May 10, 2016 Military Aviation News

F-35 Test Flights Struggle To Boot Up, But Jets Fly On

05/10/2016

F-35 critics often point to the Pentagon's decision to start building the fifth-generation fighter before design and testing is complete as the root of the program's problems. Even now, as the Air Force prepares to declare its F-35A jets operational this year, so-called "concurrency" remains an obstacle.

U.S. airstrike takes out ISIS ‘emir’ in Iraq

05/10/2016

A U.S. airstrike has killed the so-called “emir” heading Islamic State operations in Iraq’s volatile Anbar province as well as a number of the group’s top commanders, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday. Shaker Wahib al-Fahdawi al-Dulaimi, also known as Abu Waheeb, was traveling in the Iraqi city of Rutba when his convoy was struck by American aircraft, according to Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

The Real Chinese 'Dragon': Exposing the Power of China's Deadly Air Force

05/10/2016

Tensions in the South China Sea and continued warnings about Chinese militarization of the disputed areas has led many Pentagon planners and analysts to sharpen focus on Chinese Air Force acquisitions and technological advances.

Air Force will have first combat lasers on C-17, C-130 aircrafts

05/10/2016

The U.S. Air Force plans to arms its fleet of drones and fighter jet with high-tech laser weapons, according to Next Big Future. The Air Force plans to begin firing laser weapons from larger platforms such as C-17s and C-130s until the technological miniaturization efforts can configure the weapon to fire from fighter jets such as an F-15, F-16 or F-35.

Russia's military in Syria: Bigger than you think and not going anywhere

05/10/2016

Last week the Russian military brought more than a hundred international journalists, including our CNN crew, to Palmyra. The trip was orchestrated to showcase Moscow's role in liberating the ancient heritage site but it also said a lot about the Russian army's capabilities and the scale of their assets in Syria.

Jihadi Terror Creates New Global Market For Close Air Support Aircraft

05/10/2016

Back in 2009, when the Department of Defense had but one problem on its mind, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force had the idea of developing a light air support (LAS) aircraft for the close air support (CAS) mission for counterinsurgency operations. The focus was on a non-developmental platform, one that was cheap and easy to operate and maintain, intended primarily for foreign militaries with limited budgets, infrastructure and trained personnel.

Raytheon Wins $100Mln Contract to Build More Air-to-Air Missiles - Pentagon

05/10/2016

The US Air Force has awarded the Raytheon Company a more than $104 million contract to produce additional air-to-air missiles for US allies Australia, Romania, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, the US Department of Defense said in a press release.

First Base: US Fighter Jets Make Their Debut on Finnish Soil

05/10/2016

The US military is bringing a number of F-15C fighter jets to Finland for joint exercises with the country's armed forces, which kick off today. This is the first time that US military aircraft have engaged in such large scale maneuvers in Finland, even though the exercise would considered trivial by US standards.

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