January 11, 2023 Military Aviation News
01/11/2023
Nearly 14 years after officially 'retiring' its F-117A Nighthawk stealth combat jets, the Air Force may now be looking to keep them flying through at least 2034. A portion of the remaining F-117A fleet, flown by Air Force test pilots, has been very actively used for research and development, test and evaluation, and training purposes in recent years. This has included using the jets as 'red air' aggressors and as surrogates for stealthy cruise missiles during large-scale exercises.
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01/11/2023
Ukraine’s desire for additional combat air assets is soberingly real. After 11 months of war, neither Ukraine nor Russia has secured any semblance of air superiority. As the West struggles to figure out how to resource Ukraine’s requirement for air power, some are suggesting a transfer of aircraft, such as F-16 Falcons, F-15E Eagles, JAS-39 Gripens or others.
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01/11/2023
A developmental test team from the 461st Flight Test Squadron conducted the first flight of an F-35 in the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration on January 6, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Maj. Ryan “BOLO” Luersen, a U.S. Air Force experimental test pilot, piloted the mission in tail number AF-7, a specially instrumented flight test aircraft and the first with TR-3 upgrades installed. He executed a functional check flight (FCF) profile to verify aircraft airworthiness and system st
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01/11/2023
U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking Raytheon Technologies Corp. to build 408 AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $317.4 million contract announced in December. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the Raytheon Missiles & Defense segment in Tucson, Ariz., to build lot 23 AIM-9X block II and block II-plus air-to-air missiles.
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01/11/2023
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, on January 9, announced plans to buy 88 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) for CA$19 billion (US $14 billion). Anand said in an online briefing that the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) would receive its first four Lockheed Martin-made F-35s in 2026, with the following six in 2027 and another six in 2028. The remainder would come in subsequent years.
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