Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Former Estonian Military Chief: 'Ukraine Has Already Won' In War With Russia

11/28/2022

Riho Terras is an Estonian politician and former high-ranking military officer who has served as a member of the European Parliament since February 1, 2020. He was the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces from 2011 to 2018. In a wide-ranging interview with RFE/RL's Georgian Service, Terras, 55, discussed an incident earlier this month when a missile hit Poland, calls for more military support for Ukraine, and the likelihood of Russian President Vladimir Putin attacking NATO and widening the

Egyptian fighter jet crashes, crew survives

11/28/2022

Spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces Gharib Abdel Hafez announced that a fighter jet crashed during training on Sunday because of a technical error, and that the pilot and co-pilot survived. Similar incidents occurred in June, December 2019, and November 2018 where the pilots managed to eject. The cause of the crashes was also technical problems that were not detailed, and they all happened during training.

Argentina Puts India’s LCA Tejas On Backburner; Starts Evaluating US-Origin F-16 Fighting Falcons In Denmark

11/28/2022

A top delegation of the Argentine Air Force is reportedly in Denmark to evaluate second-hand F-16 fighter jets. The South American nation appears to have postponed the technical evaluation of India’s Tejas Light combat aircraft. Along with the Danish alternative, Argentina is also considering the Chinese-built JF-17 Thunder and India’s Hindustan Aeronautic Limited Tejas aircraft. The service has been attempting to examine the different aspects of fighter jets before making the final decision.

Taiwan tracks 11 military aircraft, 4 naval ships from China

11/27/2022

As voters in Taiwan prepared to go to the polls Saturday (Nov. 26) to select new city and county leaders, the Ministry of National Defense said it had spotted 11 aircraft and four ships from China’s military in areas surrounding the country by 6 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 26). Of the 11 aircraft tracked during the 24-hour period leading up to 6 a.m. on Saturday, one unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) and four bombers entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ

Taiwan’s ‘US-Origin’ Military Aircraft, Used To Keep An Eye On China, Reports Mishap; Incident Comes After F-16V Crash

11/27/2022

The Air Force said that the United States-manufactured plane assigned to the Pingtung airbase was returning from a training flight when the incident occurred around 11:08 a.m. The incident didn’t result in any casualties. The pilot was apparently forced to perform a belly landing at the military airfield because the landing gear did not deploy. The military said a special task force had been established to investigate the malfunction’s root cause.

F-35 Jets: Thailand Places ‘Lowest Ever’ Order For Lockheed Stealth Fighters; Awaits Approval From US Congress

11/27/2022

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Commander-in-Chief ACM Alongkorn Vannarot said that the service has decided to acquire two F-35A fighter jets from the United States despite resistance from the opposition parties, Thai PBS World reported.

Taiwan tracks 6 Chinese military aircraft, 4 naval ships around country

11/26/2022

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked six Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 24) and 6 a.m. Friday (Nov. 25). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missile systems to monitor the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and vessels, according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time.

Afghanistan repairs 70 military planes, helicopters damaged by US

11/26/2022

The Taliban interim administration repaired 70 damaged military planes and helicopters that were damaged by US soldiers before they left Afghanistan after 20 years in August last year. The Afghan Air Force has repaired 70 damaged military planes and helicopters given to the previous government of President Ashraf Ghani by the US and its allied forces, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Khawarizmi told Anadolu Agency in Kabul.

BriteCloud decoy for combat aircraft moves closer to US service

11/26/2022

The US Air National Guard (ANG) has issued a ‘fielding recommendation’ for Leonardo’s BriteCloud 218 expendable active decoy, after testing on F-16 aircraft. According to the company, this means the service, which has conducted testing and live trials with BriteCloud since 2019, is confident that the decoy meets operational requirements, delivering an increased protection capability to fourth-generation fighter aircraft.

Pilots hired to help China understand how western planes operate

11/25/2022

China has recruited more than 30 former British military pilots including those who have flown sophisticated fighter jets. UK's Defence Ministry said that they are being recruited to train pilots of the Chinese Army. Chinese plans to counter the West and in the worst-case scenario, of a conflict, say over Taiwan, will then have prior knowledge of Western tactics as far as the air war is concerned, reported The HK Post.

Technical Problems Ground Myanmar’s JF-17 Fighter Jets Bought From China

11/25/2022

Most of the newly acquired Chinese and Pakistan-made JF-17 fighter jets that the Myanmar regime has taken delivery of have been grounded due to technical malfunctions, according to analysts and former Myanmar Air Force pilots who monitor the junta’s air capabilities. The JF-17 fighters—lightweight multi-role combat aircraft jointly manufactured by China and Pakistan—that the Myanmar Air Force has added to its fleet have structural cracks and other technical issues, they told The Irrawaddy.

NATO ALLIES TEST AIR AND MISSILE DEFENCES IN ROMANIA

11/24/2022

Deployed in Romania since May 2022, the MAMBA has been augmenting NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system. Allied fighters including F-16s from Türkiye, Spanish Eurofighters - currently deployed in Bulgaria on a NATO mission -, US E/A 18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft and French Navy Rafale fighters flying from the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle participated in the routine test of the system.

Torpedoes With Wings! US Navy’s ‘Submarine Hunter’ Aircraft Gets Capability To ‘Sink A Sub’ With HAAWC!

11/24/2022

The P-8A maritime patrol aircraft of the US Navy can now carry the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability or HAAWC. The manufacturer of the aircraft Boeing announced in a press release on November 21 that the US Navy has officially announced Initial operational capability, or IOC, with HAAWC.

First F-16 rolls off new production line

11/24/2022

The first F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft has rolled off the new production line in Greenville, South Carolina, Lockheed Martin announced on 21 November. In a message posted from its official Twitter account titled, ‘Guess who's back‘, Lockheed Martin heralded, “a new era of Falcon is about to take flight”, with a video showing the first Block 70 aircraft for Bahrain being rolled out of the facility.

RAF participates in multi-national air warfare training exercise in UAE

11/23/2022

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has deployed its personnel and aircraft to participate in a multinational air warfare exercise in the UAE. Also referred to as the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course (ATLC), the training drills are being held at the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi.

US Pease ANG’S KC-46A completes 36-hour endurance mission

11/23/2022

US Pease Air National Guard’s (ANG) 157th Air Refueling Wing has successfully completed a 36-hour long non-stop endurance mission on KC-46A Pegasus aircraft. This marks the US Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) longest endurance mission so far, which showcased the total force integration concept. It saw the participation of both active duty and ANG airmen from Pease.

China Turns Its Fighters Into UAVs; Could Swarm Taiwan From Five ‘Hardened’ Forward Airfields – Reports

11/23/2022

Legacy aircraft converted into drones (J-6, J-7, J-8) have been concluded to be pressed in as a part of the initial wave of attacks to soften Taiwanese air defenses. These highly developed and defended airfields with hardened airfields can then be taken over by People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Su-30MKK, J-16, or J-10 fighters for sustained operations against Taiwan.

Awaiting F-16s, Bulgaria closes in on interim fighter potentially from Sweden or France

11/23/2022

The Bulgarian government looks to be edging closer to reaching an agreement for an interim fighter aircraft after holding talks with Sweden and France, while the southeastern European nation awaits American F-16s. The potential acquisition of the jets was prompted by Lockheed Martin when it delayed delivery of F-16 Block 70 aircraft to Sofia from 2023 to 2025, following COVID-19 supplier issues, meaning they wouldn’t go operational until 2028 or so.

Think tanks call for greater USAF striking power in Pacific

11/22/2022

A recent think tank report suggests that the US Air Force needs to substantially upgrade its force structure in Guam and Okinawa, while another warns about the danger posed by hardened Chinese air bases near Taiwan. A new report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments calls for increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in both Guam and Okinawa, as well as sufficient combat assets to conduct retaliatory strikes .

Takeaways From China’s Zhuhai Air Show 2022

11/22/2022

The Zhuhai Air Show in Guangdong China is the largest aviation and military trade expo in all of China. The event ran from November 7-13 and provided an unusually large glimpse into the developmental gains in military technology in a wide array of categories. Everything from small arms to commercial shipping technology had a presence at the show, but the real gains were shown in missile, radar, unmanned systems, and fighter technology.

Turkey’s Fighter-Like Drone Emerges For Taxi Tests

11/22/2022

Turkey’s Baykar company has begun ground tests of its Bayraktar Kizilelma drone, described as the country’s first unmanned fighter aircraft. Accompanying imagery of the tests, at the Akinci Flight Training and Test Center in the northwestern province of Tekirdag, which included taxi runs ahead of its first flight, provide us with our best look so far at this unique uncrewed air vehicle.

Taiwan tracks 15 Chinese military aircraft, 3 naval ships around island

11/21/2022

Taiwan tracked 15 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around Taiwan between Thursday and Friday, its Defence Ministry has said. “10 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said in a Twitter post.

U.S. And Dutch F-35s Have Flown Without Radar Reflectors During First Week Of ‘Falcon Strike 2022’

11/21/2022

As we already reported, F-35s from Italy, United States and the Netherlands are training together at Amendola Air Base, in southern Italy, during the exercise “Falcon Strike 2022”, which runs from November 15 to 28, 2022. The exercise is focused on the integration between fifth and fourth-generation aircraft and between different F-35 operators.

Turkey’s Fifth-Gen TF-X Fighter Jet Reaches Pakistan’s Defense Expo Months After Reports Of Joint Production

11/21/2022

About 28 Turkish defense manufacturers participated in Pakistan’s biennial event IDEAS 2022. Turkey, alongside China, is believed to have the most prominent presence at the expo. Turkish media has also reported that their pavilion attracted hundreds of visitors, including Pakistani officials.

Turkish jets hit targets in Syria, Iraq after Istanbul bomb blast

11/20/2022

Turkish military planes have hit targets in northern Syria and Iraq, bombing bases Turkey’s defence ministry claimed were used by those behind an explosion in central Istanbul last weekend that killed six people and wounded more than 80. The Turkish defence ministry announced the launch of the raids in a statement on Twitter on Sunday.