth Fighter: A Game-Changing Duo

08/01/2021

The day is fast approaching when a Ford-class aircraft carrier will set sail armed with F-35C stealth fighter jets, bringing an as of yet unprecedented combat capability to warfare. What might this mean? Will it truly give the U.S. Navy an edge over major power rivals in terms of reach, attack pace and overall power projection? Potentially.

Michigan Air Guard to make history with landing exercise near Alpena

07/31/2021

The Michigan National Guard, in coordination with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and local partners, plans to close a portion of Michigan State Highway M-32 for five hours on August 5 to test its ability to land aircraft on roadways designed for cars and trucks.

UK's HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier pictured in South China Sea

07/31/2021

The South China Sea has been a hotbed of naval activity this week, with a British aircraft carrier strike group, an American surface action group, and forces from China's People's Liberation Army all staging exercises in the contested waterway. The British Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has been the center of attention, with state-run Chinese media outlets and diplomats accusing Britain of stirring up trouble in the disputed waters at the behest of the United States.

UK's $348M Tempest Next-Gen Fighter Will Be Nothing Like Other Combat Aircraft

07/31/2021

Tempest is more than just a next-generation aircraft, it’s a connected system designed to respond to future combat environment challenges. UK’s Ministry of Defense has just made a huge step towards bringing Tempest to life, by awarding BAE Systems a contract that officially kicks off this groundbreaking project.

Congress Rebuffs Air Force's Plan to Retire Older Aircraft, Putting A-10 Move on Hold

07/29/2021

With congressional members rejecting the U.S. Air Force’s plans to make substantial cuts to some of its oldest aircraft fleets, the service will put its plan to shift some close air support aircraft to Arizona on hold as it figures out other options.

Two-seater Su-57 linked to ‘Wingman’ combat drone

07/29/2021

According to sources, Russia is now developing a two-seat Su-57 fighter for tandem flight with the Okhotnik combat drone, TheDefensePost reported. The latest version of the fifth-generation stealth fighter is being reportedly designed to control four Okhotniks simultaneously, Russian state media outlet TASS reported, citing a source.

Four more Rafales join Qatar Emiri Air Force

07/29/2021

Four additional Dassault Rafale multirole combat aircraft have arrived in Qatar, having left France on 27 July. This delivery of three single-seat Rafale EQ and a twin-seat Rafale DQ means that nine aircraft remain to be delivered under the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s (QEAF's) order for 36 aircraft.

Support leads to success for F-22 students in Key West

07/29/2021

More than 250 personnel assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing packed up and went on temporary duty to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, from July 10 - 24. They travelled in support of the 43d Fighter Squadron’s F-22 Formal Training Unit capstone. Units from Tyndall Air Force Base and Eglin AFB were present to ensure F-22 Raptor student pilots, who flew in 54 sorties for the dissimilar air combat training over the southern Gulf of Mexico, were met with success.

General Atomics Unveils Aircraft-Launched Combat Drone Rendering

07/29/2021

Drone warfare is on the rise. From single unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), we have witnessed the progress of drone swarms in quite a short period of time. But as countries engage in drone warfare and drone defense systems, it is becoming a necessity for drones to have their own attack systems as well. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had recognized this need a while ago and initiated the LongShot program, whose rendering was recently released by General Atomics.

US Air Force to send dozens of F-22 fighter jets to the Pacific amid tensions with China

07/27/2021

The United States Air Force is sending more than two dozen F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the western Pacific this month, an unusually large deployment of the powerful jets that analysts say sends a strong message to a possible adversary in China. Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii this week said approximately 25 F-22s Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard and from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will deploy this month to Guam and Tinian islands for Operation Pacific Iron 2021.

The imperative to field a cutting-edge Air Force

07/27/2021

Thirty years ago, the Air Force teamed with our Navy, Army, Marine Corps and coalition partners during Operation Desert Storm to sweep the skies of Iraqi MiG fighters, destroy Iraq’s war-fighting infrastructure and decimate its fielded forces. In 1991, America’s Combat Air Force maintained and operated aircraft like the F-15C Eagle and the A-10 Warthog to win the short and decisive conflict.

Marine F-35Cs in this squadron are ready for combat in another fighter jet first

07/27/2021

Eighteen months after receiving its first fifth-generation jet fighter, the F-35C Lightning II, a California-based squadron is ready for a carrier deployment and full combat operations. The squadron was the first to achieve that status among not only Marine aviators but aviation units for all the services.

Why spend billions on combat aircraft to fight a war we won 30 years ago?

07/27/2021

The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute’s recent open letter effectively argues why buying new fighter jets is wholly unjustifiable given present and probable existential threats. Consider: forest fires this year have killed more people in Canada than enemy aircraft ever have.

Russia’s New ‘Checkmate’ Su-75 Stealth Fighter Has Enormous Wings

07/26/2021

On Tuesday, Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate, unveiled its new stealth fighter at the MAKS air show. Before the unveiling, photos had been taken of a mock-up plane underneath a tarp; the tarp was later removed, and viewers were able to gather first impressions from the plane’s shape. Soon after photos of the revealed mockup were made public, Rostec opted to unveil the plane publicly, allowing for closer study.

China’s emergency naval exercise over Taiwan revealed

07/26/2021

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held exercises in all major Chinese sea areas over the past week in moves that displayed the PLA’s determination and preparedness,” Chinese state-controlled media proclaimed. At the heart of the storm was Taiwan. Beijing believes it is getting above itself. It has accepted at least two US military flights carrying supplies and diplomatic envoys. It has also dared to open a diplomatic office in Lithuania under the name of “Taiwan”.

Nigeria: FG Procures 32 Fighter Planes, Combat Helicopters, Drones in Six Years

07/26/2021

As the nation's security forces battle insurgents and bandits across the country, the federal government has procured a total of 32 different types of fighter planes, combat helicopters, and associated platforms since 2015, a period of six years, according to statistics obtained by THISDAY. The war against insurgency has dragged on for 11 years with thousands of people killed and an estimated three million people displaced.

Russia says its air defense systems in Syria intercepted Israeli missiles

07/25/2021

Russian anti-aircraft artillery systems in Syria intercepted a number of missiles launched by Israel in airstrikes this week in an area southeast of Aleppo, according to a Russian military official.

India’s 5th-Gen Aircraft: IAF To Model Its AMCA On US’ F-35s Instead Of J-20 Or Su-57 Jets – Experts

07/25/2021

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program aims to build a homegrown fifth-generation fighter jet with “sixth-generation characteristics,” intended to replace the aging fleet SEPECAT Jaguar, Dassault Mirage 2000, and MiG-27. The AMCA is eyeing a complementary role for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) air superiority fighters, to serve as a flexible force multiplier with versatile missions.

Russia Formally Offers 21 MiG-29 Aircraft to India

07/24/2021

Russia has presented India with an offer of 21 MiG-29 fighters, Asia News International reported citing a spokesperson for Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. India is currently considering the offer, according to the outlet. The offer comes a year after India’s council for defense purchases approved the acquisition of the fighter along with 12 Su-30MKI fighters amid a border standoff with China.

French Firm to Provide New Avionics for Rafale Fighters

07/24/2021

French aerospace and defense firm Thales has been awarded a contract to provide new avionics equipment for Rafale fighters to enhance their operational effectiveness. The company will supply the cutting-edge French combat aircraft with digital multi-function displays and Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display systems.

Air Force to land planes on Michigan highway during war training exercise

07/24/2021

A portion of a Northern Michigan highway will be closed when the U.S. Air Force trains personnel to land on civilian roadways as part of the annual Northern Strike war-readiness training exercise next month,

1 billion euros in sales and other news from MAKS 2021

07/24/2021

Rosoboronexport, the state-owned company in charge of promoting and selling Russian military equipment abroad, signed 13 export contracts, worth approximately € 1 billion, during the first 2 days of MAKS 2021.

HAL is all set to respond to Royal Malaysian Air Force’s RfP for LCA

07/22/2021

By the end of September 2021, the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is expected to respond to a Request for Proposal from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). The Malaysian Air Force has sent out a global request for low-cost light fighter aircraft. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a top officer has confirmed to Financial Express Online “The Company will be responding to the RfP from RMAF for the Light Combat Aircraft `Tejas’. And it has to be sent at the end of September.”

To afford next-gen combat aircraft, the US Air Force will make cuts to ISR inventory

07/22/2021

As the U.S. Air Force restructures its aircraft inventory to compete with China, the service is taking calculated risks in its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft portfolio, a top general said Wednesday. In its fiscal 2022 budget request, the Air Force proposed mothballing four of its 16 E-8 JSTARS aircraft, which are used for ground surveillance and targeting, as well as 20 Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 surveillance drones.

China’s Air Incursions Into Taiwan’s ADIZ Focus on ‘Anti-Access’ and Maritime Deterrence

07/21/2021

Chinese aerial incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) have received a lot of attention since the island’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) began making the data public in September 2020. Understandably, the larger scale incidents, like that of June 15 – the largest thus far, involving 28 aircraft – have generated heated debates about the rationale for the incursions.