Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Taiwan tracks 12 Chinese military aircraft, 3 naval ships around country

02/18/2023

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 12 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday (Feb. 16) and 6 a.m. on Friday (Feb. 17). Of the 12 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time.

China helps military junta with fighter aircraft to strengthen its control over Myanmar population: Report

02/18/2023

China is helping Myanmar’s military to strengthen its control over the helpless civilians by providing them with “fighter aircraft”, and this clearly shows that Beijing doesn’t value human rights when it comes to furthering its own interests, Mekong News, Myanmar-based news agency reported. Earlier, in October, Irrawaddy, a newspaper in Myanmar run by the opposition had claimed that the country had ordered several FTC-2000G midrange fighter jets from China.

Russian combat aircraft production sustained despite sanctions

02/18/2023

The invasion of Ukraine on 24 February provoked ‘swift and severe’ retaliatory sanctions against Russia – as President Biden had warned. Russia’s defence industry was a target sector for santcions. In the last year the maritime and land domains have been significantly debilitated by sanctions. In Russia there is debate over how naval ship-building can recover under sanctions.

Democrats, Republicans join up to urge Biden to send F-16s to Ukraine

02/18/2023

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing President Joe Biden directly to send F-16 warplanes to Ukraine as the fight against Russia’s invasion enters its second year. Five House members argued modern jets — which Kyiv has sought, but the administration has so far not agreed to — “could prove decisive for control of Ukrainian airspace this year” in a Thursday letter to Biden obtained by POLITICO.

In Satellite Images and Video, Hidden Clues About an Iranian Air Force Upgrade

02/18/2023

On Feb. 7, Iran unveiled a new underground Air Force base called “Eagle 44” in a slick propaganda video. On the wall was a clue hiding in plain sight: a poster with silhouettes of fighter jets. One in particular stands out. It’s situated front and center, and is in the shape of a state-of-the-art military jet that Iran currently doesn’t possess, but which officials claim Russia is in the process of selling to them.

Air Force Grounds Hundreds of Utility Aircraft as it Investigates Faulty Tail Part

02/17/2023

Hundreds of the Air Force's workhorse aircraft are being grounded as the service investigates a faulty part which, if not fixed, could potentially cause part of a plane's tail to fall off leading to a crash.

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02/17/2023

High-tech stealth fighter jets like the F-22 Raptor have taken over the news cycle in recent weeks and are being used as the primary weapons to deal with potential threats in American and Canadian airspace. The Raptor and jets like it showcase the best the United States and its military has to offer when dealing with airborne targets both inside the borders of the States and abroad.

US F-35 jets intercept 4 Russian fighter aircraft near Alaska, second action in 2 days

02/17/2023

Two U.S. F-35 fighter jets intercepted Russian fighter aircraft Tuesday as they approached Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zone, officials announced Thursday. The Russian military aircraft included a TU-95 BEAR-H bomber, as well as SU-30 and SU-35 fighter jets.

How India-built Tejas Can Transform Air Capabilities Of Argentina, Egypt

02/16/2023

India’s indigenously-developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has garnered much attention worldwide with Argentina and Egypt joining the bid for the procurement of the multirole fighter. Developed by the pioneering India-based aviation company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), LCA Tejas is a lightweight, multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft. HAL Chairman CB Ananthakrishnan said Argentina and Egypt are in talks with India regarding the procurement of the aircraft.

Indian Navy shows interest in acquiring Boeing Super Hornets fighter aircraft

02/16/2023

Boeing has submitted details to the Indian Navy for assessment about the Super Hornets fighter aircraft produced by the company, a senior official of the firm has said. Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India business development head, Alain Garcia told PTI the company has handed over the details and the Indian Navy is also interested in acquiring six more P-8 patrol aircraft.

Boeing-Saab Red Hawk Aircraft On Way To Emerge As A Critical Platform For USAF To Battle China’s J-20, Russia’s Su-57 Fighters

02/16/2023

In December 2022, media reports indicated that the production of the new T-7A Red Hawk training jet for the Air Force had been delayed until 2024 due to design and testing issues. Pre-production flight testing is planned this year.

Air Force jets intercept Russian aircraft near Alaska

02/15/2023

Four Russian aircraft, including a fighter jet and bomber, flew into a buffer zone of international airspace near Alaska Monday, according to a release from the North American Aerospace Defense Command on Tuesday, prompting a handful of U.S. Air Force jets to scramble and intercept them.

AI Has Successfully Piloted a U.S. F-16 Fighter Jet, DARPA Says

02/15/2023

On Monday, the US Department of Defense’s research agency, DARPA, announced that its AI algorithms can now control an actual F-16 in flight. The fighter aircraft that was first introduced in 1978 has now seemingly evolved into an autonomous plane.

DoD artificial intelligence agents successfully pilot fighter jet

02/14/2023

A joint Department of Defense team executed 12 flight tests in which artificial intelligence, or AI, agents piloted the X-62A Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft, or VISTA, to perform advanced fighter maneuvers at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Dec. 1-16, 2022. Supporting organizations included the U.S. Air Force Test Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

Air Force mulls remote control of drone wingmen

02/14/2023

The Air Force is studying whether drone wingmen flying alongside piloted fighter aircraft could be controlled by operators in nearby battle management aircraft or refueling tankers, according to Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown. The future fleet of collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA, as the service calls the concept, could involve them being partially guided from nearby aircraft such as the KC-46 Pegasus or E-7 Wedgetail, Brown said in a discussion at the Brookings Institution on Monday.

US F-16s Could Pose ‘Serious Challenge’ To Russia’s Su-35, MiG-31 Jets; Its Kill Must Be Incentivized — Russian Captain

02/14/2023

According to Vasily Dandykin, the West failed to break Russia last year despite providing Ukraine with a host of weapon systems, and therefore have resorted to delivering the tanks, long-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDBs), and maybe after that, even the combat aircraft.

Winning the battle for the skies of Ukraine

02/13/2023

Winning the battle for the skies of Ukraine is just as important as winning the fight on the ground. Despite recent moves by the United States and NATO allies such as Germany to end their previous objections to supplying Ukraine with heavy armor, their reticence to do the same for aircraft remains.

Taiwan reveals Chinese military balloons fly ‘very frequently’ into its airspace

02/13/2023

Taiwan has observed dozens of Chinese military balloon flights in its airspace in recent years, far more than previously known, adding to concerns that Beijing could be preparing for an attack on the country. “They come very frequently, the last one just a few weeks ago,” said a senior Taiwanese official. Another person briefed on the matter said such incursions were happening on average once a month.

Russian soldier death rate highest since first week of war - Ukraine

02/13/2023

Russian soldiers are dying in greater numbers in Ukraine this month than at any time since the first week of the invasion, according to Ukrainian data. The Ukrainian data shows 824 Russian soldiers dying per day in February. The figures were highlighted by the UK's Ministry of Defence. The figures cannot be verified - but the UK says the trends are "likely accurate". The increase comes as Ukrainian officials say that Russia has launched a "big offensive".

US military shoots down another flying object over Lake Huron

02/13/2023

The US has shot down another unidentified flying object, this time over Lake Huron near the Canadian border, in what is the fourth such incident this month. It was downed by Air Force and National Guard pilots on Sunday, Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin said. "Great work by all who carried out this mission," she wrote on Twitter.

U.S. F-22 Has Shot Down An Unidentified Object That Violated Canadian Airspace

02/12/2023

Another day, another “unidentified object” has been shot down by a U.S. Air Force F-22. It’s the third “kill” scored by a Raptor in a few days: the first one was the famous Chinese high altitude balloon shot down on February 4, 2023, at 2:39 p.m. by an F-22 Raptor, belonging to the 1st Fighter Wing from Langley Air Force Base, shot down with an AIM-9X infrared-guided air-to-air missile off the coast of South Carolina and within U.S. territorial airspace.

Poland hesitant to send fighter jets to Ukraine over fears it could deplete national fleet

02/12/2023

Poland, among the first to promise tanks to Ukraine, is now hesitating to send fighter jets to its neighbor over fears that it would deplete its own air force’s already small fleet of combat aircraft. President Andrzej Duda told BBC sending F-16 aircraft would be a “very serious decision” that was “not easy to take,” even after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week during his marathon tour through Europe, in which he called for additional air support.

Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Says F-16 Jets The ‘Optimal Choice’ To Battle Russia Over British Eurofighter Typhoons

02/12/2023

As Ukraine continues to request Western-made fighter jets to strengthen its military capabilities against Russia, a Ukrainian fighter pilot has expressed his opinion that the US-made F-16 jets are the “optimal choice” above the extremely capable British Eurofighter Typhoons.

Military Jets Shoot Down 'Object' Over Northern Alaska Just Days After China Spy Balloon

02/12/2023

U.S. fighter jets intercepted and shot down an aerial object over the coast of Alaska on Friday, less than a week after a Chinese spy balloon traversed the country before being destroyed. The latest object was at 40,000 feet above the state's northern coast and judged to be a threat to civilian air traffic when an F-22 Raptor hit it with a Sidewinder missile, according to the Pentagon. President Joe Biden gave the shootdown order after it was detected by U.S. Northern Command on Thursday.

India opens its stealth fighter jet programme to private players

02/11/2023

Developers of India’s stealth fighter jet have opened doors for private players. The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), under development by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) for close to two decades, is a fifth-generation, medium-weight, multirole, and twin-engine aircraft