Military Aviation News Archive

India Beats China To Emerge As World’s 3rd Strongest Air Force In New Rankings; Chinese Netizens Slam The Report

05/22/2022

The report assessed the total combat capabilities of various air services worldwide and rated them accordingly. The Indian Air Force was ranked higher than its regional rival China and placed above the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the Israeli Air Force, and the French Air and Space Force. The WDMMA employs a formula that considers values associated with the total combat strength of various countries’ air forces.

Read More...

Dependence on Russian Aircraft Engines Could Prompt China to ‘Fix Their … Problem’

05/21/2022

China’s dependence on Russian fighter aircraft engines may soon affect the People’s Liberation Army Air Force fleet if Russia can’t service or provide engines or parts for up to 40 percent of the Chinese fighters, experts at the China Aerospace Studies Institute conference said May 17.

Read More...

7 Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan's ADIZ

05/21/2022

Seven Chinese military aircraft flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Thursday, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The sortie comprised of one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, one H-6 bomber, four Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and one Sukhoi SU-30 fighter.

Read More...

Ukrainian Military Repels 11 Enemy Attacks In Donbas On Friday

05/21/2022

So, it is reported that along the entire defense line, the Russian invaders use combat aircraft, multiple launch rocket systems, barrel artillery of large calibers, tanks, mortars of various systems, and also launch rocket and bomb attacks on civilian infrastructure, peaceful residential areas.

Read More...

Eielson AFB completes stand up of two F-35A squadrons

05/21/2022

The US Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) in Alaska has completed the task of standing up two F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft squadrons. US Air Force (USAF) 354th Fighter Wing (FW) completed its fleet after receiving the final fifth-generation aircraft. A ceremony was held at Eielson AFB on 13 May to mark the achievement.

Read More...

Ukraine downs Russian Su-34, cruise missile, destroys 20 combat armored vehicles

05/20/2022

Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Air Force destroyed 20 units of Russian armored vehicles, as well as shot down a cruise missile and a Su-34 fighter-bomber. This was announced on Facebook by the Ukrainian Air Force Command, Ukrinform reports. "On May 18, Air Force strike aircraft under cover of fighter jets hit the area where enemy equipment had been amassed.

Read More...

Massive Drone Swarm Over Strait Decisive In Taiwan Conflict Wargames

05/20/2022

Wargames that the U.S. Air Force has conducted itself and in conjunction with independent organizations continue to show the immense value offered by swarms of relatively low-cost networked drones with high degrees of autonomy. In particular, simulations have shown them to be decisive factors in the scenarios regarding the defense of the island of Taiwan against a Chinese invasion.

Read More...

Intense footage shows Su-25 jets maneuvering at ultra-low altitude to dodge shoulder-fired missiles in Ukraine

05/20/2022

The video that you can find in this post has started doing the rounds in the last couple of days. According to some sources, it was shot in the Severodonetsk region, in the eastern side of Ukraine, and shows two Ukrainian Air Force Su-25s [the guy who filmed it is allegedly Ukrainian and says "it's ours"], whereas other sources on social media identified the attack aircraft as Russian Aerospace Forces Frogfoot aircraft.

Read More...

'One China' principle and 'One Country, Two Systems' policy are ironical

05/19/2022

China's 'One China' Principle and its policy, 'One Country, Two Systems' are ironic to each other. The principle is a desire of China to occupy the island of Taiwan while its policy is a lullaby to promise that Hong Kong would enjoy the same democratic traditions and institutions that its residents used to enjoy even after it is transferred to Beijing.

Read More...

Ukrainian Military Repels 16 Enemy Attacks And Shoots Down Enemy Fighter-Bomber In Donbas On Wednesday

05/19/2022

Today, May 18, in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, Ukrainian defenders repulsed 16 enemy attacks. Fighting continues at two more locations. The press service of the Joint Forces Group has said this in a statement.

Read More...

How Sweden, Finland’s NATO membership could impact Turkey

05/19/2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine turned the spotlight on Turkey’s status as a regional power. Sweden and Finland’s expected bid to join NATO could further boost Turkish influence if the concerns raised by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who noted his objection to possible Swedish and Finnish membership in the US-led alliance, could be addressed.

Read More...

Air Force Tests Hypersonic Missile Amid Fears About Russia and China's Advances

05/18/2022

The Air Force announced Monday it has successfully tested a hypersonic missile off the California coast, marking the latest development in the U.S.' race to catch up to Russia and China in fielding its own weapon on the battlefield. A B-52 Stratofortress bomber out of Edwards Air Force Base released an Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon -- otherwise known as an ARRW -- on Saturday, and the missile reached sound-shattering speed.

Read More...

18 Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan's ADIZ

05/18/2022

Eighteen Chinese military aircraft flew into the southwestern and southeastern parts of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday. According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the Chinese planes came in two sorties. The first group which flew into Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ was made up of one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft and two KJ-500 third-generation airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes.

Read More...

Ukrainian defenders repel 12 enemy attacks in JFO area

05/18/2022

The Ukrainian military repulsed 12 enemy attacks in the area of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) on May 17, and fighting continues at four more locations. According to Ukrinform, the JFO's press service said this on Facebook. As of 21:00 on May 17, the Ukrainian Joint Forces continued to conduct a defensive operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Read More...

Greece To Buy US F-35’s But After 2028, Officials Say

05/18/2022

On Monday, Greek government sources confirmed that Greece has decided that the fifth generation fighter aircraft of the Air Force will be the US F-35. Speaking to the Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) the same sources said that PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed the desire for Greece to join the F-35 program during his meeting with President Biden at the White House.

Read More...

Russia resorts to artillery bombardment due to unwillingness to risk flying combat aircraft - British intel

05/18/2022

The Russian army has resorted to an increasing reliance on indiscriminate artillery bombardment in Ukraine due to an unwillingness to risk flying combat aircraft. According to Ukrinform, the UK Ministry of Defense said this in its latest intelligence update published on Twitter.

Read More...

China Builds Taiwanese Port, Ship Mockups for Missile Testing: Report

05/17/2022

China has created mockups of a Taiwanese port and military vessel as targets to test its ballistic missiles, a former Taiwanese Navy officer revealed. Retired lieutenant commander Lu Li-Shih said that the newly-built port appears to be a simulation of the Su’ao naval base in northeastern Taiwan based on satellite images he obtained. He further stated that the nation created a mockup of a Kidd-class destroyer in the desert of China’s Xinjiang province.

Read More...

With Sweden and Finland, NATO wouldn't just get bigger. The alliance would also get a firepower boost

05/17/2022

Sweden and Finland are moving to join NATO, ending decades of neutrality, expanding NATO's border with Russia, and giving the organization a boost in combat power. The move toward the alliance by Sweden and Finland can be seen as a major rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent troops to Ukraine in February, purportedly in part due to concerns about the expansion of the NATO alliance.

Read More...

Finland to deploy six F/A-18 Hornets to Exercise Luftförsvarsövning 22

05/17/2022

Around 80 airmen and seven aircraft from the Finnish Air Force are set to participate in the Swedish Air Force’s exercise, Luftförsvarsövning 22 (LFÖ 22). The exercise will take place in southern and central Sweden from 18 to 25 May. Among the seven Finnish Air Force’s aircraft are six F/A-18 Hornet multi-role combat aircraft and one Pilatus PC-12NG multipurpose liaison aircraft.

Read More...

Ukraine says it's downed 200 aircraft, a mark of Russian failures in the sky

05/17/2022

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently that Ukraine's military had shot down its 200th Russian aircraft — a figure few would have believed before the war began. "Russia has not lost so many aircraft in any war in decades," Zelensky said in his nightly video message last Friday. That number can't be independently verified. Still, it points to one of the most striking facets of the war: instead of dominating the skies as expected, Russian pilots are so vulnerable they're reluctant to enter

Read More...

Air Force ‘starving’ A-10 fleet of needed upgrades, documents show

05/16/2022

The Air Force has for now dropped plans to retire most of the A-10 ground-attack jets that form a major mission at Tucson’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, after the plan was rebuffed by Congress last year. But the Air Force is again moving to retire some A-10s, and recently revealed documents show more than half of the A-10s in service aren’t deployable overseas because the Air Force is starving the aging fleet of critical maintenance and upgrades.

Read More...

Ukrainian Joint Forces repel 17 enemy attacks, destroy two helicopters, three tanks

05/16/2022

Servicemen of the Ukrainian Joint Forces have destroyed two Russian helicopters, three tanks and six armored fighting vehicles over the past day. The Ukrainian Joint Forces reported this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. According to the report, Ukrainian fighters continue to conduct a defensive operation in their area of responsibility in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Read More...

After Brahmos, Philippines looking to buy LCAs and LCHs

05/16/2022

After a deal with India for the induction of anti-ship Brahmos missiles, the Philippines government seems interested in upgrading its fleet of military aircraft with help from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

Read More...

Australia must learn defence lessons from Ukraine

05/16/2022

Military lessons from the Ukraine war are being absorbed quickly in Asia. The message for democracies arming against the threat from authoritarian regimes is to select weapons that are simple and available rather than small numbers of expensive and complex ships, aircraft and vehicles that may not survive the first hours of conflict.

Read More...

Adapt or Die: The A-10 Warthog Is Not Fleeing the Great Power Fight

05/16/2022

The U.S. Air Force is moving to divest as many as 260 A-10 Warthog aircraft to pursue alternative platforms for Close Air Support (CAS) given that the famous “flying tank” has become unable to maintain its effectiveness in new high-threat environments. However, the A-10 is not disappearing quickly, and debate about its utility to the Air Force continues to surge among lawmakers and other advocates for the combat-tested, highly survivable aircraft known for saving lives in combat.

Read More...