5/14/2024

Greece plans to acquire 10 additional French Rafale F4 Fighters.

On May 10, 2024, the Hellenic Air Force General Staff announced its intention to acquire up to ten new Rafale F4 fighter jets from Dassault Aviation. This move is part of a broader strategy to modernize the Greek air force, which involves phasing out older models such as the F-4 Phantom and Mirage 2000-5 in favor of a more compact and technologically advanced fleet.

5/14/2024

The F-35 Fighter Just Hit Another Major Milestone: 469,000 Sorties

The F-35 Lightning II program achieved a significant milestone at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, with the 56th Fighter Wing completing its 100,000th sortie on May 9, 2024. This sortie, flown by Captain Garrett Ellis of the 308th Fighter Squadron, underscores the program's growing maturity and operational success. Luke AFB, home to the world's largest F-35 wing, plays a crucial role in training pilots, with each receiving extensive academic and flight training.

5/13/2024

US aims to stay ahead of China in using AI to fly fighter jets

Two Air Force fighter jets recently squared off in a dogfight in California. One was flown by a pilot. The other wasn’t. That second jet was piloted by artificial intelligence, with the Air Force’s highest-ranking civilian riding along in the front seat. It was the ultimate display of how far the Air Force has come in developing a technology with its roots in the 1950s. But it’s only a hint of the technology yet to come.

5/13/2024

NGAD: The U.S. Air Force's $300 Million Fighter Could Be a Real Game Changer

While few nations even can develop and field a fifth-generation fighter, the United States is already working on a sixth-generation fighter. Known as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, the sixth-generation fighter is expected to be technologically advanced – and fiscally prohibitive, leading some to question whether the advanced airframe is worth the sticker price.

5/12/2024

How an Air Force F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Flew Under Iran's F-4 Undetected

The F-22’s pilot, operating undetected, had sidled right in. “He flew under their aircraft to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there,” then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said. Having determined the F-4’s payloads, the Raptor pilot finally alerted the Iranians to his presence.

5/12/2024

Mini F-35? Turkey’s TAI TF Kaan Fighter Has Arrived

The first prototype of Turkey’s TAI TF Kaan fighter made its second test flight on May 6. According to the secretary of Turkish Defense Industries, the test flight went well. “Our National Combat Aircraft, which successfully made its first flight on February 21, took off from the runway at 08:46 this morning, stayed in the air for 14 minutes and reached an altitude of 10,000 feet,” Secretary Haluk Gorgun said.

5/12/2024

Ukraine forces shoot down Russian Su-25 attack aircraft near Avdiivka

The 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, named after General Marko Bezruchko, has successfully downed a Russian SU-25 attack aircraft in the Avdiivka direction, marking another significant achievement in aerial defense by Ukrainian forces. According to the General Staff, Russia has already lost 348 aircraft and 325 helicopters in its war against Ukraine. According to Ukrainian intelligence, at the outset of the full-scale invasion, Russia had approximately 1500 combat aircraft.

5/12/2024

Russia's Su-35S Fighter Is Trying to Make a Comeback in Ukraine

Russian authorities have long touted the Sukhoi Su-35S (NATO reporting name Flanker-E”) as being among its most capable combat aircraft in widespread service—and this week, it was announced that the Kremlin received a new batch of the multirole fighters. According to a report by Russian state media, the new aircraft were produced by the Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and flew to a deployment airfield after passing ground and flight trials.

5/12/2024

Ukraine's pilots are flying high-risk 'wild weasel' missions first developed in the Vietnam War by the USAF, says defense analyst

Pilots in Ukraine's Soviet-era airforce, a fraction of the size of Russia's, are using a tactic first developed by the US Air Force to contest the skies above the 600-mile frontline. Videos in recent months appear to show Ukrainian pilots conducting so-called "wild weasel" missions.

5/11/2024

US says Israel may have breached international law with American weapons in Gaza

The US says Israel may have used American-supplied weapons in breach of international humanitarian law in some instances during the war in Gaza. It is "reasonable to assess" that US-supplied arms have been used in ways "inconsistent" with Israel's obligations, says the state department.