May, 2021 Military Aviation News
.jpg)
05/31/2021
As tensions with Russia simmer, thousands of NATO troops, several warships and dozens of aircraft are taking part in military exercises stretching across the Atlantic, through Europe and into the Black Sea region.
(Read More...)
05/31/2021
The Ministry of National Defenses’ Institute of National Defense and Strategic Research (INDSR) said that aerial refueling aircraft for Taiwan’s F-16 fleet would help the nation maintain air superiority in its air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Chen Liang-chi, an associate researcher INDSR, on Thursday (May 27) published a short analysis of the strategic significance of aerial refueling aircraft in Taiwan's air defense.
(Read More...)
05/31/2021
The two Asian neighbors have been locked in a protracted border standoff in the Ladakh region, with reports of the Chinese PLA amassing advanced weapons on the Tibetan plateau emerging on a regular basis. With an uncanny similarity to America’s stealth F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, the FC-31 ‘Gyrfalcon’ is a twin-engine mid-size fifth-generation aircraft being developed by Shenyang, a state-owned aircraft manufacturer.
(Read More...)
05/31/2021
The Chinese Navy is rapidly expanding its aircraft carrier fleet, with two in service and at least one more under construction. And while still new to the game, their experience of operating carriers is growing all the time. Regional rival India has a much longer tradition of carrier aviation, but fewer and smaller carriers. The first indigenous aircraft carrier, Vikrant, could keep India competitive however.
(Read More...)
05/30/2021
On Friday, LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said that the planned parade on a military base of Benin in Benghazi would be the largest military parade in the history of Libya. Later, the crash was confirmed by LNA spokesman Khalifa al-Obeidi who expressed grief over the death of Jamal ibn Amer via Facebook.
(Read More...)
05/30/2021
“The pilots practiced fulfilling tasks in new geographical areas,” the press office said.
The aircraft of this type have been deployed at the Hmeymim airfield for the first time, which has become possible as a result of the upgrade of the second runway with the complete replacement of the runway’s surface and the installation of new lighting navigational and radio equipment.
(Read More...)
05/29/2021
The U.S. Navy is preparing to receive F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the Air Force as it moves to rid its inventory of legacy F/A-18 Hornet models used in its Reserve fleets, according to its fiscal 2022 budget request. The Navy will shelve roughly 55 aircraft over the next year, the documents state, in hopes of transitioning to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. But to make sure it has enough fighters available amid the conversion, it expects the Air Force to transfer some F-16s to it.
(Read More...)
05/29/2021
Russia recently deployed military fighter aircraft to Libya to support Russian state-sponsored private military contractors, or PMCs, operating on the ground there, U.S. Africa Command officials said.
(Read More...)
05/29/2021
The deployment of one aircraft carrier is not usually big news. The deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan to support the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, however, highlights the massive gap between U.S. global commitments and U.S. military power.
(Read More...)
05/29/2021
The US Air Force wants to mothball over 200 aircraft in the coming year to free up funds for new technology and weapons, according to the service's fiscal year 2022 budget request. The Department of the Air Force's latest budget request asks for $173.7 billion, which includes an increase in research, development, test, and evaluation funding but a decrease in funds for procurement.
(Read More...)
05/29/2021
Croatia’s government has selected the Dassault Rafale to fulfill its long-standing requirement for a multi-role fighter to replace its aging MiG-21s. Although local media had reported the selection a few days earlier, the decision was officially confirmed in an announcement made on May 28, the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Croatian National Guard.
(Read More...)
05/28/2021
Another batch of three Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala airbase on Thursday, taking the total number of Rafales in the Indian Air Force (IAF) inventory to 23. According to people aware of the development in Dassault, four aircraft were supposed to take off from Merignac-Bordeaux airbase in France on May 20, but only three could because of the unavailability of more mid-air refuellers in the UAE.
(Read More...)
05/27/2021
Two F4-1 Rafale aircraft test flew for the first time last month as part of the “readiness for use review campaign” in France’s Istres, the Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) revealed in a statement. The fleet of eight Rafales, two Mirage 2000s, and two Alphajets performed eight “complex missions ” representing 50 sorties, the French Defense Procurement and Technology Agency stated.
(Read More...)
05/27/2021
The MQ-9 Reaper has become the signature weapon of the war against terror, an eye in the sky able to scrutinize targets on the ground for extended periods before delivering laser-guided precision strikes. As a combat aircraft though, it lacks speed and maneuverability and the ability to survive against modern air defenses. Rather than retiring the drones though, the U.S. military is intent on upgrading its Reapers from assassins to warriors capable of taking on near-peer opponents.
(Read More...)
05/27/2021
While the Air Force’s latest F-35 stealth fighter jets are deadly, early-model F-35s wouldn’t stand a chance against a near-peer rival. The Air Force may start to retire their oldest F-35A airfares in favor of newer, more advanced builds of the same airframe, a senior Air Force official suggested in a recent interview.
(Read More...)
05/27/2021
According to TASS, Russian state aerospace company Sukhoi is now developing new light tactical fighter aircraft. “The Sukhoi company is developing a single-engine light tactical plane with the takeoff weight of up to 18 tonnes. The plane’s maximum speed will be above 2 Mach. It will also have super-maneuverability and improved takeoff and landing performance, thanks to a thrust vector control engine. The plane’s thrust-to-weight ratio will be above 1,” news agency reported, citing an industry so
(Read More...)
05/26/2021
The emergence of photos and videos of Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire-C bombers apparently taken in Syria’s coastal Latakia province suggests that the aircraft are now operating, for the first time, from Moscow’s Khmeimim airbase outpost in that country. Earlier this year, The War Zone examined runway extension work at the base which would help accommodate the big swing-wing bombers, and you can read more about that here.
(Read More...)
05/26/2021
The defense budget coming out May 28 will contain few big surprises. Plans to retire some older planes have already been reported, and the longer-range plans typically surfacing at budget time—known as the Future Years Defense Plan, or FYDP—are still being debated. But inklings of the service’s direction will be sprinkled throughout, all of them designed to maximize options going forward.
(Read More...)
05/26/2021
Saab has secured a contract to upgrade radar warning equipment on the Tornado multi-Role combat aircraft operated by the German Air Force. Saab secured the $48m (Skr400m) task order from German company Panavia Aircraft. The Tornado multirole aircraft is operational in five different forms, including the Tornado GR 1 interdictor strike aircraft for close air support.
(Read More...)
05/26/2021
The Boeing Co. received a $18.9-million delivery order for the production and delivery of 48 automatic backup oxygen system retrofit kits for the T-45 aircraft. Per the terms of the deal, the company will supply installation tooling, engineering reach back, spares and support equipment for these kits. The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, MD.
(Read More...)
05/25/2021
Nellis Air Force Base confirmed the pilot killed in a crash Monday afternoon worked for Draken US, the company that provides adversary air support for the installation. The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. near Washington and Nellis. The contracted plane was a Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1. The pilot was the sole occupant.
(Read More...)
05/24/2021
Lithuania on Sunday called for European Union countries to jointly recommend that planes avoid Belarusian airspace, after a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk and an opposition activist on board detained. The proposal for a joint declaration will be put forward at a meeting of European leaders on Monday and will include a call to recognize the incident as a violation of International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, the foreign ministry said.
(Read More...)
05/24/2021
The U.S. and Europe reacted with outrage after Belarus ordered a Ryanair Holdings Plc flight transiting its airspace to land and arrested a journalist on board, an unprecedented violation of European air travel protocols. “The United States strongly condemns the forced diversion of a flight between two EU member states and the subsequent removal and arrest of journalist Roman Pratasevich,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
(Read More...)
05/24/2021
Where are the greatest opportunities — for the United States and allies as well as their potential adversaries — in terms of military innovation between now and 2040? Where can one expect the greatest vulnerabilities to develop or emerge?
(Read More...)
05/24/2021
Based on Lockheed Martin’s backlog of F-16 orders, planned upgrades, and the recent revelation that the Air Force plans to depend on the fighter into the late 2030s, the F-16’s sunset years now could come in the 2070s, or later.
(Read More...)
05/24/2021
For years now the U.S. military has been looking for the next-generation fighter aircraft, the one that will keep America at the top of the list for aerial supremacy. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is how the program meant to come up with the next fighter is called, and we already got a preview of how the thing could look in the United States Air Force’s acquisition report released back in April.
(Read More...)
05/23/2021
The U.S. Navy has declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS), signaling the system’s readiness to provide precision approach and landing capabilities to tactical carrier aircraft at sea.
(Read More...)
05/23/2021
The F-5 was built by the United States mainly for export to nations that could not afford the top-line Western fighters, but did not want the MiG-21s. The F-5 is normally armed with two 20mm cannon, and three tons of missiles and bombs. Introduced in 1962, over 2,200 were built between 1959 and 1987. The F-5 was more reliable and upgradeable than the MiG-21 which is one reason why so many upgraded F-5s are still flying.
(Read More...)
05/23/2021
According to reports, Croatia is likely to purchase 12 second-hand Rafale jets from the French government and finally replace its aging MiG-21 fighter jets. According to a Croatian publication Jutarnji List, the country is planning to purchase 12 used Rafale F3Rs from the French Air Force inventory. The oldest of these airframes could be as much as 10 years old, for a deal just under one billion euros for the entire package.
(Read More...)
05/23/2021
According to reports, the tests of F4-1 were conducted between April 26 and 29, involving test crews from the French Air Force, the French Navy, and Dassault Aviation, under the stewardship of the Director-General of Armament (DGA). The DGA is the French government’s defense procurement and technology agency responsible for project management, development, and purchase of weapon systems for the French military.
(Read More...)
05/22/2021
A Turkish fighter jet pilot knew he was shooting at a Russian warplane in airspace over the Turkish-Syrian border area when he was ordered to fire by the commander of the Air Force, Gen. Abidin Ünal, a senior officer who worked at Air Force headquarters at the time revealed.
(Read More...)
05/22/2021
An interesting report from Air Force Magazine says the new F-15EX performed with “mixed results” in a recent service wargame in Alaska called Northern Edge. Citing Air Force officers involved in the testing and assessments, the report says the newly arrived F-15EX was pitted against extremely sophisticated “red-team” adversary forces to assess its ability to rival or engage 5th-Gen attacks. The F-15EX was also integrated with U.S. 5th-Gen assets such as F-22s and F-35s.
(Read More...)
05/22/2021
The government’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update provided refreshing clarity about our deteriorating strategic environment and the need for new military capabilities to address it. These include long-range strike capabilities to impose greater cost on potential great power adversaries at greater range from Australia. The government also included a shopping list of those capabilities giving a broad outline of schedule and the scale of investment.
(Read More...)
.jpg)
05/22/2021
While Croatia is still officially deciding which one of two contendents will replace its aging fighter fleet, local media reports that the winner was already chosen. In January 2020, Croatia sent a request for bids seeking to buy a squadron of new or used fighter jets in an effort to modernize its air force. The country has been attempting to replace its antique MiG-21BisD/UMD fighters from the Soviet era.
(Read More...)
05/22/2021
An Indian Air Force pilot was killed in a MiG-21 fighter jet crash at Langeana village of Punjab’s Moga district in the wee hours of Friday. The pilot has been identified as IAF MCC Squadron leader Abhinav Chaudhary and he was on night training when the accident happened.
(Read More...)
05/21/2021
On 15 May 2021, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence François Bausch attended the departure for Mali of a contingent of the Luxembourg Army in support of a European Union Training mission. This was the first operational flight of a Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) aircraft for the Luxembourg Army and the first landing of MMF in Luxembourg.
(Read More...)
05/21/2021
Four Chinese military planes intruded on Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday (May 20), including two fighter-bombers, which breached the median line, as the nation grappled with a surge in COVID-19 cases. On Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced that one Y-8 electronic warfare plane and one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft penetrated into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, while two Xian JH-7 fighter-bombers crossed the Taiwan Strait
(Read More...)
05/21/2021
President Muhammadu Buhari has inducted three brand new JF-17 Thunder Multi-role fighter aircraft into the inventory of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to boost its operation. Performing the ceremony on Thursday in Makurdi during NAF 57 celebration grand finale, Buhari said that the Service has fulfilled its constitutional mandate of defending the nation’s territorial integrity.
(Read More...)
05/21/2021
Having reviewed the J-15’s payload and reliability in context in Part 1 last month, it is finally possible to consider the J-15 on basis of its own merits and flaws. The physical dimensions and characteristics of the J-15 are virtually identical to that of the Su-33 with the same addition of canards, shortened tailsting, folding wing and tail modifications, tailhook and undercarriage strengthening, and corrosion alterations to facilitate carrier operations.
(Read More...)
05/21/2021
U.S. Navy avionics experts are asking industry to weigh-in on a plan to upgrade flight-control software in Navy attack jets to reduce the risk of pilots crashing into the ground on difficult missions. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., issued a request for information on Wednesday (223201-21_AGCA) for the upcoming Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) Flight Control Computer (FCC) Upgrade.
(Read More...)
05/20/2021
A Chinese military plane entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday morning (May 19), marking the 11th such incident this month. A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF turboprop.
(Read More...)
05/20/2021
The F-35 program will turn 20 years old this fall. That’s longer than the entire service life of many legendary aircraft programs. The B-36, for example, was retired 13 years after its first flight in 1946. The F-86 went from first flight to retirement in 18 years.
(Read More...)
05/20/2021
The Air Force’s now airborne sixth-generation aircraft may indeed incorporate several unprecedented technological breakthroughs in the areas of speed, stealth, maneuverability, weapons and artificial-intelligence-enabled sensing, some of which may surpass the limits of current F-35 performance. While early in development and as of yet unproven, program acceleration, rapid progress and high enthusiasm for the Air Force’s sixth-generation next-generation air dominance platform.
(Read More...)
05/20/2021
Approximately 130 Airmen and 11 aircraft from the 127th Wing traveled to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada last month to participate in Green Flag-West 21-03, a realistic air-land combat, close air-support training exercise, designed to give Airmen the experience of working in a deployed environment. Approximately 130 pilots and maintainers from both the 127th Operations and 127th Maintenance Groups, participated in the exercise that spanned three weeks and included around-the-clock flying missions.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
Russia’s Mil Mi-28NM attack helicopter armed with next-generation missiles and rockets is capable launching UAVs including Kamikaze drones. “The latest Mi-28NM attack helicopter is capable of interacting with kamikaze drones. The inclusion of kamikaze drones in the gunship’s airborne armament is one of the areas of interaction between Mi-28NMs and UAVs,” Vitaly Shcherbina, Chief Designer of the Combat Helicopters Program at the Mil and Kamov National Helicopter Center.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
The US Air Force will this month start awarding contracts for construction work to upgrade the Campia Turzii base, enabling it to support heavy cargo aircraft and host fighter jets, boosting NATO’s capacities in the Black Sea area.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
The Australian Defence Force's new Joint Strike Fighter has taken to the skies above the Northern Territory for the first large-scale air combat training exercise since the COVID pandemic hit. About a dozen Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters made the trek to the Top End, along with 40 other aircraft and over 500 Defence personnel, for the month-long exercise.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday morning, China’s tenth incursion this month. According to a Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense post on Twitter, a Chinese Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft was spotted entering the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ. This marks the tenth time a Chinese military aircraft has entered Taiwan’s ADIZ in May.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
US Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, announced Friday it has awarded contracts totaling $19.2 million to five companies to produce prototype aircraft for its Armed Overwatch program. In a notice published on the US federal contracting website, SOCOM said that the awards will go to Leidos Inc. of Reston, Virginia; MAG Aerospace of Fairfax, Virginia; Textron Aviation Defense of Wichita, Kansas; L-3 Communications Integrated Systems of Waco, Texas; and Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nevada.
(Read More...)
05/19/2021
Just as the United States is moving forward with its Boeing F-15EX to complement the F-35, Russia is taking a similar course with its Mikoyan MiG-35 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum-F), an all-weather combat attack aircraft that was developed to be capable of destroying enemy targets day or night, including moving and stationary ground and surface targets.
(Read More...)
05/18/2021
A pilot sustained minor injuries after two U.S. Navy T-45 Goshawk training aircraft from Training Squadron 22 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, collided in mid-flight Monday morning, The incident happened in Ricardo, about eight miles from the base, at approximately 11 a.m. local time, the Naval Air Training Command announced on its official Facebook page.
(Read More...)
05/18/2021
Two RAF Typhoons have successfully bombed a group of Islamic State jihadis in Iraq, according to UK militarily chiefs. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the fighter jets used precision-guided bombs to take-out heavily armed IS militants who were dug-in at a site near to the city of Mosul. The Typhoons were called in to support an Iraqi security force after it came under heavy small arms fire from the terrorists on May 11.
(Read More...)
05/18/2021
As I have demonstrated on other occasions, the “best” US combat aircraft for export, the F-35, is basically worthless. The decades old F-16 and F-18 in updated configurations are better. F-22 is truly remarkable but is in limited numbers, will not be built anymore (tools destroyed), and is not for export. The EU Eurofighter is behind in the generation race for modern combat aircraft. The French too. The West is losing out.
(Read More...)
05/18/2021
Turkey is threatening to go ahead with Russian military purchases despite warnings from Washington. The threat comes as the impasse between the NATO members deepens over Ankara's purchase of a Russian missile system. With Washington stepping up its pressure on Ankara to reverse its purchase of the Russian S 400 missile defense systems, Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar this month defended its intentions, dismissing American concerns.
(Read More...)
05/18/2021
France, Germany and Spain said on Monday they had reached a deal over the next steps of the development of a new fighter jet, Europe's largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100 billion euros ($121.4 billion). France in particular has billed the combat jet project -- which includes a next-generation manned and unmanned aircraft -- as crucial for Europe to strengthen its defence autonomy and face competition from China, Russia and the United States.
(Read More...)
05/17/2021
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center and the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's Detachment 4 are leading $152 million construction projects to upgrade infrastructure at Air Base Campia Turzii, Romania, in support of NATO operations.
(Read More...)
05/17/2021
India is also in the process of establishing two squadrons of French-made Rafale fighters, which are being inducted under a deal worth €7.8 billion with Dassault. The Rafale jets just like the S-400s are dubbed as a game-changer for India against its two key adversaries – China and Pakistan.
(Read More...)
05/17/2021
Finland has received final quotations from aerospace giants for its HX fighter competition where Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen, Stealth F-35 Jets, F/18 Super Hornets aim to replace the country’s aging F-18C/D Hornets. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Saab, Dassault and Eurofighter are all pitching their fighter jets, making it a truly western aircraft supremacy contest.
(Read More...)
05/16/2021
In May 2021 an article in Izvestia reported that the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Chelyabinsk had received the first delivery of a refitted model of its beefy Su-34 supersonic bombers, codenamed the Fullback by NATO and nicknamed the Platypus or ‘Hellduck” due to its distinctive broad, flattened nose.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems demonstrated a soldier on the ground using a tablet computer to control an MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The demonstration, which occurred on 23 April at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, showed a Joint Terminal Attack Controller using a tablet to control the electro-optical/infrared camera on the aircraft, the company says on 13 May. Joint Terminal Attack Controllers are military service members trained to call in air strikes clo
(Read More...)
.jpg)
05/15/2021
MacDiill Air Force Base could be home to a new tanker aircraft. The base was named one of two finalists under consideration for KC-46A jets, according to the Air Force Times. If selected, 24 of the new aircraft will replace KC-135 Stratotankers at the base now. The only other active duty base in competition for the jets is Fairfield Air Force Base in Spokane County, Washington. One of the two will house the KC-46 Main Operating Base.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
Some of you may already be aware that Boeing is presently working on a trainer aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. It’s called T-7A Red Hawk, an evolution of the Boeing T-X concept developed by Boeing together with Swedish company Saab. And by developed, we don’t only mean designed. The aircraft, expected to enter service shortly, was not only penned by the two companies but it is also being put together in different parts of the world.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
The weapon safely launched from an F/A-18F Super Hornet and flew the expected flight path over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range in California. The preliminary analysis provided by the prime contractor, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, indicates all primary and secondary objectives of the shot were met.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
Is there something faster, stealthier, more maneuverable, and more lethal than the F-22? It seems that could be true. So little is known about the now airborne 6th-Gen stealth fighter aircraft, yet it is a potential breakthrough platform that is exploding onto the scene years ahead of what was previously anticipated.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is entering the latest frontier of flight simulation technology with the Army-owned and operated Black Hawk Aircrew Trainer, or BAT, a highly immersive device that the installation began using May 3. Boasting a complete UH-60 cockpit, state-of-the-art visual systems and a dedicated operating station for instructors, the BAT allows pilots to build mission readiness while saving the Army both time and money.
(Read More...)
05/15/2021
The Air Force will ask Congress to retire 421 legacy aircraft through 2026, replacing them with just 304 new fighters, according to fiscal 2022 budget talking points obtained by Air Force Magazine. The savings derived from operating a smaller fleet will be put toward acquiring new systems such as the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter later this decade, and a new Multi-Role fighter, called MR-X, in the 2030s.
(Read More...)
4%20AESA%20USMC.jpg)
05/15/2021
Radar experts at Raytheon Technologies Corp. will provide the U.S. Marine Corps with six AN/APG-79(V)4 active electronically scanned array (AESA) airborne radar systems under terms of a $20 million order announced last week. Officials of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the Raytheon Intelligence & Space segment in El Segundo, Calif., for replacement AESA radar systems for the Marine Corps F/A-18C/D Hornet carrier-based jet fighter-bomber.
(Read More...)
05/14/2021
The Biden administration will seek $11 billion to buy 85 Lockheed Martin F-35 jets in the coming fiscal year, tracking a plan outlined last year by the Trump administration, according to a U.S. official. With a $715 billion budget request for fiscal year 2022, the Pentagon had considered increasing the quantity of next-generation fighters it planned to buy but decided to instead focus on using additional funding to upgrade the F-35 with new capabilities every six months, the official said.
(Read More...)
05/14/2021
China has threatened to bring 'economic carnage' upon Australia in response to big defence spending announced in Tuesday's federal budget. The government outlined a huge boost for the defence force, more funding for spies and help for exporters to find new markets in a massive push back against an increasingly assertive Beijing.
(Read More...)
05/14/2021
Nigeria’s air force has attacked civilian targets including a school six months after Declassified revealed that a private company in England was training military helicopter pilots from Africa’s most populous nation. Multiple villages in Konshisha district, eastern Nigeria, were destroyed by a military helicopter on 8 April in retaliation for the killing of 11 soldiers by “armed bandits” during a communal dispute over land.
(Read More...)
05/14/2021
God forbid, should war break out, between the US and China for any reason, they would have to deal with US aircraft carriers, in a big way. Those lethal nuclear-powered “large deck” US Navy carriers that ply the seven seas, also come with a formidable carrier strike group.
(Read More...)
05/13/2021
A Chinese military plane entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday (May 12), marking the seventh intrusion this month. One People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ Wednesday afternoon, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF plane.
(Read More...)
05/13/2021
The Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted two Mirage 2000 tactical combat planes and a French air force C-135 aerial refueling tanker over the Black Sea earlier today. Russia’s National Defense Control Center said: "The Russian fighter’s pilot identified the aerial targets as two Mirage 2000 tactical aircraft and a C-135 aerial refueling tanker of the French Air Force and shadowed them over the Black Sea.
(Read More...)
05/13/2021
Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets operated by Taiwan’s Republic of China Air Force, or ROCAF, have test-fired AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs, for the first time on the island, according to reports. The missiles were apparently launched from a pair of recently upgraded F-16V jets, which had reached initial combat capability last March.
(Read More...)
05/13/2021
The U.S. Air Force wants to downsize from seven types of fighter jets or attack aircraft to a mix of four, including the A-10 Warthog close-air support aircraft, the service's top general said Wednesday. Speaking during the annual McAleese conference, Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown said the service expects to determine the right mix of aircraft for the future through its "TacAir study." It will also assess how future fighter concepts will fit into the current mix of fourth- and fifth-generation fighter
(Read More...)
05/12/2021
The four Italian Air Force F-35A jets replace the German Air Force’s four Eurofighter aircraft, deployed to Ämari Air Base since August 2020. F-35s have landed in Estonia before – in 2017, two US Air Force F-35As, deployed to the UK, flew from RAF Lakenheath to Ämari for a short visit. But this is the first time the stealth aircraft have been deployed as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission.
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
French military leader said that the Islamic State (IS) is "regenerating" underground with stealth and developing its military as France is sending warships and aircraft to Syria and Iraq in order to examine the threat the group poses, the Associated Press reported. Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, the head of a task force that features the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, said reconnaissance flights are being carried out to help French forces on the ground observe the Islamic Stat
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
The United Kingdom has set a requirement that its Royal Air Force have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But according to Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, the service needs to work under the assumption that it has to hit that target a decade earlier — and accept that other budget priorities will be cut to make it happen.
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
When Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga became the first foreign leader to visit U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House last month, their joint statement garnered a lot of attention. For the first time since 1969, the leaders referenced their shared interest in the “importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and “the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.”
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
For years, drone warfare has been an essentially American pursuit. The new age of armed robots has been symbolized by Predators and Reapers spewing deadly Hellfire missiles. But guess who’s the biggest exporter of combat drones? China. “In 2014–18 China became the largest exporter in the niche market of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), with states in the Middle East among the main recipients,” according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
The US Air Force awarded a fighter pilot for skillfully landing a damaged aircraft without a cockpit canopy or working landing gear after what the service described as a "catastrophic" failure. Capt. Taylor Bye, a 75th Fighter Squadron pilot, pulled off an emergency belly landing in her A-10C Thunderbolt II fighter jet in April last year after a gun malfunction over Grand Bay Range at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia sent panels and her cockpit canopy flying and prevented her landing gear from de
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
The exercise, which started on 3 May, is being conducted on and above the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the Gulf of Alaska, and temporary maritime activities area. Hosted by the US Pacific Air Forces, the joint training exercise will see participation from over 15,000 service members. It will run until 14 May. According to the USAF, F-15EX’s participation in the exercise will allow the service to implement changes in advance before fielding.
(Read More...)
05/11/2021
The recent loss of a 40-year-old Indonesian submarine has highlighted the need for the Southeast Asian nation to replace many of its military platforms, but plans to do so have been stymied by budget shortfalls and a lack of adherence to its long-term vision.
(Read More...)
05/10/2021
On March 16, the United Kingdom rolled out its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, a document that will serve as the guidepost for its military going forward. Included in that document were both cuts to existing systems and investments in new technologies.
(Read More...)
05/10/2021
When Myanmar’s military junta seeks to gain a tactical advantage against pro-democracy demonstrators or ethnic resistance groups, it sometimes deploys Chinese-made drones to survey the situation and provide crackdown targets.
(Read More...)
05/09/2021
A top-ranking delegation from China's National Aero-Technology import-export corporation, CATIC, is currently in Argentina to discuss defense cooperation and with the proposal to offer the Argentine Air Force supersonic capable aircraft, according to InfoDefensa.ar, an Argentine site which specializes in defense industry issues.
(Read More...)
05/09/2021
It’s just two digits but the number on the hull of the first of China’s largest amphibious landing helicopter docks (LHD) points to a high value. The first Type 075 Yushen-class Hainan ship was given the pennant number “31” when the PLA Navy commissioned it on April 23, the navy’s 72nd anniversary.
(Read More...)
05/09/2021
A French air force pilot has filed a criminal complaint alleging that as part of a hazing ritual he was tied to a target on a firing range while fighter planes flew overhead and fired off munitions, his lawyer told Reuters on Saturday. The complaint did not identify any of the people alleged to have carried out the hazing, or say how many of them were involved. Reuters was not able to independently establish the identities of those responsible for the incident.
(Read More...)
05/08/2021
The Air Force will continue pushing for the retirement of its oldest Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawks, the service’s top officials said Friday, potentially setting up another fight with Congress about the future of the embattled surveillance drone.
(Read More...)
05/08/2021
Australia has a highly capable, professional military equipped with small numbers of very complex, extremely expensive aircraft, ships, submarines and land vehicles. Australia could fight other middle powers and win, but Australia should only ever plan to be in a major conflict against a great power if we are in very good company.
(Read More...)
05/07/2021
China’s development of a new aerial refueler, known as the Y-20U, would significantly boost the PLA Air Force’s capability to carry out long-range raids. This could have ominous implications not only for India but also for the whole of the Indo-Pacific.
(Read More...)
05/06/2021
The United States military maintained a constant presence in the South China Sea last month, flying an average of two reconnaissance runs every day in April, according to a recent report out of Beijing. In its monthly summary, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI)—a Peking University think tank tracking military activity around China—said at least 65 U.S. military aircraft operated in the contested waters, where the U.S. Navy carried out 83 percent of those missions
(Read More...)
05/06/2021
Swedish defence procurement agency FMV has extended its Gripen development support contract with Saab until 31 December 2022. Under the SEK998 million ($117.54 million) deal, the OEM will continue to operate and support test aircraft and advanced tools such as testing rigs and simulators on behalf of the Swedish Air Force and other Gripen operators.
(Read More...)
05/06/2021
Increased threats and attacks by Iran-backed militias forced American contractors to evacuate Iraq’s Balad Air Base in March, where they were supporting Iraq’s F-16 program, a U.S. government report said this week. Without the Americans, the Iraqis cannot perform the full range of maintenance tasks on the country’s fleet of F-16s, which are key in the fight against the Islamic State group.
(Read More...)
05/06/2021
U.S. Airmen and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and the 143rd AW, Rhode Island Air National Guard, arrived at Siauliai AB, Lithuania, on May 5, 2021, to provide airlift and airdrop during Swift Response 21.
(Read More...)
05/06/2021
The Air Force carried out the first flight test of a “Skyborg” drone last month with an Kratos UTAP-22 Mako equipped with a bespoke autonomy system, moving the service one step closer to fielding an uncrewed “loyal wingman” for human pilots.
(Read More...)
05/05/2021
Boeing's P-8 program is close to winning another foreign sale after a federal agency has approved the potential sale of six more of the maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft to India's navy. If the deal goes through — and most P-8 sales have been inked after such approvals — the order is worth up to $2.42 billion to Boeing, but final price could be lower depending on how many jets and weapon systems are ordered.
(Read More...)
05/05/2021
You go to war with what you have, not with what you need. It’s an old saying. But a relevant one. With admirals, generals and politicians warning a new Pacific war may be just three to five years away, the question is being asked: Does Australia have what it needs? Last year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised to spend $270 billion over 10 years to prepare for a “poorer, more dangerous” world.
(Read More...)
05/05/2021
This is the second Rafale deal that Egypt has signed with France in five years. After signing the agreement on May 4, the Egyptian defense ministry stated that the procurement would be financed through a loan to be repaid over the next 10 years. For France also, this is the second Rafale deal this year after Greece signed a $3.04 billion agreement on January 25 for 12 second-hand aircraft and six new ones.
(Read More...)
05/05/2021
In a major move, India and the UK on Tuesday vowed to expand bilateral defence cooperation, including through technology collaboration in developing combat aircraft and complex weapons, during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson.
(Read More...)
05/04/2021
The Portuguese 301 “Jaguares” Squadron-hosted Nato Tiger Meet event has started at Beja Air Base in Portugal. More than 3,000 military staff and 57 aircraft with a tiger in their logo will take part in the two-week tactical-level live-fly event. It will be one of the largest international exercises ever conducted in Portugal.
(Read More...)
05/04/2021
Egypt signed a contract with the French Dassault Aviation company to purchase 30 Rafale fighter jets, announced the Egyptian Armed Forces in a statement on Monday evening. The deal will be financed by a loan that will be repaid over 10 years, the statement said, adding that Egypt had signed a contract in 2015 with France to get 24 Rafale fighter jets for the Egyptian Air Force. The 24 Rafale aircrafts were part of a deal valued at 5.3 billion euros ($5.9 billion).
(Read More...)
05/04/2021
F-35B Lightning fast jets will be the cutting edge of the Carrier Strike Group’s (CSG21) formidable power in the air. These are next generation multi-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology, enabling them to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.
(Read More...)
05/04/2021
Five years since its return to the Middle East with a military base in Syria, Russia is moving into weapons markets left vacant by the United States and boosting sales to traditional clients. Moscow’s expanding arms sales bring money and geopolitical influence, as it seeks to challenge US hegemony.
(Read More...)
05/04/2021
The Bundeswehr German armed forces needed fast-speed adversary air training services for the nation's combat pilots. They found their solution from Top Aces Inc. in Dorval, Quebec. Top Aces will provide advanced airborne training to the Bundeswehr starting on 1 Jan. 2022 at Wittmundhafen Air Base in Wittmund, Germany.
(Read More...)
05/03/2021
Israel is once again warning that it may have no choice but to preemptively attack Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. And its air force is becoming more capable of executing such a challenging mission. In late April, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen warned that a “bad” nuclear deal between the United States and Iran “will send the region spiraling into war.”
(Read More...)
05/03/2021
A Taiwanese military expert has advised the nation's armed forces to closely monitor China's development of a new refueling tanker aircraft, warning that it would significantly boost the Chinese air force's capability to carry out long-range raids. Ou Si-fu, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said in an online article on April 28 that China is in the process of developing a refueling tanker variant of its Y-20 military transport aircraft.
(Read More...)
05/03/2021
Finland has received final quotations from aerospace giants for its HX fighter competition where Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen, Stealth F-35 Jets, F/18 Super Hornets aim to replace the country’s aging F-18C/D Hornets.
(Read More...)
05/02/2021
Defense deals by Taiwan worth $18 billion with the former US administration of Donald Trump are certain “to fortify Taiwan's national defense capacity", an expert noted on Friday. Boosting defense capacity by the island nation “under the US Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework is mainly to counter-balance and prevent the Chinese use of force on Taiwan,” said Taiwanese academic Chien-Yu Shih.
(Read More...)
05/02/2021
Six U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jets featuring modified munitions carriage completed their first delivery of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates.
The carriage allows the jet to carry up to 15 JDAMs, which convert unguided bombs into all-weather precision-guided munitions.
(Read More...)
05/01/2021
Five Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, including two multi-role strike fighters, according to Ministry of National Defense (MND) data.
The aircraft involved in the sorties were two J-16 multi-role fighters, one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane, the MND said.
(Read More...)
05/01/2021
The British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon detachment in Romania is set to start conducting Nato enhanced Air Policing (eAP) patrols. On 29 April, the Germany-based Nato Air Command officers gave formal accreditation for the RAF’s 121 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) for the eAP mission. The formal accreditation was given following a training period by 121 EAW to test and assure its air policing procedures.
(Read More...)
05/01/2021
Total Force Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam completed a multi-faceted, air-combat exercise April 22, flying more than one hundred sorties alongside partners from the Royal Australian Air Force and other U.S.-based units. The exercise, Pacific Edge 21, was hosted over three weeks to provide cost-effective and realistic training, tailored to equip multi-national warfighters with skills to fly, fight and win against advanced threats throughout the Indo-Pacific Region.
(Read More...)
05/01/2021
Five F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and a single F-22 Raptor "talked" with each other using their proprietary stealthy datalinks via a U-2S Dragon Lady spy plane carrying a specialized communications gateway payload, during a recent demonstration. This marks the first time that the Air Force's two stealth fighters were able to exchange data freely in flight, something that has been years in the making.
(Read More...)
05/01/2021
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been touted as the most advanced aircraft ever built, but it is also on track to be the most expensive military program in the history of the United States, if not the world. The fifth-generation stealth fighter could cost more than $1.5 trillion over the life of the program, which could last until the 2070s.
(Read More...)
All Articles