Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

Boeing gets $115M contract to build more Loyal Wingman combat drones

03/06/2021

The company said that the agreement will increase the aircraft’s production capability to six aircraft for Royal Australian Air Force. As noted by the company, the Loyal Wingman is the first military combat aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.

10 Reasons Nearly Nothing Can Stop the F-35 Stealth Fighter

03/05/2021

October 26 of this year marks the 20th anniversary of the day in 2001 when the development contract for the F-35 fighter was awarded to an industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Called the Joint Strike Fighter at the time, it was an improbable project: a family of tactical aircraft that could do everything for everybody, in the process replacing most of the nation’s Cold War fighter fleet.

Two Venezuelan Sukhoi SU 30 fighter jets enter Guyana’s airspace

03/05/2021

Guyana Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd has said that two Venezuelan Sukhoi SU 30 fighter jets entered the country’s airspace. The jets flew over the community of Eteringbang and the airstrip at a ‘very low altitude’ on 2 March. The incident is the latest in a ‘long-running border conflict’ between Guyana and Venezuela.

India signs key pact with Philippines for sale of 'defence equipment'

03/04/2021

India on Tuesday signed a key pact with the Philippines for the sale of "defence material and equipment", which are likely to include BrahMos cruise missiles. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was also present at the pact's signing ceremony in Manila, has reportedly said that his country is buying BrahMos missiles.

F-35B jets undergo sea trials aboard Italian ITS Cavour aircraft carrier

03/04/2021

Two F-35B Lighting II joint strike fighters (JSFs) are undergoing sea trials aboard the Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550). The specially instrumented US F-35Bs were flown by the test pilots from Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, to the Italian Navy flagship carrier on 28 February.

Egypt moves ahead with purchase of Russian arms despite US warnings

03/04/2021

Russia officially announced on Feb. 25 that Egypt had received five Sukhoi Su-35 advanced combat aircraft. The Russian Khabarovsk Krai region’s official media agency stated that the most important achievement of the military factory in the region was delivering the five Su-35 fighter jets to Egypt, out of the 24 jets that were agreed upon, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Air Force's Reconfigured F-15E Strike Eagle Fighter Proves It Can Carry Extra Bombs

03/04/2021

The U.S. Air Force just reconfigured the F-15E Strike Eagle to carry more Joint Direct Attack Munitions under its wings, proving the fighter can be used to transport a heavier payload and eliminating the need for a cargo plane. The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, said Tuesday that the loadout was tested last month during a "proof of concept" trial, demonstrating the jet could carry 15 JDAMs, a large increase from its standard load of nine, officials said in a

War Of The Wingmen: New Robot Fighters Promise To Transform Aerial Combat

03/04/2021

Kelley Aerospace of Singapore just unveiled its supersonic Arrow drone: a stealthy, autonomous aircraft capable of flying missions alongside manned jets. This is the latest entry in a long list of new high-performance combat drones known as “Loyal Wingmen” being introduced by countries around the world.

After 36 Years, Marines' F/A-18 Hornets Have Completed Their Final Carrier Deployment

03/03/2021

Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets have flown off the flight deck of a Navy aircraft carrier for the last time. Members of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, known as the Death Rattlers, returned to California last week after a 10-month deployment with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. It was the final F/A-18 Hornet carrier deployment for the Marine Corps, officials said in a news release about the historic mission.

Two U.S. F-35Bs Have Landed Aboard Italian Navy Aircraft Carrier ITS Cavour To Begin Sea Trials

03/03/2021

Two specially instrumented U.S. 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 Mar. 1, 2021.

In a first, Air Force to participate in Exercise Desert Flag VI in UAE

03/03/2021

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the Exercise Desert Flag-VI along with the air forces of the UAE, the US, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain for the first time, it said on Tuesday. The exercise is scheduled from March 3 to 21 at the Al-Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

MQ-25 Stingray Unmanned Aerial Refuelling Aircraft

03/03/2021

MQ-25 Stingray is a next-generation unmanned aerial refuelling aircraft being developed by Boeing for the US Navy's Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) programme. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will offer carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling capability to the US Navy.

US Media Calls India’s LCA Tejas ‘Much More Reliable’ Than Chinese Fighter Jets

03/03/2021

Developed by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Tejas is a single-engine, fourth-generation, multirole light combat aircraft. The fighter has been designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with HAL’s Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) for the primary use of the Indian Air Force and the Navy under the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program.

Air Force chief to visit KAI to check development of new homegrown fighter

03/02/2021

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong was to visit Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on Tuesday to check the development of the country's first indigenous fighter jet, the military said. The visit to KAI, the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, in the southern city of Sacheon comes as the final assembly of a prototype of the KF-X warplane is under way ahead of its planned rollout event in April.

Boeing T-7A Red Hawk USAF Trainer Enters Production, Nod to the Tuskege Airmen

02/28/2021

The fighter-like machine is an evolution of the Boeing T-X concept and has been developed by Boeing together with Swedish company Saab. It is powered by a General Electric turbofan engine capable of generating 17,000 lbf (76 kN) of thrust with afterburner, while seating, of course, two pilots.

The SouthEast Asia camouflage of the A-10C, inspired by the F-105 Thunderchiefs of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, will honor the unit’s Prisoners of War, Missing in Action and Veterans.

02/28/2021

The U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II demonstration team is being assigned a new jet ahead of the 2021 airshow season. The aircraft, serial 81-0962, was recently repainted by the 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in the Vietnam-era SouthEast Asia (SEA) camouflage. The A-10 is not new to camouflages, as it was painted with the green and gray European One camouflage during the Cold War.

Desert Storm attack pilot integrates 30-years of tactics with new technology

02/28/2021

A Tyrannosaurus rex replica named “Stan” proudly stands in front of the Google Corporation’s headquarters in California. With his threatening gaze and gaping mouth, he provides a stark contrast to the rest of the campus. Google highlights the extinct apex predator as a sobering reminder innovation is more than just a term – we must ‘innovate or die’.

Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach Calls for Rapid Procurement of E-7 Wedgetail Aircraft

02/27/2021

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of Pacific Air Forces, said the U.S. Air Force should push for the rapid procurement of the Boeing-built E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to replace the service’s aging E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system fleet and meet the demand for such capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, The War Zone reported Thursday.

Contract pilots in F1B Mirage suffer non-life-threatening injuries in Tyndall AFB crash

02/27/2021

Two pilots aboard a Mirage F1B fighter jet suffered non-life-threatening injuries after the aircraft slid off the runway at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida Thursday morning, an official for the aircraft owner told Air Force Times. “They are doing fine,” said John Rupp, a spokesman for Airborne Tactical Advantage Company said Thursday evening. “One of our two-seat Mirage F1Bs supporting military flight training at Tyndall, upon return, slid off the runway. One of the pilots elected to eject.”

Sukhoi Su-57 – A significant boost to Russian air combat capabilities

02/27/2021

The Sukhoi Su-57 is a stealth-capable multi-role fifth-generation fighter jet being developed for the Russian Air Force. Airforce Technology details the key features of Su-57 that make it a force multiplier for the Russian armed forces.