March, 2021 Military Aviation News
03/31/2021
A total of 10 Chinese military planes flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday (March 29), marking the 17th such incursion this month. Four People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter planes, four Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, and one Shaanxi KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft entered the southwest corner of the ADIZ, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
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03/31/2021
Nearly two-thirds of the aircraft flying off U.S. Navy carriers could be unmanned someday, including the possibility of drone fighter jets, a top aviation leader said this week. Like the Air Force, the Navy will take a "family of systems" approach to its next-generation air dominance, or NGAD, program, which will use aircraft, sensors and other equipment that complement one another and work together to stave off threats, Rear Adm. Gregory Harris, the chief of naval operations' air warfare direc
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03/31/2021
NATO jets responded on Monday to an unusually high number of Russian military aircraft flights near allied airspace. Alliance fighter aircraft were "scrambled 10 times on Monday, March 29, 2021, to shadow Russian bombers and fighters during an unusual peak of flights over the North Atlantic, North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea," the organization said in a statement.
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03/31/2021
China’s Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), recently unveiled its plans to build a new fourth-generation fighter. “The company aims to make breakthroughs in its fourth-generation fighter jet program by boosting related technologies, including additive manufacturing, control over surface electromagnetic defects, and automated fiber placement so that the aircraft can be successfully developed".
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03/31/2021
The Navy is leaning toward replacing its fleet of Super Hornets with another manned fighter that will work with emerging unmanned aircraft concepts under the umbrella of the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance program.
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03/30/2021
Tyndall Air Force Base will be the home of three F-35 Squadrons, the Air Force officially announced Monday. Air Force officials said in a news release that the decision to bring the squadrons of F-35A Lighting II was based on infrastructure capability, quality of life for Airmen, and airspace. The official announcement only came after the base passed an environmental impact analysis.
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03/30/2021
A Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) contingent of nearly 180 pilots and air engineering technicians is participating in a two-week drill organized by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), a PAF spokesman said on Sunday. The Aces Meet 2021 is an aerial exercise to maximize the combat readiness of participating countries through air-to-air combat training.
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03/30/2021
Ten Chinese military aircraft including fighter jets entered the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defence identification zone on Monday, the island's defence ministry said, in a further escalation of tension across the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The island's defence ministry said the air force deployed missiles to "monitor" the incursion into the southwestern part of its air defence identification zone. It also said its planes warned the Chinese aircraft, including by radio.
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03/30/2021
The "Red Flag 21-2" combat scenario training exercise brought aircraft from seven NATO nations and detachments from across the U.S. Air Force together, the branch said. Over 100 aircraft were involved in the weeklong event at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., held earlier this month, notably including F-16 Fighting Falcons and a NATO E-3A AWACS surveillance plane stationed at Geilenkirschen NATO Air Base, Germany.
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03/30/2021
Rep. Adam Smith’s recent attack against the F-35 program was followed by an avalanche of anti-F-35 hype putting the aircraft under pressure in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, most of these assaults have been made without realization or acknowledgement of the benefits that the F-35 provides.
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03/29/2021
French military experts also quoted the source saying that French President Emmanuel Macron may propose to the defense minister of Ukraine to renew the local fleet of fighter jets. According to sources from Intelligence Online, the possible sale of Rafale fighters to Ukraine is a top priority in the discussion during the upcoming visit.
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03/28/2021
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing a shortage of 405 pilots, the federal government recently informed the country’s Parliament. Junior defense minister Shripad Naik said in the lower house of Parliament that the number of pilots in IAF at present is 3,834 against the sanctioned strength of 4,239.
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03/28/2021
Foreign journalists appear to be misunderstanding China’s aircraft carrier program. Some of the recent reporting combines larger aircraft carriers that carry jets with smaller “carriers” that operate helicopters. There are currently two types of Chinese aircraft carriers; one for fixed wing combat aircraft and a second type of carrier that is actually an amphibious ship that carries troops plus landing craft and helicopters to put them ashore.
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03/28/2021
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, was himself briefed about the achievement by the Russian Navy’s Commander-in-Chief, Nikolai Yevmenov. “Within the framework of an Arctic expedition for the first time ever in the history of Russia’s Navy a pair of MiG-31 jets performed a flight over the North Pole and were refueled in midair,” he informed.
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03/27/2021
Two A-10 pilots, flying together for the 30th time in Desert Storm on Feb. 15, 1991, attacked a massive formation of Iraqi armor in the deserts of Kuwait. One pilot, a young first lieutenant named Robert Sweet, survived and became a prisoner of war. The mission commander of the flight, an experienced captain, who lingered above the site of the shoot down for three minutes and 45 seconds—intentionally drawing fire, attempting to help the search and rescue of his wingman, was ultimately shot down
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03/27/2021
The Department of Defense (DOD) develops a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) every four years to align the U.S. military’s force structure, operational concepts, programs, and budgets with the president’s national security priorities. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin plans a comprehensive review of the present NDS, published in January 2018, and has indicated that while the strategy’s focus on great power competition and conflict remains sound, updates may be warranted.
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03/27/2021
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace on 25 March announced a NOK1.7 billion ($200 million) deal with Lockheed Martin for involvement in Lot 15 to Lot 17 production of the F-35 Lightning II multirole combat aircraft. The deal covers delivery of rudders, vertical leading edges and main landing gear closeout panels for more than 500 aircraft.
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03/27/2021
Twenty Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on Friday in the largest incursion yet reported by the island’s defence ministry, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions across the Taiwan Strait. The ministry said the air force deployed missiles to “monitor” the incursion into the south-western part of its air defence identification zone. It also said its planes warned the Chinese aircraft, including by radio.
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03/27/2021
Pollen—and politics—is in the air. In the Battle of the Budget, the Air Force and its premier acquisition program, the F-35 fighter, is under attack. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith launched his opening salvo, calling the F-35 “a rathole” and saying he wants to “figure out how we can get a mix of fighter attack aircraft that’s the most cost-effective.”
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03/26/2021
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to receive three more French-made Dassault Rafale fighters next week and another nine by mid-April, according to reports. The combat aircraft will land at the Ambala airbase in the northern state of Punjab.
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03/26/2021
Wang Songxi is a flying instructor with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Northern Theatre Command Air Force. He claims to have flown many Chinese fighter jets as well as the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 during his career. Designed and developed by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation during the Soviet-era, the Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter jet.
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03/26/2021
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has come under criticism for what the opposition says are lies and contradictory statements about why the Armenian military did not deploy fighter jets purchased from Russia during last year’s war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
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03/26/2021
The first of the United States Air Force's Boeing F-15EX fighters arrived at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida earlier this month. Touted by the defense contractor to be a cost-effective aircraft for the service, the F-15EX is set to undergo combined developmental and operational tests.
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03/25/2021
When the F-22 burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, it was heralded as a new generation of air-dominance, speed, thrust, maneuverability, and stealth. It was widely reported to be the most capable air-to-air platform ever to exist and is actually still regarded as such by many. The original plan was for the Air Force and the Pentagon to acquire as many as 750 F-22s, but there are now 186 operational F-22s.
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03/25/2021
An F-35B with VMX-1, the U.S. Marine Corps’ test and evaluation squadron based at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Yuma, Arizona, was damaged during a night CAS (Close Air Support) mission on Mar. 12, 2021. According to Military.com’s Oriana Pawlyk, who was the first to report about the mishap, the F-35B was operating over the Yuma Range Complex, when a PGU-32/U Semi-Armor Piercing High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer (SAPHEI-T) 25mm round exploded after leaving the fighter’s GAU-22 gun pod.
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03/25/2021
The fighter jet, currently under development, exploits the cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence (AI) by the Chinese and is expected to roll out by 2035. Experts agree that the superiority of the next-generation fighter jets will be determined by the application of AI in data processing and decision making. The AI is expected to usher in radical changes when it comes to computing, sensing, targeting, maneuvering, and various kinds of attack tactics in combat aircraft.
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03/25/2021
Russia’s announcement that it is ready to hold negotiations with Ankara on the delivery of Su-35 and Su-57 fighter aircraft if requested may cause further tensions between the US and Turkey, experts say.
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03/25/2021
A naval combat drone could be headed to the decks of the U.K.’s two aircraft carriers in the future. Under the recently revealed Project Vixen, the U.K. Royal Navy is studying the potential for adding a large unmanned aerial vehicle that could undertake missions including aerial refueling — like the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray — as well as strike, potentially in loyal wingman-type role, networked together with its F-35B Lightning stealth fighters.
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03/24/2021
The Taiwanese Air Force has reportedly grounded its F-5E fighter jet fleet following a mid-air collision and crash of two aircraft. The accident has claimed the life of one pilot while the other pilot has gone missing, reported several media sources. According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), four F-5E fighter jets took off on a training mission from Taitung’s Zhi-Hang Air Base.
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03/24/2021
Three crew have been killed in an accident today involving a Russian Aerospace Forces Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bomber at Shaykovka airbase in the Kaluga region, western Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the crew lost their lives due to an “abnormal operation” of the ejection seats.
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03/24/2021
As the U.S. military reevaluates how many F-35 stealth fighters it needs in its future combat force, America's closest ally is following suit and won’t commit to buying the full number it originally planned. The Royal Air Force is also evaluating its combat warplane mix, a top U.K. defense official said Monday.
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03/24/2021
L3Harris Technologies has secured a contract from Lockheed Martin to develop a new advanced electronic warfare (EW) system for the F-16 fighter jet. L3Harris designed the new EW system, known as ‘Viper Shield’, to provide advanced countermeasures to US and global coalition partners. It protects F-16 aircraft from emerging radar and electronic threats with advanced digital technologies.
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03/23/2021
According to reports, tactical formations and maneuvers were practiced by the Eastern Theater Command, along with air-to-surface attacks, especially against sea targets. Images of the exercise published by a Chinese website navy.81.cn show several combat jets from the PLA’s fighter fleet from the Eastern Military District, including Flankers and indigenously designed J-10 Dragons, taking to the sky
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03/23/2021
The UK’s new military modernization plan includes a proposed increase in the number of nuclear warheads, sets ambitious targets for new warships but is silent on the whether the country should buy more F-35s. “We’ve committed to 48; we’ll buy 48,” UK Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, told reporters on a call this afternoon. The original plan was to buy 138 fifth-generation fighters, but British officials in recent months have declined to say if that is still the plan.
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03/23/2021
Taiwan is ready to deploy its upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets for operational missions, with the program to upgrade the entire fleet on track for completion by 2023, according to the Air Force chief of staff. Lt. Gen. Huang Chih-Wei was addressing lawmakers at Taiwan’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan, when he confirmed that 42 F-16s are upgraded to the F-16V standard. A formal handover ceremony is scheduled for later this month, with President Tsai Ing-wen in attendance.
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03/22/2021
Two Taiwanese fighter jets crashed on Monday in the third such incident in the past half year, at a time when the Beijing-claimed island’s armed forced are under increasing pressure to intercept Chinese aircraft on an almost daily basis.
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03/22/2021
Although some American officials believe that the chances of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan are increasing, the small island nation wouldn’t go down without a fight. Taiwan’s newly upgraded F-16V fighter jets will soon be fit for duty, according to a recent Taiwanese report. The F-16V, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is the most capable F-16 variant to date and features an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for better all-weather target acquisition and situational awareness
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03/22/2021
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Sunday just weeks before Washington is due to withdraw the last of its troops under a deal struck with the Taliban last year. New US President Joe Biden said last week the May 1 deadline agreed by predecessor Donald Trump would be "tough" to meet - prompting outrage from the insurgents, who warned that Washington would be "responsible for the consequences".
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03/22/2021
The two services announced the FOC (full operational capability) of the aircraft on March 8. According to Janes, this announcement will allow the French forces deployed with the carrier Charles de Gaulle and in Jordan (as part of Op Chammal) to fly the latest variant of the Rafale fighter jet.
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03/21/2021
Discussions during the meeting centered around defense, but also tackled issues of common interest. Al-Ruwaili attended a flight demonstration by combat aircraft taking part in the “Falcon Eye 1” exercises at the Souda Air Force Base in Greece and met with the participants.
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03/21/2021
According to reports, Taiwan has successfully completed the upgrade of 42 of its 141 F-16A/B fighter jets to the F-16 V standard. Eventually, all the F-16s in its fleet would be upgraded by 2023, for which work is being carried out by the local company Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation with support from Lockheed Martin.
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03/21/2021
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Britain’s Hercules transport planes used by special forces
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03/21/2021
Airmen from the 2nd Bomb Wing loaded and employed nearly 50 types of various munitions and flew a total of eight sorties in support of exercise Combat Hammer, March 8-12. A week-long evaluation of the wing’s capacity to generate, load and employ conventional weapons on target, Combat Hammer measured the effectiveness and lethality of Barksdale’s combat capabilities.
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03/20/2021
The Rafale F3-R multirole fighter has been approved for operational service by the French Navy and French Air and Space Force. The navy and air force ‘are now authorised to make operational use of all the capacities that are developed around the F3-R standard, which is already installed in half the French fleet and will eventually be installed on all Rafale aircraft in service’, the French MoD announced on 17 March.
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03/20/2021
A Russian official has branded rubbish reports in Algeria that Moscow is manufacturing state-of-art Su-34 fighter jets for the Algerian army, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports. Reports from Algiers indicated that Moscow is set to deliver a first batch of six Russian Su-34 fighter aircraft to the North African country and that Algerian pilots would start training to fly the aircraft in the summer of 2022.
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03/20/2021
Europe’s next-gen fighter jet program FCAS is facing some teething problems, with two prime contractors — Airbus and Dassault Aviation — locking horns over the aircraft’s feasibility and the issue pertaining to who will lead the initiative.
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03/20/2021
Indian firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced that its Nashik Division completed production of 140 Su-30MKI jets from raw material stage (phase 4). The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a multirole combat fighter aircraft equipped with thrust vectoring control and canards. It is jointly developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
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03/20/2021
Germany’s Greens like to think of themselves as their country’s most committed champions of Europe. They see in France their most important partner to further European integration and to advance the green and socially just transformation of the European Union. French President Emmanuel Macron’s vision for a sovereign Europe, too, is shared whole-heartedly by the Greens.
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03/20/2021
Aircraft with advanced air dominance capabilities have emerged as a top acquisition priority for countries across the Asia-Pacific, driven by the evolving geopolitical landscape. Several nations are pursuing fighter aircraft programmes, which are set to see significant progress over the coming decade.
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03/19/2021
The exercise was held to generate dissimilar aircraft combat training with the Alaska-based aircraft from the Eielson Air Force Base, exposing the Hawaiian F-22 Raptors to new combat strategies that are likely to be faced in the event of an air-to-air battle. “We’re helping the F-22s by replicating adversary capabilities so that they are trained and ready for any fight the Air Force wants to take them to,” said Capt. Daniel Simpson, 18th Aggressor Squadron pilot.
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03/19/2021
Service members from seven NATO member nations are at Nellis Air Force Base, supporting Red Flag 21-2 to test and sharpen their abilities in countering threats while building a cohesive protocol for real-world events. “For decades, Red Flag has been the world’s premier air combat training environment,” said Maj. Stephen Wahnon, tactical director and NATO E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System Red Flag detachment commander.
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03/19/2021
The F-35 is in the middle of a public relations storm. With the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, referring to the program as a “rathole” and news reports attacking the aircraft, the public is left to wonder about America’s newest fighter. However, reality dictates a far different conclusion: The F-35 is an operational success.
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03/18/2021
A Russian military official on Wednesday denied manufacturing Su-34 fighters for the Algerian Air Force this year. The Russian Sukhoi SU-34 fighter is among the latest additions to the Russian Air Force arsenal, in operation since 2014. A representative of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) in Russia stated that Russia did not engage in manufacturing aircraft for Algeria.
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03/18/2021
The recent decision by the Biden administration to send $125 million in military aid for Ukraine is a welcome site in Kyiv, but the country needs and deserves much more, according to a former chief adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister.
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03/18/2021
Royal Air Force Typhoons have used the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile in action for the first time, with a pair of aircraft reportedly firing four weapons at cave complexes on March 10. The network of caves, southwest of Erbil, was being used by Daesh terrorist forces.
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03/18/2021
The air wing of the Indian Navy's latest carrier, INS Vikrant, could include a new indigenous fighter plane. The TEDBF (Twin Engine deck Based Fighter) is the natural successor to India's Light Combat aircraft (LCA), the Tejas. If it is flown it will be inherently better suited to the Indian Navy's needs. But in the short term it faces competition from off-the-shelf Western types, notably the Super Hornet and the Rafale.
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03/18/2021
A dozen years into its fight with the Islamic insurgent group Boko Haram, Nigeria is getting some new weapons: a pair of Wing Loong II drones from China. The deal is one of a growing number of sales by state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China (AVIC), which has exported scores of the aircraft. The United Arab Emirates has used AVIC drones in Libya’s civil war, Egypt has attacked rebels in Sinai with them, and Saudi-led troops have deployed them in Yemen.
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03/17/2021
Arms imports in the Middle East grew by 25 percent between 2011–15 and 2016–20, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) report published on Monday. But overall, and for the first time since 2001–2005, the volume of major arms transfers between countries did not rise from the previous five year period, SIPRI said.
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03/17/2021
The sea services see themselves moving toward a future where they are just as likely to perform a mission with an unmanned platform as a manned one, based on the specifics of the mission and what assets are available. A third of the Navy’s fleet and half of Marine Corps aviation could be unmanned under this hybrid vision the two services are pursuing, which they argue in a new Department of the Navy Unmanned Campaign Framework is necessary to stay ahead of adversary capabilities.
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03/17/2021
A Ukrainian engine will power Turkey’s new Atak II-class T929 helicopter, the head of Turkish Aerospace Industries announced Monday in a TV interview, during which he also identified the price of the future TF-X fighter jet as $100 million per unit.
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03/15/2021
Russia is reportedly keen to discuss the possibility of supplying Su-35 and Su-57 fighter jets to Turkey. Russia is also keen to pitch the same jets to the Indian Air Force as it showcased its military-tech during the ‘Aero India’ exhibition. Turkey is believed to be exploring the 4++ generation Su-35 fighters and the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighters after Ankara was ejected from the F-35 jet project the US after Ankara inked S-400 missile deal with Russia.
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03/15/2021
Russia’s announcement that it is ready to hold negotiations with Ankara on the delivery of Su-35 and Su-57 fighter aircraft if requested may cause further tensions between the US and Turkey, experts say. Turkey hired a Washington-based law firm last month to lobby for its readmission to the US F-35 fighter jet program after it was suspended following its purchase of the Russian air defense system.
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03/14/2021
At least four people were killed Saturday in a military plane crash in Kazakhstan, the government said. The An-26 military transport plane crashed as it was landing in foggy conditions at the airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, the country's Emergencies Ministry said.
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03/14/2021
A military expert said on Friday (March 12) that new satellite imagery appears to show a helicopter base that could threaten Taiwan is being built in China's Fujian Province. Ho Cheng-hui was cited by the Taiwan news website pourquoi.tw as saying the base had not been previously reported. He added it could be regarded as a product of Xi Jinping's "desperate desire to resolve the Taiwan issue and expand the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) combat power."
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03/14/2021
The MiG-31BM fighters based at the Northern Fleet’s Rogachyovo airfield have been replaced by MiG-29K fighter aircraft s of the 100th shipborne aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet’s Air Force and Air Defense Army, according to a Russian Navy statement.
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03/12/2021
Two Chinese military turboprops entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday (March 8), marking the fourth such intrusion this month. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) sent one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems.
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03/12/2021
Tecmash Group (part of Technodinamika within the state tech corporation Rostec) has launched serial production of ice sensors with artificial intelligence elements that will be installed on the latest fighter aircraft, the Rostec press office reported on Thursday.
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03/12/2021
The U.S. Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX from the Boeing Co. March 10 at the company’s St. Louis facility. The new fighter is a two-seat aircraft—though operable by a single pilot—with fly-by-wire flight controls, digital cockpit displays, and advanced avionics systems, to include the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, an electronic warfare upgrade also being fielded on F-15E Strike Eagle models.
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03/12/2021
Two specially instrumented US F-35Bs from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, landed aboard Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, off the US East Coast, on March 1, 2021. The flagship of the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) had left Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia) on February 28, in preparation of the four-week sea trials.
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03/12/2021
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) always has been highly intrigued by the MiG-29 Fulcrum, and for the country’s military to get its hands on one, it indeed had to jump over plenty of hurdles. According to one report, “Israel obtained a nearly complete, crated, MiG-29 via a covert deal with a Polish general. The aircraft was at Gdansk awaiting shipment to Syria but was instead put on a plane and flown to Israel in late 1985. The Soviets soon got wind of this and demanded its return.
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03/12/2021
The US aerospace Boeing Company is open to leasing KC-46tanker, a derivative of the Boeing 767 passenger aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is seeking quotes for mid-air refuellers. Confirming this to Financial Express Online, in an exclusive interaction with Financial Express Online, Torbjorn Sjogren, VP, International Government & Defence, Boeing Global Services, said “We are in talks with the IAF for KC-46tanker.
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03/12/2021
Denmark flew its first F-35 Lightning II production aircraft ‘L-001’ becoming the fifth European Nato nation to be armed with the F-35 fighter jet alongside the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy.
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03/12/2021
A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notice indicates that the country could field a new fighter jet by 2029. This development assumes significance given that the US is currently developing the sixth-generation fighter jet under the NGAD program.
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03/12/2021
The Indian Air Force will induct the second squadron of Rafale fighter aircraft at Hashimara Air Force base in West Bengal in mid-April, said officials. The Air Force would be moving fighter aircraft there in May. The training of the fighter pilots in France completing around the same time.
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03/10/2021
Washington and Kiev are trying to block the Chinese takeover of a jet-engine maker little known outside Ukraine, Motor Sich. If the sale goes through, it will let China obtain a key defence technology that has eluded them for decades, in one of the few remaining disciplines where the US and its allies retain a competitive advantage.
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03/10/2021
A Request For Information (RFI) issued to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed that the Royal Navy is seeking information on potential electromagnetic catapult and arrestor wire systems that could be used to launch and recover ‘air vehicles’ from ‘a suitable ship’ by as soon as 2023.
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03/10/2021
The supersonic test flights are scheduled to take place over the next few months. Developed by Swedish aerospace giants Saab AB, the JAS-39 ‘Gripen’ is a light single-engine multirole combat aircraft that is highly agile and versatile. The Gripen fighters boast the best electronic warfare (EW) equipment and have already been exported to Brazil, Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
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03/10/2021
The US Air Force's desire to radically reshape and accelerate the way it develops future fighter planes could propel China to ramp up its plans for next-generation aircraft, Chinese experts said. A military insider familiar with China's next-generation aircraft project said Chinese aircraft designers were keeping a close eye on anything disclosed by their American counterparts about NGAD, or the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.
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03/09/2021
Southern Nevada and Southern Utah residents may notice increased noise from military aircraft as the Air Force conducts Red Flag 21-2 from Monday to March 19. More than 80 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and may remain in the air for up to five hours during Red Flag, according to a press release issued by the Nellis Air Force Base. There will be night launches as well to allow air crews to train for nighttime combat operations.
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03/09/2021
The F-35 stealth fighter jet has had quite a trajectory over a period of many years, including substantial ups and downs marked by some breakthrough successes such as new weapons integration, performance enhancing software upgrades, wargame performance, favorable pilot reviews, growing global demand and some measure of initial combat success.
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03/09/2021
To augment its fighter fleet, India has purchased 36 Dassault Rafales from France. Eleven of them have already been inducted into the IAF. Six more are scheduled to arrive this month. The country has also moved forward with the development of its indigenous fourth-generation LCA Tejas fighters, which are expected to support the Rafales in carrying out future missions.
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03/09/2021
U.S. Navy aviation experts are asking industry to develop a prototype hypersonic missile to enable the carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter bomber to attack high-priority targets while giving the enemy little time to deploy countermeasures. Officials of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., issued a special notice (N00014-21-S-SN06) on Tuesday for the Screaming Arrow project to arm the Navy Super Hornet with hypersonic weapons.
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03/09/2021
A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notification has offered a hint that the US could field a new fighter aircraft by FY 2029. The $74m contract notice with Raytheon for the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) aircraft integration mentions a number of existing airframes but leaves the option open for future integration on to current or next-generation fighters before the close of fiscal year 2029.
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03/08/2021
The accident occurred on Sunday evening in Normandy where he had a holiday home, according to police sources. In his tribute, President Emanuel Macron said Dassault, 69, loved France and his death would be "a great loss". Dassault was the son of industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper.
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03/07/2021
Showcasing Alliance vigilance and readiness, Spanish NATO Air Policing assets scrambled on March 4 to intercept Russian fighters flying in international airspace in the vicinity of Alliance territory .
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03/07/2021
The Indian military has been on a shopping spree since the border standoff with China began last year. After almost nine months, the two counties finally agreed to disengage their troops from Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh last month. During the standoff, India started receiving French Rafale jets. Out of 36 aircraft ordered, it has received 11 so far. Six more will be delivered this month.
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03/07/2021
In a bid to bolster the air capabilities, the Indian Air Force has proposed the procurement of 114 additional fighter jets under MMRCA 2.0. Swedish aerospace giant Saab had lost the first MMRCA competition to French Dassault, which signed a contract for 36 Rafale jets with New Delhi. However, the loss did not deter Saab, which is now pitching hard its multirole Gripen fighters to New Delhi by offering its entire production technology to meet the ‘Make in India’ norms.
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03/06/2021
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has denied reports that it is scrambling fewer fighter jets against Chinese military aircraft infringing on Japanese airspace due to an increased reliance on the F-35 stealth fighter.
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03/06/2021
A successful test on Friday of the technologies that go into a “solid fuel ducted ramjet” (SFDR) has propelled the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) into an exclusive group of manufacturers that can build long-range air-to-air missiles (AAM) capable of shooting down enemy aircraft hundreds of kilometres away.
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03/06/2021
The first-ever deployment of B-1 Lancer bombers to Norway is allowing U.S. airmen to train in Arctic conditions and NATO ally Norway to test its defenses, particularly against its eastern neighbor, Russia, military officials from both countries said Friday.
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03/06/2021
Amid interests shown by Swedish company Saab to manufacture its Gripen fighter aircraft in India, prime ministers of the two countries on Friday noted defence is an important area of a long-standing collaboration.
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03/06/2021
The company said that the agreement will increase the aircraft’s production capability to six aircraft for Royal Australian Air Force. As noted by the company, the Loyal Wingman is the first military combat aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.
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03/05/2021
October 26 of this year marks the 20th anniversary of the day in 2001 when the development contract for the F-35 fighter was awarded to an industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Called the Joint Strike Fighter at the time, it was an improbable project: a family of tactical aircraft that could do everything for everybody, in the process replacing most of the nation’s Cold War fighter fleet.
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03/05/2021
Guyana Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd has said that two Venezuelan Sukhoi SU 30 fighter jets entered the country’s airspace. The jets flew over the community of Eteringbang and the airstrip at a ‘very low altitude’ on 2 March. The incident is the latest in a ‘long-running border conflict’ between Guyana and Venezuela.
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03/04/2021
India on Tuesday signed a key pact with the Philippines for the sale of "defence material and equipment", which are likely to include BrahMos cruise missiles. Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was also present at the pact's signing ceremony in Manila, has reportedly said that his country is buying BrahMos missiles.
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03/04/2021
Two F-35B Lighting II joint strike fighters (JSFs) are undergoing sea trials aboard the Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550). The specially instrumented US F-35Bs were flown by the test pilots from Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, to the Italian Navy flagship carrier on 28 February.
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03/04/2021
Russia officially announced on Feb. 25 that Egypt had received five Sukhoi Su-35 advanced combat aircraft. The Russian Khabarovsk Krai region’s official media agency stated that the most important achievement of the military factory in the region was delivering the five Su-35 fighter jets to Egypt, out of the 24 jets that were agreed upon, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
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03/04/2021
The U.S. Air Force just reconfigured the F-15E Strike Eagle to carry more Joint Direct Attack Munitions under its wings, proving the fighter can be used to transport a heavier payload and eliminating the need for a cargo plane. The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, said Tuesday that the loadout was tested last month during a "proof of concept" trial, demonstrating the jet could carry 15 JDAMs, a large increase from its standard load of nine, officials said in a
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03/04/2021
Kelley Aerospace of Singapore just unveiled its supersonic Arrow drone: a stealthy, autonomous aircraft capable of flying missions alongside manned jets. This is the latest entry in a long list of new high-performance combat drones known as “Loyal Wingmen” being introduced by countries around the world.
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03/03/2021
Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets have flown off the flight deck of a Navy aircraft carrier for the last time. Members of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, known as the Death Rattlers, returned to California last week after a 10-month deployment with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. It was the final F/A-18 Hornet carrier deployment for the Marine Corps, officials said in a news release about the historic mission.
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03/03/2021
Two specially instrumented U.S. F-35Bs from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, landed aboard Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, off the US East Coast, on Mar. 1, 2021.
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03/03/2021
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the Exercise Desert Flag-VI along with the air forces of the UAE, the US, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain for the first time, it said on Tuesday. The exercise is scheduled from March 3 to 21 at the Al-Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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03/03/2021
MQ-25 Stingray is a next-generation unmanned aerial refuelling aircraft being developed by Boeing for the US Navy's Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) programme. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will offer carrier-based unmanned aerial refuelling capability to the US Navy.
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03/03/2021
Developed by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Tejas is a single-engine, fourth-generation, multirole light combat aircraft. The fighter has been designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with HAL’s Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) for the primary use of the Indian Air Force and the Navy under the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program.
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03/02/2021
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong was to visit Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on Tuesday to check the development of the country's first indigenous fighter jet, the military said. The visit to KAI, the country's sole aircraft manufacturer, in the southern city of Sacheon comes as the final assembly of a prototype of the KF-X warplane is under way ahead of its planned rollout event in April.
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