March, 2017 Military Aviation News
03/31/2017
Governor Robert Bentley announced today that Leonardo, a global aerospace and defense firm, will create 750 jobs at an advanced assembly center at Tuskegee’s Moton Field if the company’s T-100 jet trainer wins a U.S. Air Force competition for a next-generation training aircraft.
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03/31/2017
The Philippine government said it is yet to verify the completion of Chinese military assets in the Spratly (Kalayaan) Islands in the South China Sea, the country's top diplomat said Thursday. This is despite Washington-based think tank CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative's (AMTI) recently released satellite images showing the nearly complete construction of infrastructures on Subi (Zamora), Mischief (Panganiban) and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reefs.
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03/31/2017
Hindustan Aeronautics has secured an INR80 billion ($1.2 billion) order for 32 Dhruv helicopters for use by the Indian navy and coast guard. Each maritime arm will receive 16 examples of the 5.5t Dhruv, says HAL in a statement.
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03/31/2017
The prospect of an F-15C/D fleet retirement cropped up during a House Armed Services Committee hearing last week, when members of Congress asked USAF leadership whether the Boeing aircraft could be replaced with Lockheed Martin F-16s. While the director of the Air National Guard entertained that concept as a possibility, the air force’s public affairs quickly pushed back on the idea, saying it was “pre-decisional.”
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03/31/2017
The US Navy is still struggling to find the root cause of the hypoxia issue plaguing the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler, service leadership told House Armed Services Committee members this week. The service’s Boeing F/A-18s are experiencing a dangerous crew cabin pressure issue, while the newer variants may have possible oxygen contamination.
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03/31/2017
The LOI was signed with Pelita Air Services, which represents a consortium of state-owned companies involved in aerospace, says Airbus in an email to FlightGlobal. “We believe that the A400M will be an outstanding asset to support Indonesia´s vision of creating an air bridge to help redistribute wealth and resources across the archipelago as well as providing the basis for the expansion of our long-standing industrial cooperation,” says Fernando Alonso, head of military aircraft at the airframer
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03/31/2017
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is showing interest in the procurement of Russia's Ka-226 and Ansat helicopters, CEO of Russian Helicopters, a Moscow-based helicopter manufacturer, Andrey Boginsky said Thursday.
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03/31/2017
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif indicated that Tehran could allow Russia to use its military bases to carry out counterterrorism missions in Syria, saying the decisions would be made "on a case-by-case basis." Political analyst Vladimir Sazhin told Radio Sputnik that Iran's statement is meant to test the waters.
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03/31/2017
According to the Kyodo news agency, the Miho airbase has become the first place of deployment of these aircraft. Three Kawasaki C-2 jets were delivered to the airbase on Tuesday, while the solemn ceremony of the deployment took place earlier on Thursday, the news outlet said.
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03/30/2017
China's rapid development of new destroyers, amphibs, stealth fighters and long-range weapons is quickly increasing its ability to threaten the United States and massively expand expeditionary military operations around the globe, according to a Congressional report.
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03/30/2017
In a move that will surely make the volatile Black Sea region even more interesting, NATO will begin basing fighter jets in Romania in May, the United Kingdom announced this week. While it may not seem like much, it means NATO will further expand its reach into Russia’s southern flank, basing jets minutes from the Black Sea and sending one of the clearest messages yet to the increasingly aggressive country.
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03/30/2017
Satellite images published this week confirm that China has almost completed the construction of a variety of military assets in the Philippine and Vietnamese South China Sea, assets that allow it to deploy fighter jets and missile launchers at a moment’s notice and provide it expanded surveillance capabilities.
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03/30/2017
The US Air Force could field its Penetrating Counterair platform on a fast track, according to the service’s head of Air Combat Command. The USAF will likely purchase its next standoff aircraft in batches and add capabilities along the way, rather than wait for years for an exquisite aircraft, Lt Gen Mike Holmes told reporters 29 March.
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03/30/2017
The UK Royal Air Force has received the first of its Boeing CH-47 Chinooks upgraded to the HC5 standard. Delivered to the service’s Odiham base in Hampshire on 22 March, the tandem-rotor helicopter is the first of eight HC3 models to undergo modernisation by Boeing under the Ministry of Defence’s Project Julius initiative.
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03/30/2017
The Saudis’ recent business tour through East and Southeast Asia, intended to increase the kingdom’s revenues, landed a new project for the oil-rich nation: China will set up a drone manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia.
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03/30/2017
On Wednesday, South Korean news outlets reported that a sixth nuclear test by North Korea is imminent, and could take place as early as next week. An unnamed source within the South Korean military told Korea Joongang Daily, "We have intelligence that North Korea may conduct its sixth nuclear test in the first week of April and are in the process of confirming this…We have determined that North Korea is expected to finish all preparations for a nuclear test by March 31."
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03/30/2017
Norway struck a deal with the United States on Wednesday to buy five Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the Nordic nation’s Defense Ministry announced.
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03/30/2017
The Finnish Air Force has without unnecessary publicity formed a new US-style special unit called Raven. The newly-formed unit will, in line with their US prototype, handle the protection of aircraft and VIP passengers in hazardous locations.
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03/29/2017
The last three weeks of airstrikes in Mosul have been “the most kinetic three weeks in the campaign in Iraq” against the Islamic State, the top Air Force general in Iraq said Thursday. Brig. Gen. Matthew Isler, deputy commanding general for Air, Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command, said in an interview that coalition aircraft above Mosul have dropped more than 500 precision-guided munitions a week so far in March even hitting as high as 605 weapons in one week.
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03/29/2017
As President Donald Trump pushes for the Pentagon to buy more of Boeing Co.’s F-18 aircraft, the U.S. Navy is grappling with an escalating problem: Pilots suffering potentially dangerous oxygen deprivation or a loss of cabin pressure in the fighter jets.
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03/29/2017
The Air Force’s stealthy long-range bomber will have the endurance and next-generation stealth capability to elude the most advanced existing air defenses and attack anywhere in the world, if needed, senior service officials said. When the Air Force revealed its first artist rendering of what its new Long Range Strike – Bomber looks like, former Air Force Secretary Deborah James made reference to plans to engineer a bomber able elude detection from even the best, most cutting-edge air defenses.
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03/29/2017
Dozens of aircraft hangars and high-end radar capabilities on China's man-made islands in the South China Sea are almost operational, according to new satellite imagery released by a US-based think tank. The new facilities will further establish China's military dominance over the highly contested region, experts told CNN, and could help China establish a controversial Air Defense Identification Zone in the area.
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03/29/2017
A Lebanese pilot trainee has flown an A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft for the first time, as part of a training programme conducted by the US Air Force (USAF). The first ‘in seat’ training sortie was conducted at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, on 22 March this year. The training programme is being conducted to ensure that the Lebanese Air Force receives the support and training needed to safely and effectively employ the A-29 aircraft, the USAF stated.
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03/29/2017
The 64th Aggressor Squadron, based out of Nellis Air Force Base, is one of only two USAF units that provide dedicated adversary support. The 64th aims to take the whole threat presentation mission to an extreme level. This doesn't just include emulating potential adversaries' tactics and procedures, as well as their weapons and aircraft capabilities, but also presenting front-line pilots with some of the same camouflage paint jobs they could see on enemy planes in battle.
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03/29/2017
A new torpedo upgrade that will fundamentally change the way US Navy airmen hunt submarines is on track to seek approval to begin low-rate initial production later this year, Boeing and Navy officials say on 28 March.
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03/29/2017
The US Air Force’s arming of the fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighter jet with new Air Intercept Missile-9X sidewinder missiles is causing excitement among the war plane’s pilots. Last year the weapon was integrated into the Raptor fleet, but it has been featured on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and other aircraft since the early 2000s.
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03/29/2017
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has joined the Iniohos 2017 multinational air drills hosted by Greece and involving pilots from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), local media reported Tuesday.
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03/28/2017
Germany has advanced the program to build its own sixth generation stealth jet fighter from its concept to the initial working stage. A sixth-generation jet fighter is a conceptualized class of fighter aircraft design more advanced than the fifth-generation jet fighters that are currently in service in the United States and in development in other countries.
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03/28/2017
For the first time, an important United States military base, one where a great deal of highly classified communications, intelligence and operations occur, sits within a few miles of a military competitor. Where? Djibouti, the tiny African state that sits on the Horn of Africa across from Yemen and sits astride the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It is one of the world’s most strategic locations.
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03/28/2017
China appears to have largely completed major construction of military infrastructure on artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea and can now deploy combat planes and other military hardware there at any time, a US think tank said on Monday.
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03/28/2017
Japan and the UK have agreed to explore options for co-developing a future fighter aircraft, but Tokyo will also continue discussions on developing a next-generation combat jet with other countries, the Japanese Ministry of Defense says.
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03/28/2017
Indonesia has received 18 of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 25 fighters that have been refurbished after USAF use. The aircraft were delivered from the USAF’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, says a statement from the USAF. The four most recent aircraft include three single seat ‘C’ jets and one tandem seat ‘D’ aircraft.
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03/27/2017
When the F-22 Raptor production line ceased in 2011, Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel thought the Pentagon had made a huge mistake. He was driving in his car in 2009 when he found out "the Raptor fleet is done at 187, and I remember thinking, 'This is not great.' I thought it was an error."
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03/27/2017
With the return of spring weather, the Selfridge Military Museum and Air Park will soon once again be open to the general public. The museum and air park will be open from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from April 1 to Oct. 29. It will also be open on Independence Day and Memorial Day. Visitors to the museum and air park will see more than $7 million worth of displays. The site features more than 30 military aircraft, all with a Michigan connection, and thousands of artifacts.
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03/27/2017
Malaysia’s defence minister Hishamuddin Hussain has squashed reports that the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon had been shortlisted for the Malaysian air force’s multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) requirement. Asked if the ministry would settle for Eurofighter Typhoon by BAE Systems or the Rafale by Dassault Aviation, he said the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen “are still in the running”.
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03/27/2017
Sudan said on Sunday that it will begin military air operations with Saudi Arabia this week, the first exercises of its kind since the breakdown in 2015 of the links between Khartoum and Tehran. The maneuvers will take place from 29 March to 12 April in Meroe, north of Khartoum, and will involve hundreds of air force personnel from both countries.
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03/27/2017
In the midst of ongoing joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has stated that it may attack without warning against what it claims are preparations for an enemy invasion by the West.
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03/27/2017
In his program Vesti Nedeli (News of the Week), broadcast by Russia's Rossiya 1 news network, TV host Dmitry Kiselev specifically focused on Russia's air and missile defense systems, which he said have been bolstered considerably over the past several years. Kiselev recalled that "in the early 2000s, Russia's air defenses were locally installed, with only major economic and military facilities being protected by these systems at the time."
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03/26/2017
Down the road, the Navy’s pursuit of a sixth-generation fighter will hopefully keep the carrier air wing vital and effective, even against strongly defended targets.
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03/26/2017
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba , in a wide-ranging interview with The Hindu , clarifies that the Navy has only taken a purely technical decision in turning down the naval version of the light combat aircraft developed by the DRDO despite its strong commitment to indigenisation. He highlights the need to step up training facilities to meet personnel shortage and the Navy’s strong ‘Act East’ focus.
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03/26/2017
Irkut Corporation, manufacturer of Russia's Sukhoi brand of fighter aircraft, has offered the Indian Air Force a proposal to carry out a 'major modernization' of India's fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole air superiority fighters. What benefits will the upgrade mean for the Indian Air Force? Sputnik investigates.
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03/26/2017
The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden trial-firing of a newly installed surface-to-air missile system from its Russian-origin aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The missile system, the Israel-made Barak 8, was taken out from a decommissioned warship and fitted into the Vikramaditya, the former Admiral Gorshkov, in 2015. The missile system has been fitted on the warship by cutting the deck.
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03/26/2017
The Indian Navy's three Tupolev Tu-142M aircraft will be decommissioned on March 29. The aircraft will be converted into a museum in collaboration with an Indian state. The navy had already begun gradually phasing out the Tupolevs, nicknamed Albatross, which were key in anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol roles.
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03/26/2017
The Department of Defense announced that the United States awarded a $909 million contract to AAR Supply Chain for the Air Force’s landing gear logistical program.“AAR Supply Chain Inc., Wood Dale, Illinois, has been awarded a $909,394,297 firm-fixed-price with economic price adjustment requirements contract for the Landing Gear Performance Based Logistics One program,” the release stated on Friday.
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03/25/2017
Britain is not buying V-22 Osprey aircraft to fly from its new aircraft carriers, the government has confirmed. “The V-22 Osprey is not part of the resourced plan to deliver the UK Carrier Strike capability,” said junior defence minister Earl Howe. “However, the Ministry of Defence will continue to explore a variety of options to augment the capabilities of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers in future.”
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03/25/2017
The Philippines is set to have additional six new FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea in the following weeks, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday. On Wednesday, two of the six Philippine FA-50 fighter jets (tail numbers 007 and 008) would arrive in the country. Two more would land in April and the last two in May, according to Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.
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03/25/2017
The plane can stop dramatically in mid-air, turn on a dime, and rapidly accelerate. The Russian Knights, the elite aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force, is showcasing the new Sukhoi Su-30 fighters at the LIMA 2017 maritime and aerospace exhibition in Malaysia, March 21-25.
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03/25/2017
India and Russia have failed to make progress on one of their most prestigious defense deals—the co-development and production of the Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), known in India as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF).
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03/25/2017
France is overhauling its popular Rafale multi-role fighter jet to better serve in combat missions, the French defense ministry said this week. The makeover comes as France is pouring millions of new dollars into defense spending to bolster national security. France has directed contractor Dassault Aviation to upgrade the Rafale with changes to its missiles, engines and new capabilities.
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03/25/2017
Germany and Airbus Defense and Space are working on the initial stages of a new program to replace Berlin’s long-serving fleet of the Panavia Tornado bombers and complement the Luftwaffe’s Eurofighter Typhoon air superiority fighters. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS)—as the Bundeswehr program is called—would likely be a system of systems that combines manned and unmanned elements.
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03/25/2017
The Boeing KC-46A tanker’s costs have decreased by $7.3 billion, or about 14%, since its initial estimate but the programme could see future delays, according to a Government Accountability Report released this week.
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03/25/2017
Afghanistan has bolstered to a dozen its in-country fleet of Embraer/Sierra Nevada A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft, with the arrival of its latest four examples in Kabul. Flown from the US Air Force’s Moody AFB in Georgia, the A-29s arrived in Afghanistan on 20 March. They will undergo “a brief reconfiguration, after which they will be ready for combat operations in the 2017 fighting season”, according to the USAF.
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03/25/2017
Military strategists in Poland are torn as to whether to bolster the country’s aerial arsenal with more beleaguered F-35 Joint Strike Fighters or upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcons. "I can say that, regarding the F-16 and F-35 aircraft, there is an ongoing discussion on which one to select," Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki recently told the Polish Parliament.
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03/23/2017
Lockheed Martin is considering whether it has a plane in its inventory that can meet the U.S. Air Force’s nascent light attack aircraft requirement, but may subvert expectations by not offering the T-50, a top company executive tells Defense News.
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03/23/2017
France's Rafale fighter jet is emerging as the frontrunner as Malaysia looks to replace its aging fleet of combat aircraft, a source in the Southeast Asian nation's defence ministry said on Wednesday, despite narrowing its defence spending this year. French President Francois Hollande was expected to make a pitch for the Rafale, made by Dassault Aviation SA, when he and his team visit Malaysia next week, the source said.
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03/23/2017
Belgian Defence Minister Steven Vandeput has announced plans to replace its existing fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, in a bid to improve its air combat capability. The 54 F-16s currently in service with Belgium will be replaced by 34 new multi-role combat aircraft. Vandeput said: "The government has made the courageous decision to renew our air combat capability and to replace the F-16s fleet, and with this capability we are making an important contribution to Nato's collective defence.
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03/23/2017
The US Air Force says it’s too soon to say whether the service will swap out retired Boeing F-15C and F-15Ds for updated Lockheed Martin F-16. During a 22 House Armed Services Committee, Representative Joe Wilson asked the director of the Air National Guard whether replacing the F-15C and F-15D fleet would have a negative impact on air superiority. Lt Gen Scott Rice answered that updated F-16s could fill the gaps left by the retired F-15s.
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03/23/2017
Korea Aerospace Industies (KAI) is promoting its T-50 advanced jet trainer, light attack aircraft to Kuala Lumpur. KAI had a large stand at this year’s show at the Langkawi Internationa Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition. Its appearancec was also in support of the South Korean air force’s Black Eagles display team, which performed daily in the show’s flying display.
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03/23/2017
Swiss aerospace firm Ruag is working on opportunities to sell its Do228NG aircraft in Malaysia, as it also increases its MRO presence in the country. The company is in discussions with two local operators to sell up to three Do288NGs for chartered passenger services to island resorts, says David Jones, Ruag’s general manager in Malaysia.
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03/23/2017
At a ceremony at the Langkawi Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (LIMA), defence minister Hishamuddin Hussein recieved a plaque from the European firm’s chief executive, Fernando Alonso. “With this delivery, the RMAF now has a fleet of four aircraft, and can start to fully benefit from the A400M’s unique capabilities,” says Alonso.
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03/23/2017
US defense contractor Elbit Systems won nearly $50 million for 126 helmet display tracker systems (HDTS) to concentrate fire power on targets delivered by MH-60 Sikorsky Seahawk maritime combat helicopters, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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03/23/2017
The PLA put the US on notice Wednesday after issuing a warning to the Pentagon for sending a military aircraft over the disputed East China Sea, a pair of US officials told Fox News. The East China Sea is bordered by Shanghai to the west, South Korea to the North, and Japan to the east. A US military official confirmed the presence of the B-1 near South Korea while corroborating the report that Chinese officials let the US Air Force know that Beijing was not pleased with the mission.
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03/23/2017
Efficiency of Russian weapons was proved by fight against terrorism, for example, in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday, adding that the analysis of practical use of defense technologies would improve the quality of military equipment.
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03/22/2017
With the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) replacement programme seemingly back on track, Rafale International believes its jet is well-placed to be the best bet for Malaysia. With fighter aircraft undoubtedly being the most strategic weapon of any air force today, it said, both in terms of combat effectiveness and critical technologies, the Rafale is the right answer to conduct modern warfare safely and efficiently, thanks to its multi-role capabilities.
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03/22/2017
Ukraine is developing a new indigenous lightweight fighter aircraft fighter according to a new report. However, the project has existed in some form for more than ten years. According to a report in Jane’s, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Kiev would develop its own twin-engine, multirole fighter during a visit to the Ivchenko-Progress engine design bureau.
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03/22/2017
As the United States continues to place tremendous time, energy and resources into its “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific, many are questioning the military and strategic aspects of this effort. Specifically, many analysts are concerned over the emphasis China has placed on its ballistic- and cruise-missile platforms.
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03/22/2017
As part of its aggressive military designs India has undertaken the development of an unmanned combat version of the home-grown light combat aircraft (LCA), and has undertaken a study to convert the fighter for a futuristic role. A team is already working on the project to convert the LCA into a drone and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) India's premier aircraft manufacturer is confident to complete the project within a short time frame.
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03/22/2017
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has offered to modernize Malaysia’s MiG-29N fighter jets to MiG-29SM. Russia also intends to deliver repair services, Sputnik news reported today.
"We are ready to provide full repair for these fighter jets and modernize them to MiG-29SM. We have brought a MiG-29SM simulator to this exhibition," a representative of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) told Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
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03/22/2017
Lockheed Martin should complete a preliminary design review of its quiet supersonic X-plane by June and will move onto a critical design review with NASA, a Skunk Works programme lead says.
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03/22/2017
As the battle for the US Air Force’s T-X trainer programme heats up, Italy’s Leonardo fears that its T-100 will be overlooked due to political considerations. The T-100 – a variant of the Aermacchi M-346 – faces opposition from a combined Boeing/Saab team, which is offering a clean-sheet design, and the Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50.
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03/22/2017
Honeywell sees an opportunity to offer key systems upgrades to help extend the life of Malaysia’s ageing military aircraft fleet. Derek Lockett, director of sales Asia-Pacific for Honeywell, says the firm is expanding its presence in the region, mainly through the addition of sales staff.
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03/22/2017
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is set to host one of the most complex air exercises ever later this year, featuring 100 aircraft and hundreds of airmen. India, Greece, Poland, France, Italy, the US and Germany will participate in the two-week Blue Flag air exercises, held every other year.
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03/21/2017
After six years of fighting, the chances that Israel may wade into the maelstrom that is the Syrian civil war is increasing after two more Israeli airstrikes rocked Syria over the weekend. One of the strikes was delivered Sunday via drone against a truck traveling between the Golan Heights and Damascus. One of the two people killed supposedly had close military ties to the Assad regime. The other strike came overnight and was rumored to have been aimed at another Hezbollah weapons convoy.
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03/21/2017
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to extend the service life of the U-2S Dragon Lady for several more years. Under previous budget plans, the evergreen spyplane was due to be retired in 2019-20, leaving only the unmanned RQ-4B Global Hawk to perform the high-altitude reconnaissance mission. Managers at the Lockheed Martin (LM) Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, are preparing upgrade proposals for the U-2’s sensors and communications fit.
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03/21/2017
Small, inexpensive, easy to operate combat aircraft with precision strike capability and long loiter times to provide close air support. Versatile, scalable rotary wing assets that do double duty as gunships and utility/rescue helicopters. Aircraft that can be disbursed to unimproved airfields and operated from roadways or even fields while being concealed on the ground.
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03/21/2017
India has outsourced Part-production of its home-made Light Combat Aircraft, ‘Tejas’ to Indian private companies by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) as part of ‘three pronged program’ to speed up production of the fighter jets.
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03/21/2017
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has received a more than $12 million US Air Force contract to boost the range of 10 MQ-9 Reaper drones, the Department of Defense announced.
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03/21/2017
Four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft for the Afghanistan Air Force (AAF) have arrived in Kabul from a base in the US state of Georgia, raising the fledgling air force’s inventory of the light-attack aircraft from eight to 12, the US Department of Defense said in a press release on Monday.
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03/21/2017
The Turkish leadership has indicated that Ankara is interested in purchasing the S-400 Triumf, one of the most advanced air defense systems designed and manufactured in Russia. Both nations stand to gain from the deal if it is finalized.
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03/20/2017
In what will come as bad news for India, ‘all-weather friends’ China and Pakistan are set to not just increase weapons exchanges, the former is also expected to ‘authorise’ the latter to produce ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and battle tanks, China’s state-run media reported on March 16.
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03/20/2017
It wasn’t long ago that the V-22 Osprey program seemed to be mired by constant criticized. A 2012 report in Wired’s Danger Room by David Axe called it “an aircraft with a reputation for falling from the sky.” That report detailed a series of mishaps that caused injury and millions of dollars in damage, as well as the fraught development of the V-22, a tilt-rotor aircraft that can land and takeoff like a helicopter, and then fly forward like a propeller-driven airplane.
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03/20/2017
Upgrades to the EA-18G aircraft’s airborne electronic attack (AEA) system will take the Navy’s implementation of electronic warfare to the next level with improved radar jamming, target location and destruction, and air defense suppression capabilities.
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03/20/2017
If the present development and capacity enhancement plans go as per schedule, the Indian Air Force will have 123 indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jets in its fleet by 2024-25.
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03/18/2017
According to a Syrian Army statement, an Israeli jet involved in a raid over Syria was shot down. The Israeli Air Force denies. Early in the morning on Mar. 17, the Israeli Air Force carried out an air strike near Damascus, in Syria. The Israeli jets hit Mezzeh Military Airport, an airbase located south-west of the old centre of Damascus, where a local ammunition depot and a few other military installation were reportedly hit with a surgical strike.
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03/18/2017
China plans to step up military cooperation with "all weather" friend Pakistan to produce ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and a multi-role combat aircraft, official media here reported as Pakistan's new army chief held talks with top Chinese officials.
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03/18/2017
Negotiations about a possible follow-on purchase of advanced Boeing F-15s for the Israeli air force are continuing, as the nation’s cabinet seeks a possible alternative to acquiring additional Lockheed Martin F-35s.
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03/18/2017
US-based aerospace firm Boeing received a contract worth $3.2 billion to help facilitate the foreign military sale of US Apache helicopters to the Saudi government. Full-rate production for both current and new AH-64E aircraft is included in the deal, along with training crews, ground support equipment, the construction of new helicopters, engineering services, spares and logistics.
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03/18/2017
In a landmark step to correct the tardy supply of spares for the Sukhoi-30MKI frontline Indian fighter jet, India and Russia have signed a long-term supply contract during the India-Russia Military Industrial Conference in New Delhi. The Conference is part of the celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of India-Russia Diplomatic Relations.
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03/18/2017
Earlier, an Israeli military source told Sputnik that its warplanes were targeted by Syrian missiles during an attack on targets on Syrian territory, but said that no Israeli planes had been damaged or lost in the attack. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman later again denied the Syrian claim that an IDF aircraft had been lost.
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03/17/2017
The U.S. Air Force has begun to update weapons software and hardware systems as well as sensors aboard the Lockheed Martin-built F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, Defense Systems reported Tuesday. Kris Osborn writes that 1st Lt. Carrie Volpe, action officer for the Air Combat Command Public Affairs, said the service branch will begin to integrate the Increment 3.2B software upgrade to its fleet of F-22s in the summer of 2019.
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03/17/2017
The Air Force on Friday is expected to formally invite companies to participate in a light-attack aircraft demonstration this summer, the service’s top uniformed acquisition official said. “This is … the innovative spirit of trial and error,” Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the service’s military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition at the Pentagon, said during a defense breakfast outside Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
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03/17/2017
The Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft under joint development and production by the two countries has taken a hit, with Russia showing reluctance to fully transfer the aircraft technology, particularly stealth capabilities, despite repeated reminders, according to a top Indian Air Force official.
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03/17/2017
The US Air Force’s B-21 bomber passed an additional preliminary design review, service’s military deputy for the assistant secretary of the air force for acquisition says this week. The air force conducted a PDR during the programme’s technology maturation and risk reduction phase before the service chose between Northrop Grumman and the Boeing/Lockheed team.
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03/17/2017
Lockheed Martin F-35s have fired their first non-US-produced missiles in testing, with the activity providing a boost to MBDA’s sales efforts for the ASRAAM. Announcing the development on 15 March, MBDA said flight trials and air-launched firings have taken place using test aircraft operating from Edwards AFB, California and NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
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03/17/2017
Bulgaria’s defence ministry announced on 13 March that it had opened three proposals to equip the nation’s air force with modern fighters. These were submitted by the Swedish government, offering newly produced Saab Gripen C/Ds; the US and Portuguese governments, jointly offering ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs to be upgraded to the mid-life update standard by Ogma; and an Italian bid using second-hand Tranche 1-standard Eurofighter Typhoons.
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03/17/2017
On Thursday, North Korea denounced the US and South Korea for conducting joint military drills near the divided peninsula using the USS Carl Vinson and US strategic bombers, accusing the two nations of "escalating nuclear attack threats" against Pyongyang.
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03/17/2017
Tests of Russia’s Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) prototype aircraft are set to begin in July 2017, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Thursday. The A-100 is based on the Il-76MD-90A transport aircraft, and it is expected to replace the Beriev A-50 Mainstay AWACS aircraft currently in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces.
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03/17/2017
During his visit to Colombia, Swedish Industry Minister Mikael Damberg signed off on a defense cooperation agreement. Sweden's Saab is particularly enthusiastic about the agreement, which may help the troubled airplane manufacturer sell some of its vaunted Gripen fighter jets.
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03/16/2017
Northrop Grumman won a contract to provide the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) with pods containing a multi-sensor targeting and surveillance system known as LITENING for use on F-16 aircraft. LITENING allows coordinated air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities, data links for cooperative targeting, laser spot search and track, laser markers and J-series weapons employment capabilities.
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03/16/2017
It can fly as high as 6km in the sky, cruise at speeds as fast as 130kmh, and can be deployed up to 200km away from a remote location. This drone - or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) - can also fly for more than 24 hours continuously, and take off and land automatically.
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03/16/2017
China is taking a page from the Pentagon's playbook under the Obama administration: it's partnering with tech companies to develop more cutting-edge weapons. But China's innovation-focused strategy could elevate the espionage risk to the U.S. Ironically, this new threat emerges as the Trump administration is expected to slow its outreach to the tech firms.
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03/16/2017
Saab’s Gripen E remains on course to make its flight debut during the second quarter of this year, as the Swedish manufacturer steps up its sales efforts for the new-generation fighter and its earlier C/D-standard variant.
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03/16/2017
On a frigid February day, there is no sanctuary from the biting winds at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. Yet even as the Midwestern gusts whip across vast fields and over immense hangars, the US Air Force’s colossal C-17 Globemasters soar over the base with ease.
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03/16/2017
Boeing has scored a $371 million contract to modify supply chain services for the F-15 fighter aircraft used by the US Air Force, the Department of Defense announced in a press release.
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03/16/2017
Satellite footage taken on March 6 reveals the construction of a port that analysts believe could turn out to be a military installation on the North Island of the Paracels Island group. Focus, a Taiwanese news agency, reported that leaders in Taipei are "keeping close tabs" on the construction work, which has so far included land-clearing and "preparation for a harbor."
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03/16/2017
The Russian Navy has begun overhauling its fleet of shipborne helicopters as part of a state arms procurement program running into 2025, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press office said Wednesday.
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03/16/2017
The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will join the annual US-South Korean military exercises following a port call in the South Korean city of Busan, the US Navy announced in a press release on Wednesday.
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03/16/2017
BAE Systems recently completed a series of trials with the Eurofighter Typhoon, testing its high precision MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface weapon. The trials were held at BAE Systems' facility in Warton, Lancashire, as part of the Phase 3 Enhancement package for the Typhoon aircraft. The effort supports the Centurion program, which aims to transition the U.K. Royal Air Force from Tornado capabilities to the Typhoon by the end of 2018.
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03/16/2017
Tailhook landings by land-based aircraft are used in emergency situations to arrest planes experiencing failures that could imply a braking or steering malfunction. Like the one shown in the video.
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03/15/2017
Dassault’s 2016 is perfectly summed up by its chief executive Éric Trappier: “I would prefer that besides the Rafale’s success that we also had more Falcon orders.” But the French airframer, it seems, cannot have both: either the Rafale multirole fighter is struggling and its Falcon business jets are soaring, so to speak, or the opposite is true.
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03/15/2017
On 13 March, the Canadian government sent the letter outlining capabilities, schedule and economic benefit requirements for the interim acquisition of 18 Super Hornets. Canada expects a response from the US as early as this fall, a 14 March government press release states. The US Department of Defense will then develop an official proposal with Boeing and sub-tier suppliers, including a notification to Congress on the potential Super Hornet sale to Canada.
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03/15/2017
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited PLA air force aviation expert Fu Qianshao saying that Beijing would send planes near THAAD to obstruct the system’s long-range radar signals. China has been particularly vocal in decrying THAAD, prompting US Defense Secretary James Mattis to address both their and Moscow’s complaints in February, saying, "there is no other nation that needs to be concerned about THAAD other than North Korea," according to CNN.
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03/14/2017
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft takes center stage this week during Pacific Air Forces’ inaugural F-35 Symposium. The two-day conference, which starts tomorrow, marks the largest gathering of the region’s F-35 experts, including senior officers and warfighters from Japan, Australia and South Korea as well as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, PACAF officials said.
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03/14/2017
Bulgaria will start assessing the offers it has received for the supply of a new type of combat aircraft on March 14, the defence ministry said on Monday. The defence ministry sent a request for proposal for the procurement of a new type of combat aircraft to Italy, Portugal and the United States, and Sweden in December 2016 to replace the Bulgarian Air Force's ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG fighter jets.
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03/14/2017
The Royal Malaysian Air Force faces an uncertain future for its capability development plans, given the government’s budgetary limitations, constrained by slow economic growth and falling oil revenues.
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03/14/2017
Iran may find itself at the forefront of drone warfare, after deploying a jamming device that not only seizes control of a remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but can use the compromised aircraft against its operator.
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03/14/2017
The Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter Chengdu J-20 will be equipped with domestically manufactured engines soon, Chen Xiangbao, vice-president of the Aero Engine Corp of China (AECC), said on Monday.
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03/13/2017
The United States will deploy an unmanned attack aircraft to its military unit in South Korea to enhance its strike capabilities against ground targets in North Korea, a military official said Monday. The U.S. Army has begun the process to dispatch a squadron, which will operate the Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft, to a U.S. unit in Gunsan (274 kilometers south of Seoul)," the official told Yonhap News Agency asking not to be identified.
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03/13/2017
According to the military hardware experts at BGA-Aeroweb, the average flyaway cost on a Boeing F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet fighter jet is $60.9 million. Upgrade that warbird to an electronic warfare specialist like Boeing's EA-18G Growler, and you can expect to pay much more - $80.4 million per copy.
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03/13/2017
A squadron of advanced South Korean T-50 training planes and C-130 military transport aircraft landed in Taiwan's southern city Kaohsiung for refueling last Saturday. The squadron is comprised of six T-50 training planes and two military transport aircraft C-130. Three of the training planes departed Taiwan on Sunday afternoon, while the remaining planes will leave the country on March 13, 2017, said Deputy Director of Kaohsiung International Airport Yi-chung Sun.
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03/13/2017
Liu Kui, of the Naval Equipment Research Institute of the PLA Navy, said that the recent decommissioning of INS Viraat, which left India with one aircraft carrier, had shown that India's long-time strategy to dominate the Indian Ocean with three aircraft carriers was "falling flat".
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03/13/2017
Nairobi’s envoy to Washington met with the American politician seeking to block Kenya’s $418 million (Sh42 billion) purchase of military aircraft to fight Al-Shabaab. United States Congressman Ted Budd and Kenya’s Ambassador to the US Robinson Njeru Githae had a “productive conversation” that lasted 45-minutes in the congressman’s office on Capitol Hill, said Mr James Braid, Mr Budd’s deputy chief of staff. Mr Githae was not available for comment.
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03/13/2017
Boeing has won a five year contract to sustain Seoul’s fleet of F-15K fighter aircraft. The contract involves both materials and technical support, and will see Boeing use local suppliers to maintain and manufacture F-15K components, says the US airframer. Boeing’s initial support deal was signed in 2012. The US company did not provide a value for the contract renewal.
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03/13/2017
Head of Russia's National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov said that a group of US and German specialists will carry out an observation flight over the Russian territory under the Open Skies Treaty on March 13-18, while Russian experts will carry out observation flights over Germany and the Benelux Union states.
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03/13/2017
Russia’s Su-34 fighter-bombers, which proved highly effective in the fight against terrorists in Syria, will be upgraded with new avionics, military expert Boris Rozhin told Sputnik. “The share of modern weapons systems in our Aerospace Forces is about 66 percent now, and is slated to reach 70 percent by 2020,” Rozhin said.
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03/12/2017
A force of several dozen armed private security contractors from Russia operated until last month in a part of Libya that is under the control of regional leader Khalifa Haftar, the head of the firm that hired the contractors told Reuters. It is the clearest signal to date that Moscow is prepared to back up its public diplomatic support for Haftar – even at the risk of alarming Western governments already irked at Russia’s intervention in Syria to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.
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03/12/2017
The military has completed its after-action review of the controversial raid in Yemen in January, with several defense officials providing details of the findings to CNN Friday. They described why the raid was launched, how the battle became so intense, what led to the death of a Navy SEAL and several civilians, and the usefulness of the intelligence gained.
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03/12/2017
Women have redefined gender roles in the workplace, and the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the air unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, is no exception. The sight of women working in the military — where physical prowess and aggression are expected — is both a breakthrough and a continuing challenge for women who find themselves in male-dominated and male-identified jobs.
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03/12/2017
Iran wants to increase its defense tech cooperation with Russia, including the joint development of more anti-missile defense systems and fighter aircraft, Emad Abshenass of Iran Press told Sputnik.
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03/12/2017
An upgraded version of Russia's Su-34 fighter bomber will be equipped with a sophisticated electronic countermeasures system that will allow one such warplane to protect a squadron of other strike fighters from enemy radar, Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Sputnik.
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03/11/2017
With the decommissioning of INS Viraat -- world’s oldest aircraft carrier -- on Monday, India is left with a single carrier, the INS Vikramaditya. Now it is steadily pacing towards having a second carrier, an indigenous one, which will be called the Vikrant like the first ever Indian carrier.
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03/11/2017
A major issue for U.S. defense planners looking to an intensifying competition for military overmatch vis-à-vis prospective high-end adversaries, is the shrinking U.S. aerospace and defense sector. Decades of consolidation, driven by declining defense budgets, increasingly onerous regulations, the scarcity of major new programs, the war on profits and an unpredictable customer, has reduced the number of competitors in the major product lines to less than a handful of prime contractors.
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03/11/2017
New Delhi was the only export customer for the type, which has been used primarily in the anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol roles, in addition to performing photographic and radio reconnaissance missions. Increasing maintenance costs, obsolescence-related issues and the induction of India’s new Boeing P-8I maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft have been cited as reasons for the decision to phase out the aged type.
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03/11/2017
Concerns over the future of an Anglo-French project to develop an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) in the wake of the UK’s decision to leave the EU are real but not insurmountable, believes one of the two companies spearheading the programme.
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03/11/2017
China has put its new Chengdu J20 stealth fighter jet in service, in efforts to develop a marine corps and a “first class” Navy, while simultaneously narrowing the military gap with US. Beijing’s military is undergoing major upgrades, complete with advanced submarines and anti-satellite missiles, all under the supervision of President Xi Jinping.
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03/11/2017
Sources from the Indian Defense Ministry have told The Times of India that Delhi would participate in the joint development of a new PAK FA-derived fifth gen fighter in cooperation with Russia only if the Russian side included full-scale technology transfer as part of the deal. Russian experts are divided over the implications of this ultimatum.
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03/11/2017
The loss of two fighter jets from the aircraft wing of Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov cruiser during the operation in Syria in 2016 was caused by the break of the carrier's arresting wire, a defense industry source told Sputnik on Friday.
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03/10/2017
Some F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) are taking part in Exercise Foal Eagle in South Korea, according to U.S. military sources who talked to Yonhap News Agency. The aircraft Lightning II will carry out “ground attack” tasks during the two-month drills. “The addition of the F-35B is meant to deliver a strong message to the North that they could be used against the rogue state in case of a conflict breaking out on the Korean Peninsula”.
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03/10/2017
China’s cyber capabilities are continuously evolving in parallel with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ongoing military reforms and modernization drives. As the PLA invests in the development of comprehensive cyber capabilities, the character of future conflicts in East Asia will increasingly reflect cyber-kinetic strategic interactions.
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03/10/2017
The Kremlin plans to buy 10 new Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircraft in 2017, a top Russian defense official disclosed to state-controlled media. Russia's aircraft procurement plans for the year were discussed by First Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov during an interview with the TASS news agency.
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03/10/2017
China has put into service its new generation J-20 stealth fighter, a warplane it hopes will narrow the military gap with the United States, as senior naval officers said the country was building a "first class" navy and developing a marine corps. Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping modernization of the country's armed forces, the largest in the world, including anti-satellite missiles and advanced submarines, seeking to project power far from its shores.
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03/10/2017
Georgia is to get rid of its fleet of 12 combat aircraft and replace them with drones, Eurasianet reported on March 7 citing Brigadier General Vladimir Chichibaia. Only one of the dozen Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25 jets has flown recently because the supplier of parts - Russia - has declined to provide them to Georgia.
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03/10/2017
After parting ways with Raytheon, Leonardo is flying solo in the US Air Force’s T-X trainer competition but still plans to establish final assembly for the M-346 trainer derivative in the USA.. The Italian company will announce the location of the manufacturing facility soon, DRS chief executive Bill Lynn told FlightGlobal in a 9 March interview. The T-100 will maintain the M-346’s two Honeywell F124 engines, which are manufactured in Arizona, and its CAE simulators will be built in Florida.
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03/10/2017
The aircraft carrier last sailed under her own power in July 2016, and the fighter compliment of British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS51 fighters were phased out in May 2016. Apart from the Sea Harrier, the integral airborne compliment of the ship comprised Sea King Mk 42Bs, Mk 42 Cs and the Hindustan Aeronautics-built Chetak (SA316 Alouette III). The Dhruv ALH and Kamov Ka-31 were also operated from the aircraft carrier.
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03/10/2017
The US government is working on a plan to replace Afghanistan’s Russian-made fleet of Mi-17 transport helicopters, US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Joseph Votel told Congress on Thursday.
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03/10/2017
In what could aggravate concern in India, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), China's largest missile maker, is developing a stealth military drone that can evade anti-aircraft weapons."The company is focusing on the development of a long-endurance stealth drone and a near-space drone," said Wei Yiyin, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp's deputy general manager and a member of the CPPCC National Committee, to China Daily.
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03/08/2017
Fifteen years after the Australian government signed on to the Joint Strike Fighter program to deliver a fifth-generation fighter, the F-35 was the star of the recent Avalon Airshow. The appearance of the Lockheed Martin stealth fighters in Australia has long been anticipated and comes in advance of their official delivery to the Australian government in 2018.
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03/08/2017
The MiG-35 is the favourite to win the recently announced tender for 8 multi-role fighters for the Bangladesh Air Force, the official representative of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) told RIA Novosti on Mar. 3. Russia’s Su-35, MiG-35 and Su-30SM are the leading contenders in the tender, the CAWAT official said. The MiG-35 is the only Russian platform equipped with an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, he added.
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03/08/2017
Eight of the world’s 20 biggest military forces by troop numbers are in East Asia, with Japan coming 21st, but the Military Strength Index compiled by Credit Suisse gives only a 5 per cent weighting to personnel on the ground, placing greater importance on a country’s access to military hardware such as tanks, aircraft and warships.
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03/08/2017
For some time now, various news outlets have claimed that Israel is already using its pair of recently-delivered F-35I Adirs in a combat role even before they've been declared operational by the Israeli Air Force. But today, military aviation journalist Thomas Newdick conveyed a report by a French journalist that not only claimed the F-35Is have been active over Syria, but also details what targets they specifically took out on their mission there.
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03/08/2017
The Indian Navy has launched a global search for maritime fighter jets it plans to operate from future aircraft carriers and is awaiting response from top military contractors on what they have to offer. The navy wants 57 multi-role carrier-borne fighters (MRCBF) and the potential order could get bigger with an option clause to buy more jets. The hunt for new deck-based fighters comes at a time when the navy is left with just a solitary aircraft carrier.
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03/08/2017
BlueBird chief executive Ronen Nadir reveals that the new version will not use the flying wing shape of the original MicroB. “We came to the conclusion that this shape limits the aerodynamic capabilities of this small UAV,” he says.
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03/08/2017
In a move analysts expect will inflame tensions between regional powers in the East and South China Seas, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on the National People’s Congress for reinforcements to increase manpower in waters Beijing claims are integral to the country’s destiny, Chinese media reported.
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03/08/2017
Germany will purchase three MQ-4C Triton aerial surveillance drones manufactured in the United States instead of its initial plans to acquire RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance aircraft because of their high price, local media reported Tuesday, citing sources from the German Defense Ministry.
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03/07/2017
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is risking a new showdown with Beijing by stepping up military capabilities to protect holdings in the widely contested South China Sea. The navy of Taiwan, a diplomatically isolated government that claims the entire sea and controls its largest land feature, will increase patrols in the 3.5 million-square-kilometer body of water because of China's own growing military might, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan told parliament in Taipei last week.
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03/07/2017
The USS Carl Vinson, which is steaming through the South China Sea, is just one of several high-profile displays of U.S. naval power as President Donald Trump's administration weighs options of how to reassure allies and respond to an assertive China.
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03/07/2017
The modernization of the flagship of the Russian Navy, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, will commence before July 2017 at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk in Northern Russia and will take two and a half years, according to a Russian defense industry source.
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03/07/2017
As the Trump administration's budget plans come into sharper focus, it is increasingly clear that the Pentagon will not be getting enough money to recover from the depressed investment levels of the Obama years. Trump's proposed defense spending level for next year is only 3% above what Obama planned, and there is no guarantee that Congress will repeal budget caps precluding robust investment in new weapons.
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03/07/2017
Missile launches by North Korea confirm that the decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea was right, US Department of Defense spokesman Navy Commander Gary Ross told Sputnik.
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03/06/2017
A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves.
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03/06/2017
The ship — dubbed Project 001A, or CV17, is likely to be launched within weeks. Adding to the atmosphere of expectation is a Beijing state-media video ‘infographic’ outlining the modular design and advanced construction of the as yet unnamed aircraft carrier being built in the Chinese port city of Dalian.
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03/06/2017
A Syrian air force pilot who bailed out as his warplane crashed on Turkish territory told a Turkish rescue team his MiG-23 had been shot down, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday. The 56-year-old pilot was identified as Mehmet Sufhan, and medical staff said he was not in critical condition despite some fractures in his spine. He is being treated at a hospital in the Hatay region, a hospital spokeswoman said on Sunday.
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03/06/2017
Although combat aircraft such as the J-31 stealth fighter and J-15 aircraft carrier strike aircraft have made most of the headlines, China has made significant accomplishments in the realm of military transport, long range maritime patrol and carrier borne AEW&C aircraft over the past year. First operational in 2016, the Y-20 military transport is now the largest such aircraft in production in the world.
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03/06/2017
According to the Tasnim news agency, Iranian experts conducted a number of tests of the Russian missile systems. The tests included all phases, namely, detection, identification, interception and target shooting.
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03/04/2017
An official representative of Russia’s Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade said that Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation with its advanced MiG-35 fighter jets is one of the key candidates to win a contract to deliver eight multi-role combat aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force.
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03/04/2017
Of the 16 Orion surveillance planes in the RAAF's fleet, there are two they do not talk about. These special Orions are effectively flying electronic spies, with state-of-the-art, intelligence-gathering equipment allowing them to hoover up electronic signals from other planes and ships as they quietly perform routine patrols over the waters to Australia's north.
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03/04/2017
The US Air Force is planning a light attack aircraft experiment at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico this summer, marking the service’s first step to introduce a new, low-cost fighter. The USAF chief and acting secretary will direct the experiment this week, which would continue work from a previous US Special Operations Command effort known as Combat Dragon.
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03/04/2017
Northrop Grumman changed leadership at its JSTARS sustainment facility after the US Air Force grounded almost a quarter of the E-8C fleet for inspection. Last September, the USAF initiated an investigation for safety of flight issues on four of the 17 JSTARS delivered from depot maintenance at Northrop’s sustainment facility in Lake Charles, Georgia. Northrop has since assigned new executive leadership and implemented operational improvements at Lake Charles, according to a Northrop spokesman.
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03/04/2017
Leonardo has built on its recent sales success with the French military by adding another contract for its unmanned air system-carried PicoSAR surveillance payload.
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03/04/2017
Boeing has received a $46.3 million contract to provide support services for the fleet of F-15SA Eagle fighter-bombers operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Department of Defense said in a press release.
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03/04/2017
All Russian aviation flights are carried out in accordance with international safety standards, the Russian Defense Ministry said Friday in response to the US military's accusations of four close calls with Russian planes last month.
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03/03/2017
Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Defence Purchases (DGDP) has issued a global tender for eight multi-role combat aircraft plus four options for the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF). The new fighters are being sought for fortifying Bangladesh’s defensibility against aerial threats as well as providing it with a platform for anti-surface, maritime and offensive counter-air operations, Quwa reported Wednesday.
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03/03/2017
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is suing the government for rejecting its bid to produce Denmark’s new fighter aircraft. Boeing’s Super Hornet lost out to a competitor, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter, which will become Denmark’s new fighter. Boeing is bringing the suit against the Defence Ministry because it wants to see the documents that led to the government choosing the F-35 over the Super Hornet – material the government has thus far failed to deliver.
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03/03/2017
The US Air Force’s KC-Z tanker may not be stealthy, but should be persistent and able to change its waveform signature management, according to the service’s head of air mobility command. Gen Carlton Everhart clarified earlier comments he made last September, when he told reporters the USAF was considering whether the next-generation tanker should include standoff, stealth or penetrating capabilities.
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03/03/2017
Boeing and Leonardo’s joint bid for the US Air Force’s UH-1N Huey helicopter recapitalisation did not take off last week after a system aboard the AW139 failed. Though an impending thunderstorm had threatened to cancel the 25 February media flight, reporters were waiting on the ground next to the helicopter after one of its modular avionics units malfunctioned.
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03/03/2017
Vietnam is considering a purchase of advanced weapon systems from Israel, with the nation’s air force eyeing an advanced version of the Israel Military Industries (IMI) Delilah standoff-range air-to-surface missile.
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03/03/2017
Chinese aircraft and seagoing vessels have increased the level of military operations being conducted near Taiwan in recent days, prompting the self-governing island to warn the world of a growing Chinese threat. Japanese jets have also scrambled to observe Chinese maritime military movements.
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03/03/2017
The US military has carried out 20 airstrikes in Yemen against the positions of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (banned in Russia), US Department of Defense Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a press release on Thursday.
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03/03/2017
The naval aircraft of Russia's Black Sea Fleet have expanded their operational range to the entire perimeter of the Black Sea, Lt. Col. Andrei Kogut, deputy commander of the fleet's naval aviation regiment, told Sputnik on Thursday.
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03/03/2017
In a follow up to recent reports that Russian designers have made the first full-size model of the Russia's next-generation strategic bomber, known as the Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex (PAK DA), Russian defense analysts explained why the country needs such an advanced aircraft.
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03/02/2017
U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
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03/02/2017
China has for years been whittling away at the US military's asymmetrical advantage in conventional military strength with a naval buildup, building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea, and creating systems and weapons custom built to negate the US's technological advantage.
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03/02/2017
The U.S. Air Force, faced with a potentially protracted war against the Islamic State, aging fighter jets and a shrinking force of pilots, is examining the adoption of a new fleet of “light-attack” planes that are both a throwback to earlier U.S. operations and a current staple of militaries in South America and the Middle East.
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03/02/2017
It isn’t an aircraft that will redefine the rules of air-warfare. However, the Tejas LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) is far better as a package, than merely being a safer and reliable replacement for the aging Mig-21. Sure it spent almost 33 years inside a womb, but now that it has come out, it isn’t late. It’s just a late bloomer whose umbilical cord is still connected to the National Flight Test Center in Bangalore.
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03/02/2017
British aircraft have participated in the campaign against ISIS in Iraq, which is currently moving on the terror group's last urban stronghold in the country. Dozens of countries have committed personnel and resources to the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. While the US had assumed a leading role in the coalition, the British military has assisted the campaign on both the ground and in the air.
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03/02/2017
In a recent press release, the private contract air support company Draken International praised the Aero Vodochody L-159 advanced light combat aircraft for its role as an aggressor fighter platform during the U.S. Marine Corps’ recent air exercises, Agile Lightning and Wing Fury, which took place in January 2017. As per Draken International, the Aero L-159 is configured with subsystems found in contemporary combat aircraft, such as modern pulse-Doppler radars.
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03/02/2017
The Royal Australian Air Force has achieved final operational capability for its fleet of Airbus Defence & Space A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft. Designated as the KC-30A in RAAF service, the milestone signifies that the full capability of the aircraft, including using its refueling boom, is now available.
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03/02/2017
In a sign that Israel and India are strengthening ties, the two nations have agreed to a huge weapons deal to jointly expand India’s aerial defense systems. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to a deal for a medium-range surface-to-air (MRSAM) missile system to be produced by Israeli Aerospace Industries and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the Mail Today reports.
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03/02/2017
This Wednesday marked the start of annual military exercises by the United States and South Korea, described by the North as preparation for an invasion, South Korean media reported.
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03/01/2017
Aircraft major The Boeing CompanyBA clinched a contract for the procurement of seven EA-18G and five F/A 18E aircraft. Per the terms of the agreement, the company will also obtain airborne electronic attack kits associated with the EA-18G jets. Valued at $678.7 million, this contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD.
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03/01/2017
The US Navy awarded Lockheed Martin more than $1 billion in logistics and sustainment services for the F-35 Lightning II programme, according to a Defense Department contract announced this week.
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03/01/2017
Sikorsky and its parent company, Lockheed Martin, would add 84 HH-60Us to the USAF’s existing inventory of three U-model Black Hawks, according to a 28 February Sikorsky press release. “The Air Force previously assigned the HH-60U designation to three UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft, adding among other modifications an electro-optical sensor and a rescue hoist,” the release states. “Air Force pilots and special mission aviators began flying the HH-60U in 2011.”
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03/01/2017
An influential think-tank has unveiled a vision of a future US Navy strike group composed of two aircraft carriers and supporting ships with 110 aircraft, including new requirements for a stealthy attack unmanned air system (UAS) and a manned fighter optimised for the air-to-air mission.
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03/01/2017
Warsaw launched negotiations in late February linked to a planned eight-aircraft deal to support special forces operations, for which the S-70i is competing with the Leonardo Helicopters AgustaWestland AW149 and Airbus Helicopters H225M. It is expected to issue a further request linked to a larger acquisition of utility helicopters, and later will advance a Kruk programme requirement to replace its assault-roled Mil Mi-24s.
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03/01/2017
The Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft has made its air show debut in Royal Australian Air Force livery, as Canberra pitches in funds to develop the next generation jammer. Two EA-18Gs arrived at Airshow Australia following a transit from the US Navy air station on Whidbey Island, says Australia’s Department of Defence.
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03/01/2017
Textron believes that Canberra could be on the verge of issuing a request for proposals for an electronic warfare training jet, says Tom Webster, who heads sales for the US company in the Asia-Pacific. The requirement would be small, for about three aircraft, and would likely see Textron team with a local partner. Textron also believes that Canberra would not obtain the aircraft itself, but rather outsource the work to industry partners, possibly on a “pay by the hour” basis.
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03/01/2017
“We’ve got a real winner on our hands,” says USMC Lt. Gen. John Davis in a media briefing. He states that exercises have shown the short-takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 to be a potent “killing machine.” The Marines have three squadrons equipped with the aircraft. VMFA-121 and VMFA-211 have achieved initial operating capability. VMFAT-501 is a training squadron.
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03/01/2017
Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan will discuss the purchase of S-400 air defense missile systems during their upcoming meeting in Moscow, Turkish chief presidential adviser Ilnur Cevik said Tuesday.
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