June, 2023 Military Aviation News
06/30/2023
Since her last briefing in May, said Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, reports from open sources indicate an influx in the transfer of heavy conventional weapons, including battle tanks, combat aircraft, artillery and missile systems. “There are reports that the supply of arms and ammunition has accelerated and expanded ahead of the reported counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces,” she noted.
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06/30/2023
The Air Force plans to retire its legendary A-10 Warthogs within the next five years and it’s still not clear how the service will be able to provide troops on the ground with the level of close air support that the A-10 brings to the fight. Although Congress has prevented the Air Force from retiring all or part of its A-10 fleet five times since 2014, the opposition from lawmakers appears to be softening.
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06/30/2023
The T-7A Red Hawk’s Air Force flight testing began with a USAF pilot taking off from St. Louis, Missouri, facilities of the contractor Boeing. The T-7A flown by the pilot was a pre-production engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft. The first of five aircraft supplied by Boeing to support the Air Force’s T-7A test program, 21-7005, was the one that took the inaugural flight. The aircraft has been developed together in partnership with Swedish contractor Saab.
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06/29/2023
Air Force flight testing for the T-7A Red Hawk kicked off June 28, with a USAF pilot flying the advanced trainer from contractor Boeing’s St. Louis, Mo., facilities. The event, announced by Boeing, marks the first official test flight conducted by an Air Force pilot and the beginning of the T-7’s engineering and manufacturing development phase.
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06/29/2023
Within the next few years, the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field may be flying a different kind of fighter jet. The 124th Fighter Wing based in Boise is expected to transition to an F-16 Fighting Falcon mission starting in spring 2027, the U.S. Air Force announced this week. The mission is subject to review, including an environmental impact analysis.
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06/29/2023
U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking Raytheon Technologies Corp. to build 571 AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $263.7 million order announced earlier this month. 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 air-to-air missiles.
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06/29/2023
The Air Force marked the 100-year anniversary of the first aerial refueling with flyovers across all 50 states, honoring the aviators who pulled off the seemingly impossible in 1923 and celebrating the promise of current and future airmen.
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06/28/2023
President Putin referred to "fallen hero pilots" in a statement on 26 June. However, he didn't go into detail about the number of casualties or aircraft lost. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner mercenary group, said his forces had hit Russian aircraft which "were dropping bombs and launching rocket attacks" in a bid to stop their advance towards Moscow. He voiced regret for having had to shoot down Russian planes.
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06/28/2023
While U.S. Air Force’s jets and bombers are the nation’s fight-tonight force, aerial refueling before and after those forces go into the fight is often the key to those missions. On the 100th anniversary of the first aerial refueling mission, the Air Force sought to highlight the behind-the-scenes efforts of some of its most essential planes with Operation Centennial Contact. More than 150 tankers from 26 installations were involved in large-scale flyovers across the country.
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06/28/2023
Russia has started tactical fighter jet exercises over the Baltic Sea with the goal of testing readiness to perform combat and other special operations, the country’s defence ministry has said, a day after Moscow said its jets had scrambled to intercept United Kingdom military planes over the Black Sea.
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06/27/2023
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has together with the Norwegian Armed Forces decided to build a new depot in Rygge, Norway for the maintenance of airframes on the Norwegian F-35 combat aircraft. KONGSBERG is investing about NOK 500 million in the new depot, which will be part of the global maintenance solution and contribute to strengthened national capabilities and increased operational availability of the Norwegian F-35 fleet, when the depot is completed in the second half of 2025.
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06/27/2023
Polish pilots have completed air combat training in South Korea, Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish Defense Minister, reported on Monday, adding that “the pilots will soon return to the country, take over the FA-50 aircraft entering the air force’s equipment and begin flying in our airspace.”
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06/27/2023
Lockheed Martin has delivered two new F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole combat aircraft to the UK Royal Air Force in Marham, Norfolk. The fighters were received from Lockheed’s F-35 manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and were assisted by a Voyager air-to-air refueling tanker from RAF Brize Norton. The handover is part of a contract order for 48 F-35Bs for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
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06/27/2023
On Jun. 23, 2023 the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) announced that it will allow the Air Force to retire 42 A-10s as part of its 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, approved last week. As reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Senate panel’s decision follows on a similar one by the House Armed Services Committee, indicating that lawmakers are prepared to let the A-10 go after years of defending the venerable close air support aircraft from divestment.
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06/27/2023
outh Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signed an agreement with a local defense firm to supply laser designators for the country’s fighter aircraft. Valued at 86.7-billion won ($66.5 million), the contract requires Gyeonggi-based Hancom Lifecare Inc. to design a device that can designate a hostile target to aid precision strike missions.
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06/27/2023
Denmark’s acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that the retirement of the F-16 fighters will now take place in 2025 instead of the previously planned 2027. This adjustment is attributed to the fact that the replacement fighters, F-35s, can be phased in and made operational earlier than anticipated.
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06/25/2023
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group reportedly shot down military transport aircraft in the Voronezh region. Video emerging on social media showed a burning Russian plane crashing down. Based on the plane’s silhouette in the video, it could have been a special mission aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
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06/25/2023
In addition to eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels tracked around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (June 23) and Saturday (June 24) at 6 a.m., a further 19 aircraft were detected after 8 a.m., eight of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and approached the 24-nautical-mile line. One of the aircraft, a Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter, entered Taiwan's ADIZ from the east, the military said.
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06/25/2023
The plan was announced by the head of the Ukraine Situation Center of the German Defense Ministry, Brigadier General Christian Freuding, in the June 25 edition of the newspaper Die Welt in comments seen in advance by dpa. According to the report, Germany intends to provide Ukraine with 45 more Gepard systems by the end of the year in its defensive struggle against Russia.
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06/24/2023
An American aircraft carrier was due to make a port call in Vietnam on Sunday — a rare visit by one of the U.S. Navy's biggest ships that comes as Washington and Beijing both step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations.
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06/24/2023
South Korea has concluded a deal with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on mutual recognition of certification of military aircraft airworthiness for flight safety. The country is the first in Asia pushing for such recognition with NATO.
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06/24/2023
The United States Air Force will be conducting flyovers across 50 states on June 27 to honor 100 years of aerial refueling excellence. More than 150 tankers from 26 Total Force installations are scheduled to participate with KC-135 Stratotankers, KC-10 Extenders, and KC-46 Pegasus aircraft.
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06/23/2023
The Michigan Air National Guard will conduct flyovers of nine Michigan communities on June 27, as part of the United States Air Force’s commemoration of 100 years of aerial refueling excellence. Tuesday’s flyovers will allow Michigan residents to witness this key aspect of the Air Force mission as KC-135 Stratotankers fly in formation with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs
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06/23/2023
General Electric's aerospace unit said on Thursday it has signed an agreement with India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HIAE.NS) to make fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. The development comes at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official state visit to the United States.
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06/22/2023
Over four days, approximately 30 Michigan Air National Guard Airmen traveled from Michigan to Germany and then Latvia, practicing deploying for future fights. Simulating a deployment to a contingency location, the 127th Wing’s Agile Combat Employment team practiced receiving, turning and launching A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in ways similar to being close to the front line of combat.
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06/22/2023
Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled its fighter jets in Estonia to intercept Russian military aircraft flying close to NATO airspace, the RAF said on Wednesday. “RAF Typhoons from 140 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) in Estonia were scrambled to intercept a Russian Navy Tu-134 and 2 Su-27 ‘Flanker’ Bs flying close to NATO airspace,” the British air force said on Twitter.
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06/22/2023
A team of Polish pilots is bidding farewell to its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets. They are instead transitioning to South Korea's FA-50 light combat aircraft, with training support and guidance from the South Korean Air Force. Two groups, each comprising four Polish pilots, have undergone monthslong training in Korea. The primary aim of this training is to provide them with the essential skills and knowledge required to operate the FA-50 light combat aircraft, which will be delivered to Poland
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06/22/2023
Airbus and Leonardo are teaming up to offer pilot training using Leonardo’s M-346 jet trainer. The unlikely partnership, agreed to through a memorandum of understanding signed at the Paris Air Show here on June 21, will see the two companies deepen ties and further cooperate around training.
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06/22/2023
F-16 fighter jets hurtle pilots through the sky at up to 2,000 kilometers per hour (1,243 miles per hour). In tight turns or sudden climbs, gravity is pressing so hard on their bodies that some of them might even pass out. Even so, it’s an experience Ukraine is seeking for its own pilots after getting U.S. approval to train and eventually receive the American-made jets to bolster its more than year-old fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long pressed Western allies
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06/21/2023
High above La Bourget Airport north of Paris, a Dassault Aviation Rafale jet fighter on day one of the Paris Air Show carried out a series of maneuvers to the delight of the crowds on the tarmac, who captured every moment with their camera phones as it roared by. It was only four years ago on day one of the last Paris Air Show when the leaders and captains of industry from three nations with great fanfare announced that they would be working together on a sixth-generation aircraft.
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06/21/2023
The 144th Fighter Wing has been home to F-15C/D Eagles for the past ten years. This fourth-generation aircraft first flew in 1976 and was originally designed to permit the U.S. Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy. By June 18, 2013, when the first Eagle arrived at the Fresno Air National Guard Base, it had already provided air superiority for nearly 40 years.
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06/20/2023
Ukraine said on Monday that the battles on the eastern front were “difficult”, as Russia’s forces were massing large numbers of troops in that direction in an attempt to reclaim the initiative. Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar said: “The situation in the east is difficult. The enemy has increased its forces and is conducting an active offensive in the Lyman and Kupiansk directions, trying to seize the initiative from us.”
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06/20/2023
In an unprecedented touchdown, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II’ Warthog’ of the US Air Force landed in Vietnam. This is the first citing of the ‘tank killer’ and a Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft in Vietnam since the normalization of its ties with the US.
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06/20/2023
Sweden’s defense materiel agency FMV is awaiting political approval to begin studies into a new-generation combat aircraft beyond the new Saab Gripen E. The studies, to be carried out by the FMV, are due to get underway in the near future. They will primarily be a fact-finding effort and involve discussions with other air forces, an examination of other national programs and exploring the capabilities of national industry, Brigadier General Lars Helmrich.
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06/19/2023
These powerful weapons not only bolster Nigeria's ability to defend its sovereignty but also play a crucial role in combating insurgency, terrorism, and other security challenges. They provide Nigeria's armed forces with the necessary tools to protect its citizens and maintain stability within the region.
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06/19/2023
Though Kyiv’s repeated requests for advanced weaponry – like new main battle tanks (MBT) or F-16 multi-role combat aircraft – populate news headlines, its call for ammunition is just as important, if not more so for the day-to-day maneuvers of its main operations, like the ongoing counter-offensive.
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06/18/2023
The Texas Military Department’s 147th Attack Wing demonstrated an MQ-9 Reaper agile combat employment (ACE) movement from Caslav air base to Ostrava airport during Exercise Air Defender June 13, 2023 in Caslav AB, Czech Republic. This ACE movement displayed the effectiveness of the MQ-9 Reaper in a remote location.
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06/18/2023
The Danish government is ready to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine, but only if the United States, which produces these aircraft, approves this step. That's according to Radio 4, Ukrinform reports. Today, acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said that Denmark would support the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine. But this will only happen if the United States, which produces the F16, approves.
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06/17/2023
In an era of rapid global shifts and evolving near-peer adversaries, the United States Air Force has embraced an operational concept known as Agile Combat Employment (ACE). This innovative approach emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and the effective utilization of Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA) to enhance air power.
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06/17/2023
Ukraine plans to send "several dozen" combat pilots for training to fly U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Friday, as western allies prepared the necessary training programmes. "Everything is being done to get it started as early as possible," Ihnat told Ukrainian national television, adding that the pilots picked for training would have combat experience.
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06/17/2023
In an effort to maintain the Eurofighter’s relevance to the air combat environment until the German-French FCAS and the Italy-Japan-UK GCAP/Tempest enter production, program partners have kept busy upgrading onboard systems for retrofit. The upgrades, which will come as part of the configuration for new-build aircraft for Germany, will first appear on existing aircraft in the UK and among the other partners.
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06/17/2023
On June 14, the U.S. Air Force deployed fifth-generation F-22 Raptors to Syria to deter what U.S. Central Command described as “increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft in the region.” The Raptor, an advanced air-superiority fighter that is renowned for its stealth capabilities, is intended to increase the U.S. military’s ability to defend the 900 U.S. servicemembers that remain deployed in the war-torn country.
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06/17/2023
The Belgian government has hinted it is open to joining a multinational European sixth-generation fighter program, despite its previous commitment to the U.S.-led F-35 program. Over the last few months, the Belgian defense industry has called for the government to decide which sixth-generation combat aircraft program it intends on joining and in what capacity.
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06/16/2023
A combat aircraft accuracy exercise was organized between Estonia's two largest islands this week. The Estonian armed forces used U.S. Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft during them, ERR TV reported on Thursday.
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06/16/2023
“In June, MiG-29 fighters received as part of international technical assistance from Poland and Slovakia were added to the arsenal,” he noted. Hromov expressed gratitude to the partners for their support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and expressed hope for the transfer of F-16 fighters.
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06/16/2023
A measure in the House’s fiscal 2024 defense policy bill aims to keep various technologies related to the Next Generation Air Dominance program moving forward in sync, even as one lawmaker said the Navy has fallen behind its Air Force counterparts here.
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06/15/2023
The performance of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in the Ukraine war has proved to be the opposite of original expectations. The Russian force failed to disable Kyiv’s defenses in the first few weeks due to the Ukrainian air force and its air defense units' extensive preparations when the shooting began. Ukraine has prevailed since, however, thanks to U.S. and European-provided anti-aircraft weapons and technology.
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06/15/2023
The U.S. Air Force’s 493rd Fighter Squadron from the United Kingdom’s RAF Lakenheath forward deployed to Norway’s Ørland Air Base to take part in Arctic Challenge Exercise 2023 alongside Norwegian, Dutch and Italian F-35A Lightning II advanced stealth fighters and other coalition aircraft supporting the two-week exercise occurring May 29 through June 9 across Scandinavia.
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06/15/2023
The Global Combat Aircraft Program is a multinational collaborative project aimed at producing a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan. GCAP is the merging result of the respective three nations to replace their previous generation fighters. BAE’s Team Tempest, the U.K.-led and Italian-supported program to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon, and Japan’s Mitsubishi F-X initiative to replace its Mitsubishi F-2 fighter officially consolidated under the GCAP umbrella
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06/15/2023
The Air Force has sent some of its most advanced air superiority fighter aircraft to the Middle East to make the Russians think twice about harassing U.S. forces in the air and on the ground, military officials announced on Wednesday. “U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors deployed to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility as part of a multifaceted show of U.S. support and capability in the wake of increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft in the region,” a CENTCOM news re
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06/15/2023
ndonesia has confirmed it signed a contract this year to buy Qatar’s fleet of French-built fighter jets in an effort to plug a long-standing air defense gap. The Indonesian Air Force said in a news release it had signed a $795.14 million contract in January to buy the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters. The Middle Eastern nation operates a fleet of nine, single-seat Mirage 2000-5EDA aircraft and three, twin-seat Mirage 2000-5DDA aircraft.
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06/14/2023
The ability of Ukraine’s armed forces to hold back the Russian invasion of February 2022 has provided a stunning show of bravery and determination on the part of Kyiv’s armed forces. Since the early days of the conflict, the outnumbered Ukrainian military has fought against Russian armed forces equipped with the most modern hardware that Moscow’s industry could turn out.
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06/14/2023
Wings Over Muskegon Air Show has been selected for a United States Air Force Heritage Flight July 8-9 at the Muskegon County Airport. Established in 2010, the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation matches a modern fighter/attack aircraft, in this case the A-10C Thunderbolt II, with a historic fighter, which will be a World War II P51D Mustang.
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06/14/2023
Air Defender 23, the German-led air exercise that is the largest in NATO history, kicked off June 12 with roughly 100 of the 250 participating aircraft coming from Air National Guard units across the U.S.—and just getting all of those USAF planes across the Atlantic Ocean presented a unique challenge.
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06/14/2023
The U.S. Air Force has officially begun to accept proposals for the sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance fighter and plans to award the contract in 2024. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall ominously stated that the classified and secretive NGAD will cost “multiples” of the F-35, meaning each aircraft will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. While its fifth-generation fleet offers unsurpassed capability, it is vital that the Department of Defense correct the mistakes incurred in its de
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06/13/2023
These are the largest air exercise of the Alliance since its foundation.About 250 aircraft from 25 countries, including 5th generation F-35 fighters, will be involved in the aviation training. Air Defender 23 will run from June 12 to 23, with up to 10,000 people participating.Only from the USA, 2,000 National Guard servicemen and about 100 aircraft will take part in the maneuvers.
According to the mass media, transport aircraft of the Japanese Air Force will also be engaged in the exercises.
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06/13/2023
The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) has announced extending and expanding its contract with Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services, securing the overhaul and preparation of 32 F-16 combat aircraft for sale to Romania.
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06/13/2023
“The lists (of pilots who will go for F-16 training) have long been prepared,” Ihnat told Radio NV. “They will undergo training in successive waves. We cannot send everyone to learn at once because these pilots (currently) perform dozens of combat missions in the sky (in the conflict zone) every day.” However, the initial wave may include several dozen pilots, followed by subsequent waves for training purposes, Ihnat said.
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06/13/2023
The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee has decided to greenlight continued divestment of the A-10 Warthog, according to draft text of the subcommittee’s markup of the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill obtained by Breaking Defense. The subcommittee would also seek to impose some provisions on the development of the Air Force and Navy’s next-gen fighters and drones that could join them in combat.
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06/08/2023
The Indian Ambassador to Argentina, Dinesh Bhatia, and the Chief of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac, had a meeting on Tuesday. They talked about working together on Tejas Combat Aircraft and different types of helicopters made by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Indian Embassy in Argentina tweeted about this, saying that Ambassador Dinesh Bhatia joined a delegation from HAL to meet Brigadier General Xavier Isaac and the Argentine Air Force technical team.
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06/08/2023
U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking Raytheon Technologies Corp. to build 571 AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $263.7 million order 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 air-to-air missiles for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and foreig
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06/08/2023
The headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, located approximately 300 kilometers south of Seoul, served as the venue for the ceremony, which revolved around the theme of “Firm Commitment, Secure Future.” The ceremony witnessed the presence of Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, alongside his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak, together with Korea’s Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jung Sang-hwa, and Defense Acquisition Program Administration Chief Eom Dong-hwan.
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06/08/2023
"The SBU counterintelligence exposed another FSB agent during counter-sabotage operations in the Dnipro region. The offender was collecting intelligence for Russian occupants on the types and number of aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as their basing locations and flight directions. He also passed on the locations of military enlistment offices to the invaders and tried to identify railroad lines used to supply ammunition to the front.
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06/08/2023
How does it feel to fly the F-35, the fifth-generation combat and intelligence-collection platform that is currently the best aircraft on the planet and the tip of the spear for both the US and Israeli air forces? Tony “Brick” Wilson is an F-35 test pilot for Lockheed Martin, which produces the aircraft. Previously, he served in the US Navy and was the first pilot to land an F-35C on an aircraft carrier.
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06/07/2023
On May 19, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the country would help train and support the transfer by European allies of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. But the F-16s are older aircraft that will need to be replaced in just a few years, so some consideration should be paid now to what’s next for the Ukraine Air Force.
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06/06/2023
A senior U.S. diplomat held candid and productive talks on Monday with Chinese officials, the State Department said, despite some criticism that his visit to China coincided with the anniversary of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The visit to Beijing by Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, followed China's snub last week of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who had sought a formal meeting with his Chinese counterpart.
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06/06/2023
The defense ministers of Germany and the United Kingdom have pledged to keep up their respective military presence in the Indo-Pacific region, while also outlining their plans for military deployments, at a regional security summit in Singapore. Britain’s Ben Wallace and Germany’s Oscar Pistorius were speaking at their respective plenaries during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, an event organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies that ran June 2-4.
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06/06/2023
Two Norwegian F-35, on QRA for NATO in the north, were scrambled from Evenes airport Monday morning to meet and identify a group of Russian military planes flying west out from the Kola Peninsula. Spokesperson Marius Vågenes Villanger with the Joint Headquarters says in a phone interview with the Barents Observer this happened between 08.30 and 11.00 Norwegian time.
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06/06/2023
The Air Force is offering a bigger bonus - up to $50,000 per year - as it hopes to keep some of its most experienced pilots and retain aviators amid a pilot shortage. Certain pilots - including remote piloted aircraft pilots, air battle managers and combat systems officers - can apply for the Legacy Aviation Bonus Program starting Tuesday and through Sept. 15. Major changes to the program include "an increase in the monetary cap from $35,000 per year up to $50,000 per year" for those who are eli
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06/06/2023
An Air Force plan to acquire a new type of semi-autonomous drones follows an emerging pattern of buying items that are already at least partially available commercially and modifying them for Defense Department needs. The collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) will fly alongside fighter jets as a robot wingman that extends the jets’ capabilities without requiring another pilot.
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06/05/2023
An unresponsive airplane flying over Washington, D.C., on Sunday prompted military fighter jets to intercept the plane at hypersonic levels, causing a loud sonic boom heard around D.C. and Virginia, officials said. The plane later crashed in Virginia and no survivors were found.
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06/05/2023
A handful of former German fighter pilots are reportedly working as military trainers in China and receiving enormous salaries, indicating yet another incident of “poaching” by China after similar patterns were recorded in the US, the UK, and France.
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06/05/2023
China’s defense minister defended sailing a warship across the path of an American destroyer and Canadian frigate transiting the Taiwan Strait, telling a gathering of some of the world’s top defense officials in Singapore on Sunday that such so-called “freedom of navigation” patrols are a provocation to China.
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06/03/2023
The Russian-occupied Azov Sea port city of Berdyansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast was struck by a Ukrainian missile on Friday, an occupation official said. Located about 60 miles from the front lines, Berdyansk is the latest example of long-distance targets Ukraine can now hit thanks to donated weapons. This is at least the fourth attack on the port city in the past few weeks.
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06/03/2023
The US Air Force (USAF) is denying reports that an unmanned aerial system (UAS) powered by artificial intelligence turned against its operators during an exercise. Recent comments by a USAF test pilot at a Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) summit in London appeared to indicate such an event had occurred during a training exercise simulation.
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06/03/2023
The blazing Langkawi sun did little to deter the crowds that had gathered on the tarmac to catch a glimpse of the ear-busting action unfolding above them at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre, right beside the island’s airport.
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06/02/2023
Team Misawa hosted the latest iteration of a PACIFIC WEASEL exercise over Draughon Range near Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 26, 2023. PAC WEASEL is a recurring air combat exercise that allows joint and bilateral partners to discover innovative solutions for any given mission. This exercise series supports the U.S. commitment to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific region by enhancing the readiness and tactical capabilities of U.S. Forces Japan and Japan Self-Defense Forces.
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06/02/2023
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland will help Ukraine train F-16 combat aircraft pilots, After speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several other European officials at the meeting of European leaders in Moldova.
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06/02/2023
Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) had the distinction of signing the largest contract for an export sale to the armed forces of Malaysia during the May 23-27 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA). The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will acquire 18 of the FA-50 Block 20 “Fighting Eagle” trainer/light combat aircraft, a jet jointly developed by KAI with Lockheed Martin in the US. These aircraft will replace the BAE Systems Hawk 208 light fighters already in service.
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06/01/2023
U.S. defense officials are warning of an "alarming increase" in aggressive intercepts from Chinese military aircraft and vessels following a close encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. military plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week. These "risky" intercepts have the "potential to create an unsafe incident or miscalculation," said two U.S. defense officials who spoke about the incident on the condition of anonymity.
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06/01/2023
A Navy F-5N Tiger II crashed about 25 miles off the coast of Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., at 9:20 a.m local time., the service announced on Wednesday. The pilot of the fighter, assigned to the “Sun Downers” of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111, was recovered by the crew of a MH-60S Knight Hawk. The pilot was flown to a Miami hospital for further treatment, according to a service statement.
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06/01/2023
Over the next two weeks, more than two dozen US Air Force jets and tankers will participate in the drills, which began on May 29 and will last through June 9. The Arctic drills will feature 150 aircraft from 14 nations and take place at bases across Sweden, Finland, and Norway.
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06/01/2023
The Biden administration is poised to sign off on a deal that would allow General Electric Co to produce jet engines powering Indian military aircraft in that country, according to three people briefed on the decision. A deal finalizing the joint production of the engines is expected to be inked and announced by the time President Joe Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit on June 22, the people said on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been
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