June, 2021 Military Aviation News
06/30/2021
Afghans who maintain the country’s military aircraft have been learning to fix damaged aircraft over the past two months via videoconferences with U.S.-funded contractors just a few rooms away. It’s practice for the day when the American contractors will leave the country, said Col. Abdul Fatah Ishaqzai, head of maintenance for the Afghan air force. The future of the country’s air force, one of Kabul’s chief advantages over the Taliban, may depend on calls like these.
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06/30/2021
The Kremlin strongman’s announcement comes after HMS Defender was fired on by a Russia coastguard off Crimea and the presence of a UK carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean. Putin issued the chilling warning as he addressed newly graduated military and secret service elites in the Grand Kremlin Palace. “You are the very ones who will be operating this hardware,” Putin told 400 “top graduates” from 18 military schools.
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06/30/2021
But the question remains, can European jets ever match American fighter aircraft. France, Germany, and Spain are partners in the FCAS program. FCAS is the largest defense project that is projected as an anchor in the French-German ties, the two most powerful countries in Europe.
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06/30/2021
America’s global military power rests upon twin pillars of training and technology. U.S. forces are the most rigorously trained and best equipped in the world. In recent years, the two pillars have tended to intertwine as digital technologies enabled breakthrough approaches to training.
Nowhere is this more true than in the case of air combat training.
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06/30/2021
A team of engineers, analysts, and pilots are pushing the boundaries of F-35 combat aircraft operational testing. The United States Operational Test Team is partnered with Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 6.
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06/29/2021
Some Israeli observers say the missile test is part of Moscow's effort to gain a very strong presence in the Mediterranean. For example, they say that in recent days the Russian Air Force and the Russian Navy performed a joint combat drill just 30 km from the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, is currently in the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus.
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06/29/2021
On June 24 the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 12 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines, following a request from the government in Manila as its searches for a Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) to defend the nation's airspace and surrounding seas. However, a day later the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzano, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the F-16 package was too expensive, and that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was examining other options.
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06/29/2021
The United States has a long history of urging its closest allies to spend more on defense, and over the past few years Europe and Japan have started to respond. But there’s a catch: Rather than content themselves with procuring capabilities that complement U.S. forces, they are about to drop some very expensive investments into the development of their own next-generation fighter aircraft.
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06/28/2021
After three months of drone and rocket attacks on facilities in Iraq housing U.S. and coalition personnel, President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes Sunday on three Iran-backed militia facilities in Iraq and Syria. “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
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06/28/2021
A report from the US task force dedicated to investigating UFOs — or, in the official jargon, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — has neither confirmed nor rejected the idea such sightings could indicate alien visits to Earth. On Friday June 25, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its eagerly awaited unclassified intelligence report, titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena”.
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06/28/2021
Even as Russia massed over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in April, Andriy Zagorodnyuk felt sure President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t go to war. The former defense minister in Kyiv, who’d also spent years on projects to modernize Ukraine’s military, reasoned that Putin knew an invasion would be no walk in the park for Russia this time.
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06/28/2021
The Nordic country is set to replace its older fleet of F-18 Hornet aircraft, in what is being considered as Europe’s largest fighter procurement in a decade. The winner of the bid is likely to be announced by the end of the year, reported AP News. The Defence Ministry of Finland stated that the winner will be picked after due consideration on four major parameters including the fighter’s military capability, the security of supply, the cost and proposed industrial cooperation with the country.
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06/28/2021
The Cold War Jaguar fighter-bombers have been modified by India to deliver nuclear gravity bombs, constituting a critical part of India’s nuclear triad. The Anglo-French fleet of the Sepecat Jaguar aircraft was initially purchased in 1978 after India felt the need to have a dedicated deep strike aircraft. Other prominent ground attack fighters with the IAF have been the Russian MiG-27 fighters.
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06/27/2021
Dassault Aviation is set to bring an F5 standard of the existing aircraft, “endowed with an impressive number of capabilities”. “At the start of the 2030s, the F5 standard will allow us to further improve the Rafale’s first entry capacity, with new sensors and armaments, but also capacities to communicate, collaborate and be interoperable,” French magazine Zone Militaire quoted Frédéric Parisot, Vice Chief of the French Air and Space Force, as saying.
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06/27/2021
Germany’s parliamentary budget committee this week approved the defense ministry’s requested €50.3 billion (€60 billion) budget for 2022 in Berlin. The budget includes crucial funding for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) that is being developed jointly with France and Spain for service entry around 2040.
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06/27/2021
The F-16 Fighting Falcon has proven itself to be one of the world’s most successful combat aircraft, having now flown over 400,000 combat sorties and a combined 19 million flight hours. There are roughly 3,000 operational F-16s today in service with the air services of 25 different countries, and the United States Air Force operates more F-16s than it does any other fighter model in its fleet.
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06/26/2021
Members of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade got a look at development of the SB-1 Defiant vertical lift helicopter, the Army said on Friday. The active duty and National Guard soldiers of the brigade, headquartered at Fort Campbell, Ky., visited the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., to learn about the design of the medium-lift helicopter destined to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk, which first saw service in 1974.
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06/26/2021
In the two decades since Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to develop the F-35 fighter, the industrial team it formed has had to overcome many engineering challenges. Each of the three variants—for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps—had to be nearly invisible to enemy radar.
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06/26/2021
The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea. Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters.
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06/26/2021
The U.S. State Department has approved a Philippines government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) request for F-16 Block 70/72 combat aircraft, with notification of the proposal delivered to Congress on June 24. The request covers 10 F-16Cs and two F-16D two-seaters, plus associated engines, subsystems and armaments.
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06/25/2021
UK prime minister Boris Johnson has stood by the decision to sail a warship through Black Sea waters claimed by Russia after Moscow threatened it would bomb British ships in the event of further “provocative steps” in the region.
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06/25/2021
Satellite imagery has shown ongoing work at a North Korean airbase that will result in modernization and expansion to house larger and more heavily armed aircraft, a U.S. think tank said Thursday. Citing satellite imagery dated June 12, Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the maintenance and expansion project at North Korea's Sunchon Airbase will improve the conditions of the runway and also provide a smoother environment.
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06/25/2021
The U.S. Air Force notified lawmakers that it has approved Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to host its F-22 Raptor formal training unit, a move three years in the making. But don't expect to see more fifth-generation jets there just yet. The service last week told Congress it had completed the necessary environmental analysis and signed a record of decision approving the base as its top pick to host the formal training unit, or FTU, Air Combat Command spokeswoman Alexi Worley told Military.
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06/24/2021
The U.S. Air Force can't provide its pilots with additional flight hours in part because aircraft sustainment costs have surged to roughly $1 billion, top service leaders told lawmakers Tuesday. While flying hours do not directly equate to how experienced or proficient a pilot is, there have been concerns about declining cockpit time for years, as this is crucial to maintaining aircraft skills.
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06/24/2021
Malaysia has released a long-awaited tender for a new light combat aircraft and advanced fighter trainer, three weeks after accusing China of sending 16 military aircraft over the South China Sea near Malaysian airspace The Southeast Asian country’s defense ministry has issued a notice seeking 18 Fighter Lead In Trainer-Light Combat Aircraft (FLIT-LCA) to replace its aging fleet of aircraft currently serving in both roles.
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06/24/2021
United States Marine Corps fighter jets aboard a British aircraft carrier flew combat missions over the Middle East this week -- the first time US warplanes have gone into combat from a foreign warship since World War II, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.
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06/23/2021
The North Korean People’s Air Force hasn’t acquired a new combat aircraft in more than 30 years. Foreign sanctions and the slow collapse of North Korea’s economy mean the air force has little choice but to maintain, for as long as it can, the planes it already has. How many planes are we talking about? Joseph Dempsey, an analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, scrutinized recent satellite imagery and made an educated guess.
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06/22/2021
"Of the eight terrorist gun trucks sighted by our surveillance team, the aircraft successfully took out six of the trucks." Fighter aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday eliminated scores of ISWAP-Boko Haram terrorists including their commanders in Lamboa in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State. PRNigeria gathered that the multiple airstrikes conducted by a mix of aircraft including Alpha-Jets, L-39 and MI-35 helicopters, might have also killed the notorious ISWAP Logistic Comm
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06/22/2021
Twenty-eight combat aircraft probed Taiwan’s defences earlier this week. It was the most powerful force to do so yet. Is this Chairman Xi Jinping’s new “trustworthy, loveable and humble” China? The June 15 foray into airspace claimed by Taiwan represents a significant step-up in firepower.
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06/22/2021
Like scenes out of Top Gun, The Sun cheered Navy and RAF jets as they roared off the flight deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth to target IS in Iraq. It was the first time British warplanes have launched combat sorties from an aircraft carrier since Harriers bombed the Balkans in the ’90s.
The £3.2billion, 65,000-ton vessel has eight UK and ten US F-35Bs on board as she leads the most powerful Naval flotilla to set sail from Britain since the Falklands War.
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06/22/2021
The San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson — the first to support newer F-35C stealth fighters — arrived in the Hawaiian Islands operating area last week for drills that coincided with a Russian spy ship shifting from a spot off Kauai to international waters north of Oahu.
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06/22/2021
The Russian jet – Su-57 is the world’s fourth operational fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft after the American duo F-22 and F-35, and the Chinese J-20. According to reports in the Vietnamese portal Soha, Vietnam wishes to acquire 12-14 Su-57 stealth jets keeping in mind the budget dynamics. The delivery of “affordable” Russian jets is likely to take place between 2030 and 2035.
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06/21/2021
Twenty-eight combat aircraft probed Taiwan’s defences earlier this week. It was the most powerful force to do so yet. Is this Chairman Xi Jinping’s new “trustworthy, loveable and humble” China? The June 15 foray into airspace claimed by Taiwan represents a significant step-up in firepower. It comprised the most modern of China’s combat aircraft. It represented a complete “strike package” containing command, surveillance, strategic strike and long-range fighter aircraft.
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06/21/2021
China’s state media Global Times cited a report by PLA Daily, Army’s official newsletter, on the simulation exercise. It does not mention which aircraft was used in this exercise though. There has been an increasing application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in military combat training with major powers including the US, China, and Russia joining the race.
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06/21/2021
“We’ve got him! Mission accomplished!”. Alec Bierbauer could hardly believe his eyes as he stood before a floor-to-ceiling TV at CIA Headquarters in Virginia, watching live video stream from an outpost in Afghanistan. He was transfixed by footage of a tall man in a white robe. A fragile, camera-toting surveillance drone built by San Diego’s General Atomics was stalking Osama bin Laden as it quietly looped over his compound near Kandahar on Sept. 28, 2000.
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06/21/2021
An aircraft carrier would more significantly increase South Korea’s ability to contribute to regional security alliances or multi-national expeditions, both symbolically and materially. Carrier aviation has seen a renaissance of sorts among Washington’s military allies due in large part to the advent of the F-35B stealth jump jet, which can operate from affordable amphibious carriers.
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06/20/2021
A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) maritime patrol plane flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday (June 18), marking the seventh such intrusion this month. The aircraft, a Y-8 anti-submarine turboprop, entered the southwest corner of the nation’s identification zone, the Minister of National Defense stated. Taiwan responded by dispatching aircraft, issuing radio warnings, and deploying air defense missile systems.
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06/20/2021
The US says it needs a “combat-credible” presence in the South China Sea to deter Chinese aggression. And Australia will almost certainly be asked to contribute. US President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of defence Ely Ratner told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that “a combat-credible forward posture” of forces was needed to “deter, and if necessary, deny a fait accompli scenario”.
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06/20/2021
In early June 2021, the Sukhoi corporation announced the beginning of the development of a fifth-generation single-engine tactical fighter. Such aircraft are now widely distributed abroad and this model is to become an export version of the Su-57.
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06/19/2021
On Jun. 14, 2021, the F-35B BL-4, the fourth STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) aircraft assembled in Italy, at the FACO (Final Assembly and Check Out) facility, in Cameri, carried out its maiden flight. The aircraft, coded “4-03” and serialled MM7454, is the third aircraft destined to the Marina Militare (Italian Navy).
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06/19/2021
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is drilling near Hawaii this week as it prepares for an upcoming deployment later this summer. After a maintenance period in which the Navy updated the carrier so it could accommodate the F-35C Joint Strike Fighter and the CMV-22B Osprey, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is expected to deploy later this summer to the Indo-Pacific region, USNI News understands.
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06/19/2021
It was the second week in March last year and the world was focused on the worsening Covid-19 pandemic, as it raged around the globe. Off the northwest coast of Ireland, however, another drama was taking place. Three pairs of British Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters raced to intercept Russian long-range aircraft heading south down the Atlantic, the third time that week the same Cold War-style, airborne cat-and-mouse encounters had played out.
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06/19/2021
The German defense ministry has forwarded a request to lawmakers seeking approval for almost 4,5 billion euros, or $5.3 billion, that would pay for the country’s contributions to the next stage of the Future Combat Air System.
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06/19/2021
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is building Europe's second-largest subsonic wind tunnel for testing the country's fighter jets. "The wind tunnel is intended to be used in the development of indigenous, rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, especially the Turkish Fighter," a press release read Friday. The tunnel, including three different sections – large, small and open – will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology measurement and sensing devices for advanced testing.
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06/17/2021
The French military is coming to Oahu to train as the United States and France revamp their strategies in the Pacific amid tensions with China. U.S. Pacific Air Force spokeswoman 1st. Lt. Amber Kelly-Herrard said French pilots will arrive on June 29 for several days of training. French forces will be flying a variety of warplanes, including Rafale fighter jets, A400M Atlas transport planes and A330 refueling planes, according to a tweet from France Pacific Command.
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06/17/2021
The US Air Force (USAF) recently demonstrated a process for converting commercial-grade jet fuel to military-grade fuel, an ability that could give commanders greater flexibility in planning combat operations. The process could let US military aircraft refuel at commercial airports, allowing US military aircraft to operate from more locations. That could make it difficult for adversaries to predict from where aircraft might land and take off.
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06/17/2021
This comes days after a Russian Sukhoi Su 30-SM fighter jet had its first encounter with an Italian F-35A Lightning II aircraft. According to The Aviationist, two Blackjacks were escorted by two Su-27 fighters of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation and two Su-35 aircraft of the Aerospace Force, in an eight-hour long-range aviation (LRA) mission in the Baltic region.
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06/17/2021
“This year: [KNAAZ] is to deliver 15 combat aircraft to the customer under export contracts. As you know, the Ministry of Defense signed a long-term contract for the Su-57, this year the supply of four production aircraft,” Borisov told reporters.
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06/17/2021
China's bewilderingly quick construction of airfields atop man-made islands in the South China Sea, as well as its extra-territorial claims over that body of water, have grabbed headlines for years and the issue remains one of the most significant strategic and geopolitical problems of our time. Yet another far less discussed, but similar strategic expansion is underway in the western reaches of the Chinese mainland, which has gotten much less attention, yet it isn't all that less concerning.
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06/17/2021
Several U.S. Air Force aircraft including F-16s, C-130s, and KC-135s have deployed to northern Africa for the continent’s largest exercise, African Lion. The exercise drew 7,000 participants from nine nations and wraps up June 18 with USAF aircraft flying alongside Moroccan aircraft for close air support training and C-130s airdropping personnel.
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06/16/2021
NATO fighter jets policing the Baltic airspace were scrambled twice last week to identify and escort Russian military aircraft flying in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
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06/16/2021
A second squadron of F-35A fighter jets is coming to Eglin Air Force Base, according to a Monday announcement from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. While details were scarce, that news was confirmed Tuesday by public affairs personnel from the 33rd Fighter Wing, the Eglin-headquartered wing to which the new squadron will be assigned, and the 96th Test Wing, the base's host unit.
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06/16/2021
China has flown 28 warplanes into Taiwan-controlled airspace, the biggest sortie of its kind since the Taiwanese government began publishing information about the frequent incursions last year. The flights are widely seen as part of an effort by Beijing to dial up pressure on Taiwan, a self-governed democracy of about 24 million people off the Chinese coast that the Chinese government considers a part of China.
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06/15/2021
The United States will not conduct airstrikes to support Afghan security forces after it withdraws its remaining troops from Afghanistan, the head of U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, told Voice of America. In an interview published by VOA on Monday, Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said the U.S. will conduct airstrikes in Afghanistan only when plans to conduct terrorist attacks against the American homeland, or those of its allies, have been uncovered.
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06/15/2021
So seems to be the reasoning behind the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, which has deployed artificial intelligence (AI) in simulated aerial combat training against its flesh-and-blood aces, enabling human pilots to adapt to the rapid-reaction moves of AI fighter jets, while also training the AI on how to win every engagement, according to an initial report from the Global Times.
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06/15/2021
The one real advantage Afghanistan has had in its unrelenting war with the Taliban is in the air. With the withdrawal of U.S. forces though, Kabul is finding itself unprepared for the loss of the very air assets that, until now, have given it an edge over the insurgency.
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06/14/2021
Despite Rafale jets winning the first duel against Gripen aircraft, Sweden recently made a fresh bid to sell its SAAB Gripen fighter jets to India as the Indian Air Force looks to acquire 114 fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of Soviet-era jets.
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06/14/2021
President Joe Biden and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have known each other for years, but their meeting Monday will be their first as heads of state. And it comes at a particularly tense moment for relations between their two countries.
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06/13/2021
While on a nighttime training mission, Schmitz, assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron, could not recover his F-16 after he severely damaged the aircraft's landing gear upon touching down, striking an antenna array short of the runway. He attempted an ill-advised cable arrest with his mangled gear, as suggested by members in the control tower, then tried to eject as his left wing hit the runway, according to an Accident Investigation Board report released in November.
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06/13/2021
“Strategic ambiguity” underscores that the possibility of any American military and diplomatic assistance to Taiwan in a potential war between Taiwan and mainland China is deliberately unclear. “The ‘pros’ are principally that it would hopefully add further deterrence to the Chinese calculus if they knew that the US would conduct combat operations to defend Taiwan. But the ‘cons’ are that it is unclear what the US public would feel about such a strong commitment.”
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06/12/2021
The military combat plane that crashed in late May near Nellis Air Force Base had an in-flight wing flap issue, according to a report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday. About 2:17 p.m. on May 24, an experimental Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1 Turbo-jet, N567EM by Draken International was destroyed, killing its pilot, during a routine combat training. The plane was used in support of the U.S. Air Force on base in Las Vegas.
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06/12/2021
Russian planes breached Danish airspace twice on Friday, Ritzau reported, citing the Defense Ministry in Copenhagen. Trine Bramsen, Denmark’s defense minister, said such acts are “very rare” and to be taken “seriously,” according to Ritzau. “There should be no doubt that it’s unacceptable,” she said.
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06/12/2021
Airborne radar experts at Raytheon Technologies Corp. will build upgraded radar systems for advanced versions of the Boeing F-15 Eagle jet fighter under terms of a $3.1 billion contract U.S. Air Force contract announced Wednesday.
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06/10/2021
FS21 is a joint, multinational exercise with participants from the United States working with service members from Israel, Italy, and the United Kingdom, that optimizes the integration between 4th and 5th Generation aircraft, increases the level of cooperation in the F-35 logistics and expeditionary fields, and strengthens interoperability of allied and partner air forces during joint operations.
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06/09/2021
Swedish defense minister Peter Hultqvist on Tuesday reportedly re-pitched to sell SAAB’s Gripen fighter jets to India during an event hosted by the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, Mint reported. This is the second time Sweden has pitched its Gripen jets to India. Earlier, Indian PM Narendra Modi met his Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven in a video conference (March 05), under which the two leaders are said to have discussed key matters on various subjects including sale of Gripen jets.
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06/09/2021
Around 24 Chinese fighter jets, including J-11s and J-16s, recently held exercises near eastern Ladakh amid the heavy deployment of forces on the ground at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by both countries. The exercises come when both sides have been engaged in a military standoff for over a year now at the LAC in Ladakh.
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06/09/2021
As the decision on the next fighter jet to fly with the colors of the Swiss Air Force is about to be made, local media reports that the scales might be tilted in favor of the Dassault Rafale. The Air 2030 tender was launched in 2020 following the positive outcome of a referendum on whether Switzerland should acquire or not new fighter jets. 50.1% of voters have voted “yes” to the procurement of new aircraft for the Swiss Air Force.
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06/09/2021
The Russian Air Force’s Sukhoi Su-34 has been seen as one of Russia’s most capable strike fighters; it blends a time-proven airframe design with numerous modern performance features. The combat aircraft also proved it was more than capable when it was deployed to Syria, where it was employed in attacks against rebel and ISIS forces.
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06/08/2021
The Arctic Challenge Exercise (ACE), organized by Finland, Sweden, and Norway, is scheduled to be held from June 7-18, 2021 on the Rovaniemi airbase in Finland, Norway’s Bodo base, and Swedish base Lulea. This year’s edition of the drills is headed by the Finnish forces with a limited number of participants due to the coronavirus pandemic. Held every two years, ACE is one of Europe’s largest tactical air exercises.
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06/08/2021
The U.S. Navy's new unmanned tanker aircraft just completed its first aerial refueling of a manned fighter jet, the service said Monday. The MQ-25 Stingray drone was able to successfully attach to and refuel a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet during a test flight June 4 out of MidAmerica Airport, Illinois, the service said in a release. The airport, near St. Louis, Missouri, serves as the location for the test program, overseen by the drone's manufacturer, Boeing.
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06/07/2021
Six Israeli F-35 stealth fighters landed in Italy last week to take part in a two-week air exercise in Italy with its air force, alongside those of the United States and United Kingdom, in the largest and farthest drill that the aircraft have taken part in to date, the military said Sunday. Though the explicit goal of the exercise is to improve the overall capabilities of the F-35 jet, which entered military service in late 2016
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06/07/2021
Not a day goes by without some new rumors about Russia’s military development, which are eventually confirmed, or sometimes not. This time, it looks like the “war of drones” concept is getting closer to turning into reality, as fighter jets become capable of coordinating not just one, but 4 simultaneous drone attacks.
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06/07/2021
The sheer dominance of the Israeli Air Force has come about through super-efficient training, intelligence operations conducted by Mossad and other agencies to gauge the vulnerability of its opponents, and a resilient approach to design and acquisition of new aircraft. One country that always but unsuccessfully challenged the Israeli air dominance was Egypt. The country is veering off course in its weapons procurement policy, purchasing more from nations such as Russia and France.
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06/06/2021
China has stepped up incursions into Southeast Asian airspace, drawing the ire of Malaysia in the most recent breach, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the region with the mix of a vaccine charm offensive and a show of force. Malaysia's air force scrambled jets this week to intercept 16 Chinese aircraft entering its national airspace. The Chinese aircraft were "flying in tactical formation" and came within 60 nautical miles of Borneo, the air force said on Monday.
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06/06/2021
There was a time when the US military had used both American and Soviet-made aircraft to train its fighter pilots. In a YouTube video released recently, a former F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Ward Carroll shared exciting details of secret dogfight training he was part of in 1985. Held at Nevada’s Tonopah Test Range Airport, Carroll took part in the secretive Constant Peg program and its equally secretive training unit- the Red Eagles.
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06/05/2021
A British-led aircraft carrier group voyage that will take the HMS Queen Elizabeth to the disputed South China Sea would push Beijing further into an angry defensive position, analysts believe. The 65,000-ton aircraft carrier with more than 30 aircraft plans to visit the Asian waterway for military drills with the U.S. Navy and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, British media outlets say.
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06/05/2021
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Air Force’s 2011 decision to award Boeing the development contract for its next-generation aerial refueling tanker. Now designated the KC-46 Pegasus, the aircraft is based on a version of the company’s 767 commercial transport that has been modified to deliver fuel to other aircraft in flight, carry cargo and transport personnel (including wounded troops).
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06/04/2021
Often called a “flying tank,” the classic and much revered A-10 Warthog plane has for years been cherished by ground forces under enemy fire in combat. The battle-tested aircraft continues to live into future years due to various upgrades and sustainment efforts. The aircraft’s titanium hull, flight trajectory, and redundant electronics enable it to both withstand incoming enemy small arms fire as well as hover above and fire its 30mm cannon during dynamic fast-moving warfare scenarios.
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06/04/2021
China has once again flexed its muscles against Malaysian claims in the South China Sea, this time using airpower and not the typical deployment of coast guard vessels or maritime militia. On the afternoon of May 31, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) flew 16 aircraft consisting of Ilyushin Il-76 and Xian Y-20 multi-role airlifters over Malaysian maritime zone airspace close to Sarawak.
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06/04/2021
After a year-long competition with several other cities, Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith was chosen to host a multi-national training site for F-16 Falcon and F-35 fighter jets. The competition for the mission comes with an estimated $800 million – $1 billion economic impact on the region, according to the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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06/03/2021
According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, the security cooperation between China and the UAE may prompt the US to review its decision to sell what is considered the world’s costliest combat aircraft. China’s growing footprints in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East are being critically looked at by the US. The UAE is one of the closest allies of the US in the region.
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06/03/2021
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have risen sufficiently for The Economist to declare on the cover of its May 1, 2021 edition that Taiwan is now “the most dangerous place on Earth.” According to this narrative, Beijing has invested heavily in military capabilities that it can now bring to bear in a confrontation over Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province.
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06/03/2021
Rooted in a sea of sand, the U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT) mission is, in-part, seamlessly accomplished by both active duty and the Air National Guard—proving the concept of Total Force Integration (TFI). TFI is nothing new. Once called “Future Total Force,” TFI became the standard about 15 years ago—fully integrating the Air Force’s active duty, guard and reserve components in exercises and contingency operations around the world.
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06/03/2021
The US Air Force just started taking delivery on the new F-15EX Eagle II in March of this year, but the jets already found their way into a massive force-on-force war game held in Alaska last month. Thus far, only two F-15EXs have been delivered, and both saw action during the exercises.
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06/02/2021
The Taiwanese air force is building up a force of 206 of the latest F-16 fighters. Now it needs aerial tankers to boost the new fighters’ endurance. That’s the surprising—and likely dead-end—recommendation of an analyst at Taiwan’s military think-tank.
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06/02/2021
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $24.29 million contract from US Naval Air Systems Commandto provide non-recurring engineering and logistics sustainment programme support for F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft on order from Poland The contract was not competitively procured, the DoD announced on 28 May.
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06/02/2021
Around five countries, including those located in Southeast Asia, are considering the purchase of Russia’s new fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, Rosoboronexport Director General Alexander Mikheev said on Tuesday. “We conduct negotiations with several countries, there are requests, and we see interest … [including from] the Southeast Asia … Four or five countries are interested,” Mikheev told reporters.
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06/02/2021
The Air Force is planning to retire most of the A-10 "Warthog" ground-attack jets stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force base by next fall, under a plan unveiled as part of the Biden administration's proposed $715 billon defense budget. But seven members of Arizona's congressional delegation have vowed to fight this latest Air Force plan to start retiring the A-10 Thunderbolt II jets — a mainstay of operations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
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06/02/2021
Sixteen aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted a large-scale transport formation exercise over the South China Sea near Borneo on Monday and entered the airspace of Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) said in a statement today.
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06/01/2021
The Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian air force) is reducing its order for the Embraer KC-390 airlifter. The decision, which was revealed in a notification on May 26, is driven by budgetary constraints that have arisen as a result of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Brazil has been one of the hardest-hit nations by the health crisis, and the cost has caused “direct limitations on the strategic projects of the armed forces” according to the notification.
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06/01/2021
A pretty interesting M-346 “Master” sporting a camouflage paint scheme quite close to the one used by the combat aircraft of the Turkmen or the Azerbaijani Air Force was spotted at Venegono airport, in northwestern Italy, after its first flight, by photographer Oscar Bernardi, on May 28, 2021. The aircraft was reportedly involved in the very first flight in the new livery.
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06/01/2021
The largest Checkered Flag exercise held to date wrapped up at Tyndall Air Force Base, May 21. Checkered Flag, one of the Department of Defense’s largest air-to-air exercises, is a two-week long, large-scale aerial exercise designed to integrate fourth and fifth-generation airframes to enhance mobility, deployment, and employment capabilities of aviators and maintainers.
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