September, 2020 Military Aviation News
09/30/2020
The pilot of a military stealth fighter jet has parachuted to safety after colliding with an air tanker during a mid-air refueling operation near Imperial County, southern California. A F-35B combat jet crashed near the Salton Sea on Tuesday afternoon after hitting a KC-130J tanker, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing.
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09/30/2020
On Sept. 18 and 19, People’s Liberation Army combat aircraft on 40 occasions intentionally crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait that separates mainland China from the island of Taiwan. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen immediately condemned the provocation as a “threat of force.”
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09/30/2020
Turkey and Azerbaijan have categorically rejected a claim from the Armenian Ministry of Defense that a Turkish F-16 Viper fighter jet shot down an Armenian Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft over Armenia proper. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in a major armed conflict since Sunday over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
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09/29/2020
An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter for the Kuwait Air Force is now flying from Boeing’s St. Louis, Missouri, facility wearing its frontline paint scheme. That service is in the midst of a major modernization drive, which includes the acquisition of Eurofighter Typhoons, as well as Super Hornets.
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09/29/2020
Textron Aviation Defense has secured a $162 million deal for 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs from the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), as had been earlier suggested in a Thai presentation. The Integrated Training System will also cover ground-based training systems for pilots and maintenance professionals, a mission planning and debrief system, spare parts, and ground support equipment.
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09/28/2020
Air Defence Exercise titled 'ADEX-2020-2’ of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) was held in Dhaka, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Moulvibazar, Tangail and Bogura districts on Sunday. The aim of this exercise is to assess and evaluate the efficiency and capability of BAF Air Defence and identify the weaknesses and draw lessons for further improvement in air defence system.
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09/28/2020
France has handed over the next batch of Rafale fighter jets to India. All the five aircraft included in this batch are presently on French soil. It is believed that these Rafale aircraft will reach India in October. The aircraft will be deployed at the Kalikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal. Who will guard the eastern border with China. Five aircraft in the first batch of Rafale were inducted into the Indian Air Force during a formal program on 10 September.
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09/28/2020
The landmark peace deal between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain is great news in terms of constructing a regional coalition against Iran. It may also help convince the Palestinians that they are no longer at the center of Arab politics, and bring them to the negotiating table. It perhaps gives the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump a minor talking point that won’t really matter to most Americans.
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09/28/2020
With a really thin margin of just 9,000 votes, Swiss citizens have approved the multi-billion procurement of new fighter jets to replace both the F-5 and F/A-18 jets in service today. The majority (50.2%) of Swiss voters gave the go ahead to the purchase of new combat aircraft on Sept. 27, 2020. The referendum called the citizens to say yes or no to a government-backed plan 6.49B USD funding packet to find a replacement for the F-5 Tiger and F/A-18C/D Hornet jets currently in service.
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09/28/2020
The U.S. Air Force has secretly designed, built and flown at least one prototype of its enigmatic next-generation fighter jet, the service’s top acquisition official confirmed to Defense News on Sept. 14. The development is certain to shock the defense community, which last saw the first flight of an experimental fighter during the battle for the Joint Strike Fighter contract 20 years ago.
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09/27/2020
Searchers combing the area where a Ukrainian military aircraft crashed found two more bodies Saturday, bringing the death toll to 26. One person survived. The plane, a twin-turboprop Antonov-26 belonging to the Ukrainian air force, was carrying a crew of seven and 20 cadets of a military aviation school when it crashed and burst into flames Friday night while coming in for landing at the airport in Chuhuiv, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital Kyiv.
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09/27/2020
It's the 24th time since 1977 that a ballot on national security has come up in neutral Switzerland, and the second time in six years voters will decide on new jets. What's at stake is a CHF6 billion ($6.49 billion) envelope, proposed by the government, to buy a fleet that would come into service by 2030. The current F-5 Tigers and F/A-18 jets, which the army says are getting too old for the job, will be phased out.
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09/27/2020
Soaring tensions between India and China in Ladakh has seen both the sides deploying thousands of troops, heavy artillery and air force along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) standing prepared, if a war breaks out.
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09/27/2020
Hunter-killer drones that have been a go-to weapon for troops battling insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa are being repurposed for maritime operations, according to U.S. military officials. Three MQ-9 Reaper drones are supporting the Navy and Marine Corps during Agile Reaper, an exercise off the California coast that began Sept. 3 and wraps up Tuesday, said Lt. Col. Brian Davis, commander of the 29th Attack Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
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09/27/2020
However, while the status of the F-35 stealth aircraft remains unmatched and are being aggressively pitched for export to allies, there is a sense of wonder why the United States never let another nation get a mere whiff of the paint on its another stealth aircraft – the F-22 Raptors? Considered to be one of the finest fighter aircraft in the world, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, fifth-generation, stealth, multi-role fighter.
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09/26/2020
Some analysts expect a slowdown in sales of new equipment as a result of stagnation in the oil market, while others think countries like Saudi Arabia will continue their procurement plans at any cost, determined to ensure their security and to maintain influence.
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09/26/2020
On Sept. 24, the first Brazilian Gripen E, designated by Brazilian Air Force (FAB) as F-39 Gripen, concluded its first flight in Brazil. The aircraft flew from the airport in Navegantes to Embraer’s facility in Gaviao Peixoto. The official presentation of the aircraft is scheduled to take place during the Aviator’s Day and the Brazilian Air Force Day ceremony in Brasilia, to be celebrated on Oct. 23.
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09/26/2020
Greece will purchase 18 Rafale F3R fighter jets and other necessary equipment for a total of €2 billion, according to French media. €1.7 billion will be spent for 18 combat aircraft and €300 million for the armament provided by the European missile company MBDA (Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo, La Tribune reported.
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09/26/2020
None of the most sophisticated fifth-generation fighter aircrafts have two-seat variants – and that may not be entirely a good thing.
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09/25/2020
If F-22 and F-35 fighter jets were both operating in full-stealth attack mode behind enemy lines, striking air defenses, searching for targets and preparing the airspace for a less-stealthy air campaign, then how do the undetectable fifth-generation fighter jets communicate with each other without generating a potentially detectable electrical signal, giving away their position?
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09/25/2020
As reported last year, India had been invited by the United Kingdom to jointly develop the next-gen fighter under the Tempest Future Fighter Aircraft project. Officials of the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) along with executives from BAE Systems were expected to brief Indian Defence Ministry and Indian Air Force (IAF) officials regarding the project. Nik Khanna, head of BAE Systems India, while speaking to the Business Standard back then, had said.
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09/24/2020
According to several reports making rounds on the internet, the Royal Air Force (RAF) along with the Royal Navy (RN) have increased patrolling along the borders of Russia in what it is “an unprecedented operation to transfer (place) the Russian military to a defensive position.” According to a Russian military website, TopWar, the British Armed Forces have sent around 28 aircraft operating in the Arctic zone near the Kola Peninsula and over the Black Sea, where the S-400s and the S-300s are curr
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09/24/2020
A Russian Aerospace Forces Su-35S Flanker fighter jet reportedly gunned down a Su-30 Flanker during a recent close-air-combat training mishap. The loss of the Russian Aerospace Forces Su-30 was reported by Interfax, on September 22, 2020, the agency saying that the information had been confirmed by the Russian Armed Forces’ Western Military District.
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09/24/2020
The landmark peace deal between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain is great news in terms of constructing a regional coalition against Iran. It may also help convince the Palestinians that they are no longer at the center of Arab politics, and bring them to the negotiating table. It perhaps gives the administration of President Donald Trump a minor talking point that won’t really matter to most Americans.
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09/23/2020
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen praised on Tuesday the “heroic performance” of air force pilots who have been intercepting Chinese jets that have approached the island, as its armed forces held drills to simulate repulsing an attack.
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09/23/2020
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has taken delivery of the 30th F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft. Prior to formal acceptance of the jet, the aircraft was put through pre-acceptance testing. This included performing checks on the production line at contractor Lockheed Martin’s Texas facility along with flight tests to make sure the aircraft meets the RAAF’s requirements.
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09/23/2020
U.S. Navy air combat experts are asking electro-optics engineers at Lockheed Martin Corp. to build five infrared receivers and four control processors for the infrared search and track (IRST) system aboard F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter-bomber.
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09/22/2020
BAE Systems and Leonardo have been awarded a $420.6M contract to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), the European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2) radar for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons, BAE said Thursday.
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09/22/2020
As the Indian Air Force (IAF) looks to further bolster its aerial fleet after the successful acquisition of French Dassault Rafales, its proposed Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) 2.0 contract for the procurement of 114 additional fighters will look for suitors from the best fighters on the face of the planet.
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09/22/2020
There has been a ton of press about a Next Generation Air Dominance demonstrator of some type having already been designed and flown even as the program is still supposedly in its conceptual stages. While this sounds exciting, and it is, I think there may be a chasm between reality and what is being circulated even days after the news initially hit. Most importantly, it is very unlikely that this new 'demonstrator' is a 'fighter,' at least as we would traditionally define it.
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09/20/2020
A fleet of 19 Chinese military aircraft yesterday morning flew into Taiwan’s airspace in a pincer formation, marking the second consecutive day of such incursions, the Ministry of National Defense said. Taiwan’s military responded by scrambling jets, issuing radio warnings, and mobilizing surveillance and air defense systems, the ministry said.
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09/20/2020
China sent 18 fighter jets and bombers into the Taiwan Strait on Friday in a robust show of force that a military official in Beijing said was a warning to Taiwan and the United States about their increasing political and military cooperation. “Those who play with fire are bound to get burned,” Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said at a briefing in Beijing, warning the United States and Taiwan against what he called “collusion.”
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09/20/2020
The White House's recent decision to allow the sale of advanced weapons systems to the United Arab Emirates highlights the deliberate shift in US policy towards the UAE after it signed "normalisation" accords with Israel. Why would the UAE want American drones as it already has dozens of Chinese armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in its inventory? And why has the United States now agreed to these sales, overcoming its traditional reticence to sell sophisticated weapons to other countries?
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09/19/2020
U.S. jet fighters have scrambled at least a dozen times so far this year to intercept Russian military aircraft that fly into airspace off Alaska’s coasts. The North American Aerospace Defense Command says that’s the highest number of intercepts that NORAD has responded to in recent years. And Sen. Dan Sullivan says it’s part of Russia’s policy of expanding its influence and military presence in the Arctic.
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09/19/2020
Since their creation a century ago the goal of the aircraft carrier was to extend the range of naval forces beyond the horizon, and now U.S. Navy carriers could extend that range significantly further. Speaking at last Friday’s Virtual Hook convention webinar of the Tailhook Association, Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, director of Air Warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, offer his thoughts on the future air wing that will launch from flight decks by the end of this decade.
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09/19/2020
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as multiple Chinese aircraft buzzed the island, including crossing the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in an escalation of tensions the same day a senior U.S. official began meetings in Taipei. Earlier on Friday, China's Defence Ministry announced the start of combat drills near the Taiwan Strait, denouncing what it called collusion between the Chinese-claimed island and the United States.
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09/18/2020
A high-profile United States official is visiting Taiwan for the second time in two months, the latest sign of warming ties between Washington and Taipei, as Beijing escalates pressure on the self-governed island through a series of military drills and aircraft incursions. Keith Krach, the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, arrived in Taiwan late Thursday local time, and will represent the US at the memorial service for former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui
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09/18/2020
Selfridge wasn’t able to host an air show this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still could support military aircraft for a show in Canada. On Sept. 9, six F-16s, part of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, landed at the Air National Guard base in support of Airshow London in Ontario, Canada.
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09/18/2020
It marks the third time in six days the Typhoons have been scrambled in response to Russian planes. The planes were identified as two Russian Tu-142 Bear F anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft. The Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons, flown by pilots from RAF Lossiemouth, in Moray, were launched from Leuchars Station in Fife where the pilots are temporarily based.
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09/18/2020
Fighter pilots who go through the US Navy's elite air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN are among the best in the world, but that doesn't mean they don't experience fear. In the most terrifying of moments, it's their training and their instincts that keep them alive.
Retired Navy Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a former TOPGUN instructor and author of the new book "TOPGUN's TOP 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit" shared with Insider one of the most terrifying moments of his career.
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09/18/2020
In an effort to field MQ-9 Reapers faster and meet an increasing operational demand for the aircraft, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s MQ-9 Program Office awarded a $7.4 billion ceiling Agile Reaper Enterprise Solution (ARES) contract to General Atomics Sept. 17. The MQ-9 is an unmanned aircraft with intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities, and is one of the most in demand weapons systems in the U.S. Air Force.
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09/17/2020
The commander of Air Force Special Operations Command said Tuesday that he's not interested in acquiring the prototype tiltrotor aircraft being evaluated in the Army's Future Vertical Lift effort as a potential replacement for the CV-22 Osprey.
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09/17/2020
The U.S. Marine Corps is moving towards a streamlined fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35B and C-model Lightning IIs for all of its tactical aircraft (TACAIR) needs post-2030. While USMC leadership juggles the exact planning over the number of the stealthy fighters it will need to meet future requirements, both the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II and F/A-18A-D Hornet fleets will continue to provide Close Air Support (CAS) for Marines on the ground and air cover above the battlefield.
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09/17/2020
Fighter aircraft from the Royal Air Force, US Marines, US Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Air Force have joined forces to conduct large scale air combat exercises over the North Sea. Exercise Point Blank is a regular quarterly exercise based in the UK, conducted by the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force. For this exercise both RAF and US Marine Corps F-35B jets are taking part as the first step in their training, ready for deployment on HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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09/16/2020
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he personally would have “no problem” selling the advanced F-35 fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates, despite objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I would have no problem in selling them the F-35, I would have absolutely no problem,” Trump told Fox News in an interview ahead of a signing ceremony at the White House for agreements normalizing relations between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain later on Tuesday.
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09/16/2020
BAE Systems has won a contract to provide additional electronic warfare (EW) systems for F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft. Awarded by Lockheed Martin, the contract covers EW systems for Lot 15, Lot 16 long lead, sustainment spares and retrofit kits for the aircraft. This is expected to provide higher situational awareness and threat response capabilities, which will aid critical missions in disputed airspace.
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09/16/2020
The U.S. Air Force has secretly designed, built and flown at least one prototype of its enigmatic next-generation fighter jet, the service’s top acquisition official confirmed to Defense News on Sept. 14.
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09/15/2020
A video that was widely shared on social media last week reportedly showed a Russian-speaking pilot being picked up by a Mi-24 Hind gunship helicopter in Libya. Numerous reports suggest the pilot was a private contractor and that his MiG-29 fighter aircraft was shot down. The short clip shows his white-and-orange parachute on the ground, along with other equipment, including a Soviet-era style flight helmet.
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09/15/2020
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced, during his annual speech on the state of the country’s economy on September 12, 2020, the acquisition of 18 Dassault Rafale fighter jets for the Hellenic Air Force (HAF). This news does not come as a surprise, as the Greek newspaper Parapolitika reported at the end of August that the Greek and French governments were in talks for the procurement of the Rafale.
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09/14/2020
China is preparing to launch its third forward aircraft carrier amid growing tension with India and the United States. This Class 002 aircraft carrier will be the third such warship in China. The construction of this aircraft carrier is almost complete. China’s official media outlet Global Times quoted defense magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology as saying it could be launched in late 2020 or early 2021.
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09/14/2020
Developed by American aerospace juggernauts Boeing, the twin-seat fighter jet possesses a deep magazine that can carry an array of advanced weapons on board and overshadows its predecessor F-15s and even the mightily F-35s because of its Open Mission Systems (OMS) architecture.
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09/13/2020
RAF fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft off the coast of Scotland. The Eurofighter Typhoons were scrambled into action after the Tupolev Tu-142 planes “entered the UK's controlled zone of international airspace”, the Ministry of Defence said. An MoD spokesman said that monitoring the zone ensures the safe passage for all other aircraft, including civilian transatlantic airliners that are under UK civilian air traffic control.
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09/13/2020
During a Sept. 3 field test of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, CLWS successfully defended a force protection convoy against unmanned aerial systems while mounted on a small Utility Task Vehicle.
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09/13/2020
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs has announced that more than 50 aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force participated in Exercise Point Blank 20-04 over the North Sea, Sep. 10, 2020. A high-end fight focused on fourth and fifth generation Defensive Counter Air integration, this iteration saw the return of USAF F-15s, RNLAF F-16s, RAF and RNLAF F-35s, RAF Typhoons, USAF KC-135s, and a RAF Voyager.
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09/12/2020
Russian fighter jets mercenaries are flying in Libya are engaging in ground strikes and combat activities, U.S. Africa Command says. According to Navy Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, AFRICOM’s director of intelligence, there are at least 14 Russian fighter aircraft that are based out of Al Jufra and Al Khadim airfields in Libya.
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09/10/2020
The Defence Ministry is receiving offers for multi-purpose fighter aircraft from 9 am to 11.30 am today, which will be followed by a three-month evaluation period before a final proposal is addressed to the government, Defence Minister Mario Banozic told the press outside the government offices on Wednesday.
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09/09/2020
The Chinese military completed their first heavy equipment airdrop from Y-20 heavy transport plane during a real combat training exercise in the plateau area, close to its border with India. During this live-fire training, the Y-20 aircraft, having maximum take-off weight of 200-tons, continuously airdropped multiple pieces of heavy equipment including 107mm multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRLs), Type-03 crawler-type paratrooper vehicles and armored vehicles.
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09/09/2020
Russian fighter jet MiG-29 was scrambled due to a Royal Norwegian Air Force electronic reconnaissance and combat aircraft over the Barents Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry's National Defense Control Center (NDCC) said on Tuesday
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09/09/2020
Japan is to take delivery of the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) in March 2022, according to the defence ministry and national media. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace signed a contract in March 2019 (plus a follow-on deal eight months later) to supply the missile for the Japanese fleet of F-35A combat aircraft.
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09/08/2020
This year, Islamabad celebrated the Air Force Day with a contingent of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) presented guard of honour at the tomb of Rashid Minhas – Pakistan’s only fighter pilot who was awarded the highest decoration of Nishan-e-Haider. Even after 73 years of independence from the British rule, the neighbours – India and Pakistan stand neck to neck and have been engaged in several clashes over the years.
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09/07/2020
According to information published by the Chinese MoD (Ministry of Defense), the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning Type 001 has conduct flight operations with its onboard J-15 fighter carrier strike group including live firing and refueling training exercises.
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09/06/2020
Four Marines were able to get out of a heavy lift helicopter safely after it made an emergency landing just miles from their air station. A CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina made an emergency landing on Thursday. The aircraft landed in Dixon, which is about 11 miles from New River.
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09/06/2020
A Russian military leader said Saturday that Russian fighter planes intercepted a Norwegian patrol aircraft over the Barents Sea for the third time in a row. The Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that on Saturday, Russian radars detected a target in international airspace headed toward Russian airspace and a fighter jet was scrambled to intercept it.
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09/06/2020
After lagging behind major drone powers such as the United States, Israel and China, Russia is attempting to challenge, if not forge ahead of some of its competitors. Russian companies displayed several drones - both for attack and reconnaissance / surveillance at the Army-2020 Forum in Moscow whose features match if not exceed that of competing drones from international manufacturers.
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09/06/2020
While there is a massive military buildup on the India-China de facto border, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has strengthened its western border and deployed its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas jets. “The LCA Tejas was deployed by the Indian Air Force on the western front close to the Pakistan border to take care of any possible action by the adversary there,” said a government source and quoted by ANI.
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09/05/2020
One week after taking part in the one-day Allied Sky mission that saw 6 B-52s flying over the capitals of the 30 NATO countries, the BUFFs of the 5th Bomb Wing, from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and deployed to RAF Fairford as part of BTF (Bomber Task Force) 20-4, have carried out another pretty interesting mission.
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09/05/2020
As China builds aircraft carriers, it was expected to develop a carrier-based airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system — and that appears to be happening with the recent progress of the KJ-600. Unverified photos posted on social media show the fixed-wing aircraft recently made its first test flight, Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi’an-based magazine on the national defense industry, reported.
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09/05/2020
AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) is one of those projects of HAL which is developing at a very rapid pace, something which is unusual of the “government office” nature of HAL. Due credit goes to Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) & Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) who are developing the aircraft.
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09/05/2020
The US Air Force (USAF) and Lockheed Martin believe a commoditized version of the F-16 will accelerate Foreign Military Sales of the fighter. The jet is already the most popular combat aircraft in the world, with 2,280 examples in service at the end of 2019, according to FlightGlobal’s 2020 World Air Forces report. That is about 16% of the total world fleet, or more than double the second-most numerous competitor, the Russian-built Sukhoi Su-27/30.
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09/04/2020
Even as Russia continues to overcome production issues with its Su-57 stealth fighter, Moscow reportedly has its eyes set on a sixth-generation fighter jet, which could be developed under the MiG-Sukhoi joint brand. Such a fighter could build on the best features of the MiG-21, which has become the most-produced supersonic jet in aviation history; and the very capable MiG-35, as well as the Su-57.
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09/04/2020
Greece and Turkey have a long history of animosity despite both being NATO members. However, there’s a real concern that the current spike in tensions — mainly related to control of oil and gas reserves and maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean — could escalate. If they do, the respective air arms of the two countries are likely to be heavily engaged, so it’s a good time to take a detailed look at their respective assets and how their capabilities compare.
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09/04/2020
BAE Systems and Leonardo have been awarded a $420.6M contract to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), the European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2) radar for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons, BAE said Thursday.
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09/03/2020
Russia has stepped up its logistic support for private military contractor Wagner Group in Libya with some 338 military cargo flights from Syria in the nine months to July 31 to aid Wagner fighters backing eastern-based Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, according to a U.N. report seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
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09/03/2020
Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company (a Russian Helicopters subsidiary) conducted the maiden flight of the latest Ka-52M attack helicopter prototype last month, according to the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade. The helicopter is an upgraded variant of the Ka-52 Alligator (pictured), which has been mass-produced since 2007.
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09/03/2020
Germany took over the role from the French Air Force Mirage 2000-5 detachment on 31 August. The Baltic Air Policing mission was established in 2004, to assist Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who have no airborne air defence capability of their own and was extended indefinitely in February 2012. The aim of the mission is to prevent unauthorised incursion into the airspace of the Baltic states and its most frequent duty is intercepting Russian aircraft and escorting them from the area.
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09/03/2020
China is set to greatly increase its military presence in the South China Sea, according to a new U.S. Department of Defense report. China’s neighbors can expect to see its newest aircraft carrier, ship-killer missiles and Marine Corps wade into disputed waters more boldly as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) focuses on an “expeditionary” capability, facilitated by the increasing militarization of its outposts in the Paracel and Spratly Islands.
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09/03/2020
South Korea began assembling a prototype of what would be the country's first indigenously developed fighter jet Thursday in a landmark step that means the ambitious project is materializing, the arms procurement agency said. Under the KF-X project worth 8.8 trillion won (US$7.3 billion), South Korea has been working since late 2015 to develop a home-grown cutting-edge fighter aircraft to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets.
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09/02/2020
Last week, a Russian armored personnel carrier rammed a U.S. Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle in Syria. China test-fired "carrier killer" missiles into the South China Sea. A massive Russian nuclear submarine surfaced off Alaska, and Russia fighters hit the afterburners to come within 100 feet of a B-52 Stratofortress bomber.
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09/02/2020
The Australian arm of Collins Aerospace has reached the milestone of delivering its 1,000th, 360-degree situational awareness system for the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program. The Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EODAS) optical assembly is the eyes of the aircraft, providing the pilot with a 360-degree spherical view of their surroundings, the delivery of which marks a major milestone for the program.
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09/02/2020
To prepare the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II for austere air-basing conditions of its new combat strategy, the US Air Force (USAF) is looking to maintenance partnerships with foreign militaries, logistics support from the US Navy and US Marine Corps, as well as a programme to increase maintainers’ skills.
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09/02/2020
The U.S. Air Force has been using a first-of-its-kind mobile operations center as part of the deployment of three B-2 Spirits to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. The service says that this readily deployable command post is an essential component of new expeditionary concepts of operations for these stealth bombers.
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09/02/2020
China’s top aircraft designer has a vision of what the next Chinese jet fighter should look like.
It sounds like a super F-35. “A revolutionary, cognition-subverting next generation fighter jet, characterized by long-range, high capabilities in penetration, awareness, firepower and fast decision-making, is about to come into being amid great power competition,” according to China’s state-controlled Global Times.
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09/01/2020
Armenian Air Force currently operates four Su-30SM jets, which entered service in 2019. Tonoyan informed the Radio Free Liberty’s Armenian service about the procurement updates, in an interview on August 30. He also said that Russia does not transport military supplies to Armenia- commenting on the statements of Azerbaijani authorities. “The transfer was carried out within the framework of the 102nd Russian military base. Russia does not transport military cargo for Armenia now.
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09/01/2020
NATO says that a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet committed a "significant violation" of Danish airspace while intercepting a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress in the Baltic Sea region last week. The incident occurred as six of these heavy bombers, including four from a detachment presently forward-deployed in the United Kingdom, were conducting overflights of all 30 members of the Alliance, including the United States and Canada.
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09/01/2020
U.S. Air Force and Koku-Jieitai personnel use an aerial bulk fuel delivery system during Aviation Training Relocation at Chitose Air Base, Japan Aug. 25, 2020. Partnering with Koku-Jieitai, the training took place with Airmen and aircraft across Japan from the 18th Wing, 374th Airlift Wing and 35th Fighter Wing, involving an estimated total of both six F-15 Eagles and six F-16 Fighting Falcons and approximately 200 personnel.
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