Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing (BA) Wins $19M Deal to Aid T-45 Aircraft Program

05/26/2021

The Boeing Co. received a $18.9-million delivery order for the production and delivery of 48 automatic backup oxygen system retrofit kits for the T-45 aircraft. Per the terms of the deal, the company will supply installation tooling, engineering reach back, spares and support equipment for these kits. The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD.

Investigation continues after Draken pilot killed in crash near Nellis AFB

05/25/2021

Nellis Air Force Base confirmed the pilot killed in a crash Monday afternoon worked for Draken US, the company that provides adversary air support for the installation. The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. near Washington and Nellis. The contracted plane was a Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1. The pilot was the sole occupant.

Lithuania calls for joint EU action to keep planes out of Belarus airspace

05/24/2021

Lithuania on Sunday called for European Union countries to jointly recommend that planes avoid Belarusian airspace, after a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk and an opposition activist on board detained. The proposal for a joint declaration will be put forward at a meeting of European leaders on Monday and will include a call to recognize the incident as a violation of International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, the foreign ministry said.

Europe Outraged as Belarus Forces Ryanair Jet to Land in Minsk

05/24/2021

The U.S. and Europe reacted with outrage after Belarus ordered a Ryanair Holdings Plc flight transiting its airspace to land and arrested a journalist on board, an unprecedented violation of European air travel protocols. “The United States strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Roman Pratasevich,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Putting the digital revolution in context

05/24/2021

Where are the greatest opportunities — for the United States and allies as well as their potential adversaries — in terms of military innovation between now and 2040? Where can one expect the greatest vulnerabilities to develop or emerge?

F-16s Could Still be Flying Into the 2070s

05/24/2021

Based on Lockheed Martin’s backlog of F-16 orders, planned upgrades, and the recent revelation that the Air Force plans to depend on the fighter into the late 2030s, the F-16’s sunset years now could come in the 2070s, or later.

Adaptive Cycle Engine for Fighter Aircraft Might Forever Change Aerial Combat

05/24/2021

For years now the U.S. military has been looking for the next-generation fighter aircraft, the one that will keep America at the top of the list for aerial supremacy. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is how the program meant to come up with the next fighter is called, and we already got a preview of how the thing could look in the United States Air Force’s acquisition report released back in April.

U.S. Navy’s Joint Precision Approach and Landing System Reaches IOC

05/23/2021

The U.S. Navy has declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS), signaling the system’s readiness to provide precision approach and landing capabilities to tactical carrier aircraft at sea.

F-5 Outlives Rival MiG-21

05/23/2021

The F-5 was built by the United States mainly for export to nations that could not afford the top-line Western fighters, but did not want the MiG-21s. The F-5 is normally armed with two 20mm cannon, and three tons of missiles and bombs. Introduced in 1962, over 2,200 were built between 1959 and 1987. The F-5 was more reliable and upgradeable than the MiG-21 which is one reason why so many upgraded F-5s are still flying.

Dassault Likely To Grab Another Deal For Rafale Jets As HRZ Looks To Replace Its MiG-21 Fighters — Reports

05/23/2021

According to reports, Croatia is likely to purchase 12 second-hand Rafale jets from the French government and finally replace its aging MiG-21 fighter jets. According to a Croatian publication Jutarnji List, the country is planning to purchase 12 used Rafale F3Rs from the French Air Force inventory. The oldest of these airframes could be as much as 10 years old, for a deal just under one billion euros for the entire package.

As India Awaits More F-3 Standard Rafale Jets, Dassault Starts Testing The Latest F4 Variant

05/23/2021

According to reports, the tests of F4-1 were conducted between April 26 and 29, involving test crews from the French Air Force, the French Navy, and Dassault Aviation, under the stewardship of the Director-General of Armament (DGA). The DGA is the French government’s defense procurement and technology agency responsible for project management, development, and purchase of weapon systems for the French military.

Turkish Air Force commander Abidin Ünal gave direct order to down Russian jet

05/22/2021

A Turkish fighter jet pilot knew he was shooting at a Russian warplane in airspace over the Turkish-Syrian border area when he was ordered to fire by the commander of the Air Force, Gen. Abidin Ünal, a senior officer who worked at Air Force headquarters at the time revealed.

RIP: New F-15EX Fighters Were 'Killed' in a Recent Wargame

05/22/2021

An interesting report from Air Force Magazine says the new F-15EX performed with “mixed results” in a recent service wargame in Alaska called Northern Edge. Citing Air Force officers involved in the testing and assessments, the report says the newly arrived F-15EX was pitted against extremely sophisticated “red-team” adversary forces to assess its ability to rival or engage 5th-Gen attacks. The F-15EX was also integrated with U.S. 5th-Gen assets such as F-22s and F-35s.

Re-establishing Australia’s bomber fleet: the case for the B-21s

05/22/2021

The government’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update provided refreshing clarity about our deteriorating strategic environment and the need for new military capabilities to address it. These include long-range strike capabilities to impose greater cost on potential great power adversaries at greater range from Australia. The government also included a shopping list of those capabilities giving a broad outline of schedule and the scale of investment.

Croatia reportedly selects Dassault Rafale F3R fighter jet

05/22/2021

While Croatia is still officially deciding which one of two contendents will replace its aging fighter fleet, local media reports that the winner was already chosen. In January 2020, Croatia sent a request for bids seeking to buy a squadron of new or used fighter jets in an effort to modernize its air force. The country has been attempting to replace its antique MiG-21BisD/UMD fighters from the Soviet era.

MiG-21 fighter jet crashes in Punjab’s Moga, IAF’s pilot dead

05/22/2021

An Indian Air Force pilot was killed in a MiG-21 fighter jet crash at Langeana village of Punjab’s Moga district in the wee hours of Friday. The pilot has been identified as IAF MCC Squadron leader Abhinav Chaudhary and he was on night training when the accident happened.

First operational flight of a Multinational A330 MRTT for the Luxembourg Army

05/21/2021

On 15 May 2021, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence François Bausch attended the departure for Mali of a contingent of the Luxembourg Army in support of a European Union Training mission. This was the first operational flight of a Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) aircraft for the Luxembourg Army and the first landing of MMF in Luxembourg.

China flies 2 fighter-bombers over median line in Taiwan Strait

05/21/2021

Four Chinese military planes intruded on Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday (May 20), including two fighter-bombers, which breached the median line, as the nation grappled with a surge in COVID-19 cases. On Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced that one Y-8 electronic warfare plane and one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft penetrated into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, while two Xian JH-7 fighter-bombers crossed the Taiwan Strait

Buhari inducts 3 JF-17 aircraft at NAF 57th celebration

05/21/2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has inducted three brand new JF-17 Thunder Multi-role fighter aircraft into the inventory of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to boost its operation. Performing the ceremony on Thursday in Makurdi during NAF 57 celebration grand finale, Buhari said that the Service has fulfilled its constitutional mandate of defending the nation’s territorial integrity.

China’s J-15 Carrierborne Fighter: Sizing up the Competition

05/21/2021

Having reviewed the J-15’s payload and reliability in context in Part 1 last month, it is finally possible to consider the J-15 on basis of its own merits and flaws. The physical dimensions and characteristics of the J-15 are virtually identical to that of the Su-33 with the same addition of canards, shortened tailsting, folding wing and tail modifications, tailhook and undercarriage strengthening, and corrosion alterations to facilitate carrier operations.

Industry asked to weigh-in on Navy plan to upgrade combat aircraft avionics software to enhance pilot safety

05/21/2021

U.S. Navy avionics experts are asking industry to weigh-in on a plan to upgrade flight-control software in Navy attack jets to reduce the risk of pilots crashing into the ground on difficult missions. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., issued a request for information on Wednesday (223201-21_AGCA) for the upcoming Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) Flight Control Computer (FCC) Upgrade.

Chinese military plane enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

05/20/2021

A Chinese military plane entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday morning (May 19), marking the 11th such incident this month. A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF turboprop.

The F-35’s Painful Lessons Must Inform Future Programs

05/20/2021

The F-35 program will turn 20 years old this fall. That’s longer than the entire service life of many legendary aircraft programs. The B-36, for example, was retired 13 years after its first flight in 1946. The F-86 went from first flight to retirement in 18 years.

A Super F-22 Raptor: The Sixth-Generation Fighter the Air Force Needs?

05/20/2021

The Air Force’s now airborne sixth-generation aircraft may indeed incorporate several unprecedented technological breakthroughs in the areas of speed, stealth, maneuverability, weapons and artificial-intelligence-enabled sensing, some of which may surpass the limits of current F-35 performance. While early in development and as of yet unproven, program acceleration, rapid progress and high enthusiasm for the Air Force’s sixth-generation next-generation air dominance platform.

127th Wing Airmen receive real-world training at Green Flag

05/20/2021

Approximately 130 Airmen and 11 aircraft from the 127th Wing traveled to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada last month to participate in Green Flag-West 21-03, a realistic air-land combat, close air-support training exercise, designed to give Airmen the experience of working in a deployed environment. Approximately 130 pilots and maintainers from both the 127th Operations and 127th Maintenance Groups, participated in the exercise that spanned three weeks and included around-the-clock flying missions.