Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russian latest fighters to get ice sensors with artificial intelligence

03/12/2021

Tecmash Group (part of Technodinamika within the state tech corporation Rostec) has launched serial production of ice sensors with artificial intelligence elements that will be installed on the latest fighter aircraft, the Rostec press office reported on Thursday.

Air Force receives first F-15EX

03/12/2021

The U.S. Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX from the Boeing Co. March 10 at the company’s St. Louis facility. The new fighter is a two-seat aircraft—though operable by a single pilot—with fly-by-wire flight controls, digital cockpit displays, and advanced avionics systems, to include the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, an electronic warfare upgrade also being fielded on F-15E Strike Eagle models.

F-35Bs with special instruments are testing whether the advanced jet can operate on the Italian navy flagship

03/12/2021

Two specially instrumented US F-35Bs from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, landed aboard Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, off the US East Coast, on March 1, 2021. The flagship of the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) had left Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia) on February 28, in preparation of the four-week sea trials.

Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper replacement requirements now include air-to-air combat capability

03/12/2021

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) always has been highly intrigued by the MiG-29 Fulcrum, and for the country’s military to get its hands on one, it indeed had to jump over plenty of hurdles. According to one report, “Israel obtained a nearly complete, crated, MiG-29 via a covert deal with a Polish general. The aircraft was at Gdansk awaiting shipment to Syria but was instead put on a plane and flown to Israel in late 1985. The Soviets soon got wind of this and demanded its return.

US aerospace giant Boeing offers KC-46 tankers to IAF! Dates announced for the US Def Sec visit to India

03/12/2021

The US aerospace Boeing Company is open to leasing KC-46tanker, a derivative of the Boeing 767 passenger aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is seeking quotes for mid-air refuellers. Confirming this to Financial Express Online, in an exclusive interaction with Financial Express Online, Torbjorn Sjogren, VP, International Government & Defence, Boeing Global Services, said “We are in talks with the IAF for KC-46tanker.

Denmark F-35 Lightning II production aircraft takes inaugural flight

03/12/2021

Denmark flew its first F-35 Lightning II production aircraft ‘L-001’ becoming the fifth European Nato nation to be armed with the F-35 fighter jet alongside the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy.

The US ‘On Course’ To Become 1st Nation To Field Sixth-Gen Fighter Jet?

03/12/2021

A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notice indicates that the country could field a new fighter jet by 2029. This development assumes significance given that the US is currently developing the sixth-generation fighter jet under the NGAD program.

India to induct second squadron of Rafale fighter jets soon: IAF

03/12/2021

The Indian Air Force will induct the second squadron of Rafale fighter aircraft at Hashimara Air Force base in West Bengal in mid-April, said officials. The Air Force would be moving fighter aircraft there in May. The training of the fighter pilots in France completing around the same time.

Could Ukrainian Firm Solve China’s Jet-Engine Problem?

03/10/2021

Washington and Kiev are trying to block the Chinese takeover of a jet-engine maker little known outside Ukraine, Motor Sich. If the sale goes through, it will let China obtain a key defence technology that has eluded them for decades, in one of the few remaining disciplines where the US and its allies retain a competitive advantage.

Royal Navy seeking information on cats and traps to launch drones

03/10/2021

A Request For Information (RFI) issued to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed that the Royal Navy is seeking information on potential electromagnetic catapult and arrestor wire systems that could be used to launch and recover ‘air vehicles’ from ‘a suitable ship’ by as soon as 2023.

Saab Gripen Fighter Jets To Undergo Supersonic Test-Flight With The Brazilian Air Force

03/10/2021

The supersonic test flights are scheduled to take place over the next few months. Developed by Swedish aerospace giants Saab AB, the JAS-39 ‘Gripen’ is a light single-engine multirole combat aircraft that is highly agile and versatile. The Gripen fighters boast the best electronic warfare (EW) equipment and have already been exported to Brazil, Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

China's military is keeping a close eye on the US's development of a new, advanced fighter jet

03/10/2021

The US Air Force's desire to radically reshape and accelerate the way it develops future fighter planes could propel China to ramp up its plans for next-generation aircraft, Chinese experts said. A military insider familiar with China's next-generation aircraft project said Chinese aircraft designers were keeping a close eye on anything disclosed by their American counterparts about NGAD, or the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.

Nellis Air Force Base begins noisy Red Flag exercises

03/09/2021

Southern Nevada and Southern Utah residents may notice increased noise from military aircraft as the Air Force conducts Red Flag 21-2 from Monday to March 19. More than 80 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and may remain in the air for up to five hours during Red Flag, according to a press release issued by the Nellis Air Force Base. There will be night launches as well to allow air crews to train for nighttime combat operations.

Case Closed: The F-35 Is the Stealth Fighter the U.S. Military Needs

03/09/2021

The F-35 stealth fighter jet has had quite a trajectory over a period of many years, including substantial ups and downs marked by some breakthrough successes such as new weapons integration, performance enhancing software upgrades, wargame performance, favorable pilot reviews, growing global demand and some measure of initial combat success.

F-21 Vs F-15EX: Will Indian Air Force Opt For Boeing F-15EX Over Lockheed F-21 Fighter Jets?

03/09/2021

To augment its fighter fleet, India has purchased 36 Dassault Rafales from France. Eleven of them have already been inducted into the IAF. Six more are scheduled to arrive this month. The country has also moved forward with the development of its indigenous fourth-generation LCA Tejas fighters, which are expected to support the Rafales in carrying out future missions.

Navy asks industry to develop enabling technologies for hypersonic weapons for carrier-based F/A-18E/F jet

03/09/2021

U.S. Navy aviation experts are asking industry to develop a prototype hypersonic missile to enable the carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter bomber to attack high-priority targets while giving the enemy little time to deploy countermeasures. Officials of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., issued a special notice (N00014-21-S-SN06) on Tuesday for the Screaming Arrow project to arm the Navy Super Hornet with hypersonic weapons.

Contract notice hints US could field a new fighter by 2029

03/09/2021

A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notification has offered a hint that the US could field a new fighter aircraft by FY 2029. The $74m contract notice with Raytheon for the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) aircraft integration mentions a number of existing airframes but leaves the option open for future integration on to current or next-generation fighters before the close of fiscal year 2029.

French MP and billionaire Olivier Dassault dies in helicopter crash

03/08/2021

The accident occurred on Sunday evening in Normandy where he had a holiday home, according to police sources. In his tribute, President Emanuel Macron said Dassault, 69, loved France and his death would be "a great loss". Dassault was the son of industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper.

First NATO alert mission over Black Sea for Spanish Eurofighters to intercept Russian fighters flying in international airspace

03/07/2021

Showcasing Alliance vigilance and readiness, Spanish NATO Air Policing assets scrambled on March 4 to intercept Russian fighters flying in international airspace in the vicinity of Alliance territory .

After US’ F-15EX Offer To India, Is Russia Re-Pitching Su-57 Stealth Fighters To The Indian Air Force?

03/07/2021

The Indian military has been on a shopping spree since the border standoff with China began last year. After almost nine months, the two counties finally agreed to disengage their troops from Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh last month. During the standoff, India started receiving French Rafale jets. Out of 36 aircraft ordered, it has received 11 so far. Six more will be delivered this month.

Saab Gripen Jets A Big Contender Against F-15EX Fighters For The Indian Air Force

03/07/2021

In a bid to bolster the air capabilities, the Indian Air Force has proposed the procurement of 114 additional fighter jets under MMRCA 2.0. Swedish aerospace giant Saab had lost the first MMRCA competition to French Dassault, which signed a contract for 36 Rafale jets with New Delhi. However, the loss did not deter Saab, which is now pitching hard its multirole Gripen fighters to New Delhi by offering its entire production technology to meet the ‘Make in India’ norms.

Japan denies report that it’s scrambling fewer fighter jets against Chinese military aircraft

03/06/2021

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has denied reports that it is scrambling fewer fighter jets against Chinese military aircraft infringing on Japanese airspace due to an increased reliance on the F-35 stealth fighter.

DRDO joins exclusive club after long-range air-to-air missile test

03/06/2021

A successful test on Friday of the technologies that go into a “solid fuel ducted ramjet” (SFDR) has propelled the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) into an exclusive group of manufacturers that can build long-range air-to-air missiles (AAM) capable of shooting down enemy aircraft hundreds of kilometres away.

B-1 Bomber Deployment to Norway Shows 'The Alliance is Working'

03/06/2021

The first-ever deployment of B-1 Lancer bombers to Norway is allowing U.S. airmen to train in Arctic conditions and NATO ally Norway to test its defenses, particularly against its eastern neighbor, Russia, military officials from both countries said Friday.

Modi, Swedish PM discuss defence collaboration; India says aware of Gripen-maker Saab's pitch

03/06/2021

Amid interests shown by Swedish company Saab to manufacture its Gripen fighter aircraft in India, prime ministers of the two countries on Friday noted defence is an important area of a long-standing collaboration.