3/22/2023 Milestone for US Navy as F-35C continues progress with Lot 17 contract  The United States Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $32,446,000 contract for the production of nine Lot 17 F-35C aircraft. The contract will cover the long-lead materials, parts, components, and associated support for the aircraft production, which the US Navy will use. |
3/22/2023 China Pitches Its JF-17, J-10 Fighter Jets To Congo; Looks To Further Boost Its Economic & Security Ties With Africa  China is reportedly offering to export the JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a sign of the rising sale of Chinese weapons in sub-Saharan Africa. A high-ranking group from the Chinese aerospace firm CATIC (China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation) and members of the People’s Liberation Army recently flew to Kinshasa. |
3/22/2023 Russia’s Su-30 Fighters ‘Team Up’ To Strike Enemy Targets In Baltic Drills; Su-35s Scrambled To Challenge US Bombers  The Baltic Fleet’s press office said on March 20 that more than ten crew of sophisticated Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 fighter planes began tactical flight rehearsals with bombing and missile strikes in Russia’s westernmost exclave of the Kaliningrad Region, TASS News Agency reported. |
3/22/2023 Report to Congress on Transferring Fighter Aircraft to Ukraine  Since Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, some defense analysts, U.S. defense officials, and Members of Congress have debated whether or not to enable the transfer of U.S. or NATO military aircraft, including fighter jets and unmanned aircraft, to Ukraine. In general, the debate has centered around two broad questions: (1) Is providing advanced military fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force necessary to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. |
3/21/2023 F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots could take less than six months, US evaluation found – Ukraine Air Force commander An American assessment of Ukrainian fighter pilots has revealed they would be ready to fly F-16 jets after fewer than six months of training, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Gen. Serhii Holubtsov told The Times. He says two Ukrainian fighter jet pilots returned to Ukraine last week after an assessment by the US military: |
3/21/2023 US Pentagon provides support for Kuwait’s KC-130 fleet  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has extended its KC-130J services contract to support the tanker aircraft fleet of the Kuwait Air Force. The contract was awarded to the Oklahoma-based Aviation Training Consulting LLC for $28m on 16 March. Work will be performed in Altus, Oklahoma (13%); and Kuwait (87%), and is expected to be completed in March 2025. |
3/21/2023 PACAF Commander: Air Superiority Is the Focus in Indo-Pacific  Speaking at an Aerospace Nation event hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Wilsbach said March 20 that air superiority is a joint endeavor of the U.S. and its allies in the region, and includes everything from combat jets to tankers, airlifters, and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and command and control assets like the E-7 Wedgetail. |
3/21/2023 Turkey Unveils Stealth Fighter and Combat UAV  Turkey’s Victory Day (March 18), which commemorates the battle of Çanakkale (Gallipoli), coincided this year with the 100th anniversary of the founding of modern Turkey by Kemal Atatürk. Given the date's significance, Turkish Aerospace (TAI) chose it to unveil its Milli Muharip Uçak (MMU, National Combat Aircraft) fifth-generation fighter, formerly known as the TF-X. The aircraft taxied under its own power on March 16 before a low-key rollout ceremony two days later. |
3/20/2023 Japan Self-Defense Forces, US military hold joint air, sea drills  Japan's Defense Ministry says the Air Self-Defense Force and the US Air Force conducted a joint drill on Sunday. The ministry says a total of ten aircraft - F-15 fighter jets from Japan and US B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters - took part in the exercise over the Sea of Japan. It says Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the US Navy also carried out a joint exercise with ships equipped with the Aegis missile-tracking system on Saturday and Sunday. |
3/20/2023 North Korea launches missile into sea amid US-SKorea drills  North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, ramping up testing activities in response to ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. |