Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Boeing averts strike at three defense plants, for now

08/01/2022

A union representing nearly 2,500 employees at three Boeing defense locations in the St. Louis area said on Saturday they will vote on the company's revised contract offer, canceling a strike that was set to start early Monday. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said an overnight bargaining session had led to the new Boeing offer and workers will vote Wednesday on whether to accept it.

China's military is stepping up its work on ship-based warplanes to keep up with its aircraft-carrier advances

08/01/2022

China has stepped up efforts to develop its next generation of ship-based warplanes for its new aircraft carriers, with recent photos revealing Beijing's progress in developing early warning aircraft and stealth fighter jets. A video circulating on Chinese social media this week showed the KJ-600 — China's first fixed-wing early-warning plane capable of operating on the carriers — on a test flight over the northwestern city of Xian, where its manufacturer, Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation, i

NATO conducts air forces exercises over Romania

08/01/2022

According to a press release from NATO, seven Air Forces from across the Alliance joined their aircraft and ground systems for a training event in Romanian airspace to conduct coordinated combined air-to-ground drills demonstrating interoperability and preparedness.

Rafale Pilot ‘Spills The Beans’ On French Fighters; Says ‘One Of The Best’ But Not As Powerful As Eurofighters

08/01/2022

The engines on the Rafale fighter jet are not the best in the world. Although they’re great, the Typhoon fighter jet’s engines are superior, he said. Até noted that “Rafale fighter jet is an excellent aircraft and that if you understand it perfectly and if you understand your opponents as well, you will know exactly how you want to fight the adversary and you will succeed.

Germany, Hungary, Italy take up NATO’s Baltic air policing

07/31/2022

For the coming months, four Hungarian JAS-39 fighter aircraft and some eighty personnel will lead the mission out of Šiauliai air base in Lithuania, while four German Eurofighter aircraft will fly out of Ämari in Estonia. They will be joined by Italian Eurofighters based in Malbork, Poland.

Russian Su-25 Jet Shot Down by Paratroopers, Ukrainian Brigade Says

07/31/2022

Ukrainian brigade has said it shot down a Russian combat aircraft in the Donetsk region. The 25th Separate Sichesal Airborne Brigade said its paratroopers had destroyed the Sukhoi-25 fighter using Igla MANPADS, referring to the short range man-portable air-defense system.

Most US F-35s temporarily grounded as ejection seat issue threatens jets worldwide

07/30/2022

The U.S. military discovered a problem with the ejection seats used across its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet in April, but waited three months to ground those aircraft flown by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to fully investigate the issue, multiple sources told Air Force Times Friday.

Ukraine is Hitting Russian SAMs With HIMARS; US Considers Future Aviation Contribution

07/30/2022

While the air picture has remained static in the Russia-Ukraine war, the introduction of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) has allowed Ukraine to strike surface-to-air missile targets behind enemy lines. Now the U.S. is considering future aviation contributions in Ukraine, defense officials confirmed to Air Force Magazine.

Indian Air Force to retire all squadrons of MiG-21 Bison aircraft by 2025

07/30/2022

The Indian Air Force will retire one more squadron of the MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30 and phase out the remaining fleet by 2025, as the recent fatal crashes of the Soviet-era fighter jets intensified safety concerns and force authorities to step up the induction of LCA Tejas aircraft.

Taiwan holds massive Han Kuang military drills as tensions with China build

07/29/2022

In simulated scenes, a hostile enemy attempts to seize control of a key waterway close to the Taiwanese capital. Attacking from sea and air, the invading forces target the mouth of the Tamsui River on the island's northern coast -- a strategic estuary that provides direct access to the center of Taipei.

Iraq seeks to replace its F-16s, wants Rafale and pays in oil

07/29/2022

Iraq is interested in buying 14 French 4.5-generation Dassault Rafale fighter jets. The deal is valued at $240 million. Iraq offers to pay them through oil supplies. The news was first reported by the business magazine Forbes. At the moment, there is no information on exactly what combat aircraft Baghdad wants – brand new or second-hand [already used] aircraft.

In Pictures: Anatolian Eagle 2022 At Konya Air Base

07/29/2022

Organized at the 3rd Main Jet Base Command Konya Air Base, in central Anatolia, south of Ankara, Turkey, Anatolian Eagle is a series of exercises, inspired by the U.S. Red Flag and Maple Flag series, hosted by the Turkish Air Force and attended each year by several foreign air arms. The latter, include NATO allies along with rather exotic services from other countries, that are rarely seen elsewhere in Europe.

158th Fighter Wing Airmen Demonstrate ACE in Estonia

07/29/2022

Thirty-five multicapable Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Amari Airbase, Estonia, to exercise Agile Combat Employment July 6-15. ACE is a U.S. Air Force concept that allows decentralized flying operations with a minimal footprint to provide rapid movement on short notice.

Building Asymmetric Advantage in Indo-Pacific Part of DOD Approach to Chinese Aggression

07/28/2022

In the Indo-Pacific region, Chinese aggression demonstrates an effort by Beijing to deconstruct core elements of the international rules-based order and assert greater control over the waterways that connect it with its neighbors, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs said.

US sends six F-22 fighter jets to Poland

07/28/2022

Six American F-22 Raptor combat jets have been sent to Poland under Nato's Air Shielding programme, the US Air Force's Europe and Africa command announced on Wednesday. The stealth tactical fighter aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, will be based at the Lask air base in central Poland.

China ‘Hyper Accelerates’ Training Program For Its Fighter Pilots After Record Warplane Production

07/28/2022

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has established a new personnel training program, and its first batch of pilots, trained on the J-10 medium-weight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft, graduated from the Shijiazhuang Flight Academy, the Chinese state-owned media outlet, Global Times reported on July 24. The Shijiazhuang Flight Academy first received J-10 fighter aircraft in 2020, which are used for this new pilot training program.

Battle from the skies: How aviation advances empower the Corps’ new combat plan

07/28/2022

The Marine Corps has been swapping out traditional tools for what some leaders see as a vastly different form of warfare in the coming decades: the Corps has been shedding tanks, reducing tube artillery, cutting law enforcement while adding rocket artillery and transforming infantry-centered regiments.

Textron Aviation Defense Beechcraft AT-6E Wolverine Achieves Military Type Certification from USAF

07/27/2022

Textron Aviation Defense announced the Beechcraft AT-6E Wolverine has achieved Military Type Certification (MTC) from the United States Air Force, paving the way for continued global sales of the light attack aircraft. The AT-6E is a multi-mission aircraft system designed to meet a wide variety of warfighter and peacekeeper needs.

House panel cuts ?7.4 billion for two F-35A combat jets, Thai air force defends plan

07/27/2022

A House subcommittee scrutinising procurement projects of state agencies decided yesterday (Monday) to cut the 7.4-billion-baht budget for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to procure two US-made F-35A combat jets, on the grounds that the US Congress has not yet approved the sale of the aircraft to Thailand and the acquisition is not urgent.

Is Prague’s F-35 move checkmate for Europe’s fourth-gen fighters?

07/27/2022

The decision by the Czech Republic earlier in July to begin negotiations to acquire the fifth-generation F-35 multirole stealth fighter represented another milestone in the platform’s growing presence among Europe’s future combat air fleet, in a move that could checkmate the competition.

Air Force orders more advanced F-16 jet fighter SABR AESA radar avionics systems from Northrop Grumman

07/27/2022

U.S. Air Force aerial warfare experts are ordering additional modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for F-16 jet fighter aircraft under terms of an $88.2 million order announced Friday. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Fighter Bomber Directorate, F-16 Division, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are asking the Northrop Grumman Corp. Mission Systems segment in Linthicum Heights, Md., for 31 production radars and spare parts.

Ukraine Shoots Down $16 Million Russian Combat Helicopter: Defense Ministry

07/26/2022

Ukraine shot down a Russian combat helicopter worth $16 million, its defense ministry said on Monday. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that its troops successfully shot down a Russian Ka-52 helicopter, which is considered to be one of Russia's most powerful helicopters as it provides direct support for troops on the battlefield and is capable of detecting and attacking any targets. Ukraine destroying one of the helicopters is the latest sign of their success amid the Russia-Ukra

Taiwan’s aircraft and warships stage five-day live-fire exercise

07/26/2022

The Taiwanese military kicked off a five-day annual live-fire exercise on Monday aimed at bolstering the island’s defense capabilities and combat readiness at a time when China and Taiwan’s allies have been facing off in the airspace and seas around the island. The Han Kuang drills will be taking place at a number of locations on the island, with President Tsai Ing-wen observing a large-scale naval exercise from a warship off Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan on Tuesday.

Why engine replacement plan would hurt F-35’s international credentials

07/26/2022

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 has become the air force centrepiece for a growing number of Western nations. The interoperability of the aircraft’s operations and sustainment systems is recognised as a force multiplier in the delivery of combat air power, whether deployed to blunt Russian aggression in Europe or challenge China’s rise to dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.

German Military Halts Use of Eurofighter Jets Over Faulty Component

07/26/2022

The German military has restricted the use of its Eurofighter jets after their manufacturer said a component used in the ejector seats was faulty, a spokesperson told dpa on Friday. An investigation is now under way to test the component, the spokesperson added.