Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Accelerated Chinese Timeline to Seize Taiwan Raises Questions on Pentagon Priorities, Says Gallagher

10/19/2022

China is looking to speed up its timeline for taking control of Taiwan to 2027, raising concerns with one member of Congress that the Pentagon is modernizing too slowly. U.S. Navy officials have pointed to 2027 as the year when China wants to have the capability to take over Taiwan. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), a retired Marine who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, pointed to that timeline on Tuesday as a reason why the Pentagon needs to modernize faster and prepare for a conflict.

South Korea, US to revive large-scale aerial drills as tensions grow

10/19/2022

South Korea and the United States will publicly stage large-scale aerial drills, involving their F-35 stealth fighters, to enhance combat readiness and train for wartime contingencies amid mounting threats from North Korea. Unlike previous years when the allies sought to keep a low profile, the publicized air combat exercise would be an apparent warning message to North Korea.

Myanmar Regime Buys FTC-2000G Fighter Jets From China

10/19/2022

The Myanmar Air Force has ordered several FTC-2000G midrange fighter jets from China, a major arms supplier to the Southeast Asian nation. The Irrawaddy has learned that a group of approximately eight Air Force pilots, eight technicians and at least two armaments officers traveled to China via Kunming in June.

US B-52 long-range bombers and dozens of other military aircraft to fly over Britain, Belgium and the North Sea as NATO nuclear war games start TODAY

10/18/2022

NATO today began military drills practising the use of Europe's nuclear bombs after Vladimir Putin threatened to use any means necessary to defend Russian territory in the face of setbacks in Ukraine. US B-52 long-range bombers and up to 60 aircraft will take part in training flights over Belgium, the UK and the North Sea today as part of NATO's annual nuclear exercise 'Steadfast Noon'.

Elon Musk says SpaceX has withdrawn request for Pentagon to fund Starlink in Ukraine

10/18/2022

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that the funding request the company had made to the Pentagon to start picking up the bill for satellite internet services for Ukraine has been withdrawn.

F-35B stealth fighter to arrive on Korean peninsula

10/18/2022

South Korea and the United States will conduct joint air drills on the Korean peninsula at the end of this month with 250 military aircraft. What is notable is that an F-35B stealth fighter from MCAS Iwakuni, a United States Marine Corps air station, will join the drill on the peninsula in four years and ten months. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), too, will use F-35A fighters.

Argentina looking towards India to build military might

10/18/2022

South American nation Argentina stands out among the countries expressing their interest in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. Mired in a fierce diplomatic struggle against the United Kingdom (UK), Argentina has been unable to modernise its defence forces. While the US has offered them second-hand F-16s with modest modernisation, it is keen to equip itself with more formidable combat aircraft for starters. And aircraft might be the start.

Russian tower block in flames as aircraft crashes

10/17/2022

Unconfirmed footage of the aftermath of the incident showed a huge fireball engulfing a tower block. Russia's Defence Ministry said the plane, a Su-34 bomber, was on a training flight when one of its engines caught fire. There is no word yet of casualties, but ambulances and fire engines were seen at the scene.

Eurofighter Typhoons Are Undergoing Massive ‘Hunting’ Upgrades; All You Want To Know About Its Advanced ECRS Mk2 Radar

10/17/2022

The Italian multinational defense company Leonardo is testing the new high-tech European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 at its World War 2 (WW2) era facility in the UK as part of a $2.8 billion (£2.35) upgrade program for British Eurofighter Typhoons.

Speculation grows over China’s next aircraft carrier

10/17/2022

Beijing’s rush to build military supremacy over Washington is experiencing an unexpected pause. No new aircraft carrier is being assembled on its slipways. Is there a problem? Or a policy change? China’s shipyards are mass-producing new cruisers, destroyers and assault ships at a rate not seen since World War II. And its new-found naval strength is already being applied to the waters around Japan and Taiwan.

Lithuanian MP says West must send Ukraine interceptor aircraft, early warning radars

10/17/2022

This was stated by Vice Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Paulius Saudargas, who made a comment to Guildhall, Ukrinform reports. “The recent attacks on innocent people and ordinary cities in Ukraine have once again confirmed that, without any shadow of doubt, Russia is a terrorist state. This is the assessment of the democratic world,” the parliamentarian said.

Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled attacks in three directions, aircraft struck the invaders with 30 strikes General Staff

10/16/2022

The Ukrainian military repelled Russian attacks on the Kramatorsk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts on Saturday. Summary by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00. "Units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks in the districts of the settlements of Novosadove on the Kramatorsk front, Yakovlivka, Berestove, Bakhmut, Bakhmutske and Opytne on the Bakhmut front, Krasnohorivka, Nevelske, Pervomaiske, Mariinka and Pobeda on the Avdiivka front.

China sends 11 warplanes, 4 naval ships around Taiwan ahead of 20th CCP Congress

10/16/2022

The Ministry of National Defense said it had tracked 11 aircraft and four ships from China’s military around the country by 5 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 15), the day before the opening of the 20th Communist Party Congress. Of the 11 People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft, two Shenyang J-11 fighters jet entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the military tweeted.

Xi's looming third term in China raises threat of war over Taiwan

10/16/2022

From a young age, Wang You-cheng and his friends debated what seemed like a theoretical question: If China were to attack, would they be willing to fight to protect their home? Growing up in Hualien, where half a dozen military installations guard Taiwan's east coast, the boys became accustomed to the sounds and sights of preparation for a war that seemed like it would never come. Airtight windows at schools blocked out the boom of F-16 fighter jets; military trucks mixed with mopeds in traffic.

Why the famed Russian Air Force failed in Ukraine and the vital lessons IAF can draw from it

10/16/2022

Defeat of Russian air power in Ukraine raises hard questions for IAF. In the 1st of a 3-part series, ThePrint investigates lessons from Ukraine war for IAF’s equipment & doctrines.

MEP urges Ukraine’s western partners to send fighter jets to intercept Russian cruise missiles

10/16/2022

Ukraine should receive Western warplanes and other necessary means to counter Russian cruise missiles and forestall further Russian attacks. This was stated in a comment by Guildhall by the Member of the European Parliament from Poland, a member of the Development Committee, Beata Kempa, Ukrinform reports.

US Air Force F-22 Raptor Fires Record-High 28 Missiles During Trial

10/15/2022

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor has successfully loaded and fired a record-high 28 air-to-air missiles during a weapon system evaluation at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. The service’s 94th Fighter Squadron and 94th Fighter Generation Squadron initiated the live-fire test, employing more than $14 million of missiles. According to the Air Combat Command, the squadrons demonstrated a “high-level of proficiency” while firing the weapons from the stealth tactical fighter aircraft.

Ukrainian air force pilot killed after fighter jet crashes

10/15/2022

Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat confirmed to journalists the loss of the military aircraft. One crew member has died and one has sustained injuries after the jet crashed. “After completing the combat mission, the invaders hit the plane with a missile. The crew tried to return the aircraft to the home airbase, but the plane did not fly and crashed in the Poltava region,” Ignat said.

NATO’s Eurofighter Typhoons Challenging Russian Fighters; Scrambled 16 Times To Intercept RuAF Jets

10/15/2022

For the last few weeks, as the war in Ukraine rages and Russia’s relations with the United States (US) and Europe go from bad to worse, Russian fighter jets have repeatedly flown over the Baltic Sea. With just eight ‘Alpha Scrambles’ (alert departures) in the week before October 10 and a total of 16 in the last two months, Italian Air Force (ItAF) Eurofighter Typhoons have intercepted and escorted Russian Air Forces (RuAF) Sukhoi Su-30, Su-27, Su-24M and even Illyusin Il-20 spy planes.

Ukraine Confirms 1st Known Case Of Fighter Jet Going Down To A Kamikaze Drone; EurAsian Times’ Assessment Hits Bulls Eye!

10/15/2022

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed in a Facebook post that a fighter jet of one of the tactical aviation brigades crashed near Vinnytsia while carrying out a combat mission to destroy enemy kamikaze drones, ‘Shahed-136.’ The Air Force said that the fighter jet crashed because of an unspecified technical malfunction that led the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. Nevertheless, the pilot managed to eject and is currently hospitalized.

Ukraine Air Defenses Claim Record Day: Six Attack Helicopters & 19 Drones Downed

10/14/2022

Ukraine’s military claimed the national air defense system had a record day of successes, shooting down six Russian Federation (RF) attack helicopters and 19 Iran-made kamikaze drones, an Army General Staff (AGS) statement released on Thursday, Oct. 13, said.

US Air Force must build trust to add drone wingmen, report says

10/14/2022

The Air Force is all-in on the concept of drone wingmen teamed up with human piloted fighters as the future of air combat. But how exactly will the human pilots inside F-35s or the Next Generation Air Dominance platform work with and guide collaborative combat aircraft? And will these drone wingmen be ready to fight under their human pilots’ instructions in a future war?

Russians mine bridges on Kramatorsk front, conscripts armed with poor assault rifles General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine

10/13/2022

Russian troops continue offensive operations on the Bakhmut and Avdiivka fronts, and the conscripts go to war armed with Soviet-style protective wear and AK-12 assault rifles, which have proven themselves ineffective on the battlefield in Ukraine.

MiG 29K fighter aircraft crashes over sea on a routine sortie off Goa coast

10/13/2022

A MiG-29K trainer crashed off Goa today after developing a technical malfunction. A MiG 29K was on a routine sortie over the sea off Goa and developed a technical malfunction while returning to base.“The Pilot ejected safely & has been recovered in a swift SAR op; the Pilot was reported to be in stable condition. BoI ordered to investigate the cause of the incident,” said Indian Navy.

Ukraine War Propels F-35 Sales! Austria Looks To Replace Eurofighters With US Stealth Fighters — Reports

10/13/2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a wave of insecurity running through Europe. As a result, various European nations have expressed interest in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter, with the landlocked country of Austria becoming the latest to join the bandwagon.