Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

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.

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).

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.

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.

A C-146A Wolfhound Has Carried Out The First-Ever Landing of A U.S. Military Aircraft On a Latvian Highway

05/14/2022

In the night between May 10 and 11, 2022, a U.S. Special Operations aircraft carried out highway operations in western Latvia, marking the first-ever landing of a U.S. military aircraft on a Latvian highway. As part of the annual Trojan Footprint 22 multinational exercise, a U.S. Special Operations Command C-146A Wolfhound, serial #12-3085, landed on the narrow two-lane, A9 highway near Biksti, in western Latvia.

Russian pilots in Ukraine using insecure, non-military navigation equipment: UK defence secretary

05/14/2022

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine failing and its forces are inadequately equipped. That is the assessment of UK defence minister Ben Wallace, who addressed the ongoing war during remarks at the National Army Museum in London on 9 May. Wallace, the Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North, is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Chinese Navy Ship Operating Off of Australia, Canberra Says

05/14/2022

A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) intelligence ship is currently operating off the north-west shelf of Australia, the Australian Department of Defence said Friday. Australia’s DoD identified the vessel as China’s Dongdiao-class auxiliary intelligence ship Haiwangxing (792) and released imagery and video of the ship.

Lockheed Martin to redesign F-35 panoramic display electronics to blunt effects of component obsolescence

05/14/2022

Combat avionics experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will supervise redesign of the panoramic display in the U.S. F-35 joint strike fighter to stave-off the effects of electronics component obsolescence under terms of a $43.6 million order announced Wednesday.

USAF reservists and F-35As from Hill AFB participate in Sentry Savannah

05/13/2022

The US Air Force (USAF) reservists and F-35A Lightning II fighters from Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah, have participated in Exercise Sentry Savannah 2022. This is the first time USAF reservists and active duty from Hill AFB, an all-volunteer combat-ready force, have participated in the two-week exercise.

Ukraine crisis: Could India cut its defence ties with Russia?

05/13/2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during a visit to the US in April that India would like to be a "good friend" to Western countries. But she added that India didn't want to be weakened, and needed to ensure its security - taken to mean its long-standing reliance on Russian military equipment - would continue.

Chinese Fighter Jets, Flying Aboard Liaoning Aircraft Carrier, Conduct Dozens Of Sorties Near Japan

05/13/2022

The activities took place in waters between 160 kilometers southwest of Okinawa Prefecture’s Okidaito Island and 150 kilometers south of its Ishigaki Island, said Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. “The recent activities by the Chinese military may be an attempt to improve their ability to operate aircraft carriers and conduct operations in more distant waters and airspace,” Kishi told a news conference.

Air Force pilots explain why the F-22 Raptor is a ‘beast’ in aerial combat

05/13/2022

U.S. Air Force Maj. Josh ‘Cabo’ Gunderson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, performs during an air show in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 17, 2020. The F-22’s raw power and thrust vectoring technology gives the aircraft super maneuverability in the air-to-air battlespace.

Is Putin's invasion stalling in the Donbas?: War expert JUSTIN BRONK says the battered Russian offensive is FAILING in eastern Ukraine and desperate Putin faces failure after taking '60,000 casualties'

05/12/2022

Vladimir Putin's Donbas offensive is faltering due to heavy losses and Ukrainian resistance and may even collapse if Russia is unable to muster up significant new combat power, military expert Justin Bronk writes today. Despite the Russian president refocusing efforts from his failed Kyiv offensive to eastern Ukraine, Russia has so far failed to make significant ground in the Donbas region.

Australia’s New MC-55 Peregrine Electronic Warfare Jet Breaks Cover (Updated)

05/12/2022

The first known photo has surfaced of Australia’s newest intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare aircraft, a highly modified version of the Gulfstream G550 business jet, as is seen at the top of this story. The aircraft, dubbed the MC-55A Peregrine by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), was spotted flying from Gulfstream's plant in Savannah, Georgia.

Thales to equip US Air National Guard’s F-16 fleet with Scorpion HMD

05/12/2022

Thales has received an order to supply its Scorpion Helmet Mounted Displays (HMD) for the US Air National Guard’s F-16 Falcon combat aircraft fleet. The initial order has been placed under the Nato Support & Procurement Agency’s Aviation programme. The contract under the programme aims to facilitate the procurement of Scorpion HMD and other associated equipment by Nato nations.

China says warned U.S. warship as it transited Taiwan Strait

05/11/2022

China's military said on Wednesday that it had monitored and warned a U.S. warship that had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that happened shortly after China carried out drills near the island. The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal conducted a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit through international waters "in accordance with international law" on Tuesday, the second such mission in two weeks.

Imagery shows China still building on Subi Reef in South China Sea

05/11/2022

Recent satellite imagery shows that China is continuing to actively develop its facilities on the disputed Subi Reef in the South China Sea, two months after a top U.S. commander said Beijing had “fully militarized” it.

The Air Force Wants to Shutter an Air Training Center Congress Just Spent $25 Million Fixing

05/11/2022

Dozens of fighter jets from across the country have congregated at a center on Georgia's coast this month for "Sentry Savannah," the Air National Guard's largest air combat training exercise. At least 48 combat jets have taken over the runways at the Air Dominance Center, located at the Savannah Air National Guard Base, in an example of how planes from the active-duty Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as reserve units, use the space.

MQ-9B STOL, first aircraft in its class to offer short takeoff and landing

05/11/2022

Unmanned aerial systems have rewritten the rules of war, intelligence-gathering and so much more – and now they’re about to change yet again. That isn’t the result of a new aircraft. It’s coming about as the result of ingenious innovation applied to an existing aircraft, the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, which is gaining the ability to do something no aircraft in its class has ever done before: short takeoff and landing, or STOL.

Chinese Carrier Strike Group Continues Drills Near Japan

05/10/2022

China’s aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning (16) has been launching fighters near Japan since last week all the while being shadowed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183), according to Japanese forces.Liaoning, together with the Type 055 destroyer CNS Nanchang (101).

Inside the US Air Force’s race to fund future fighters, bombers and autonomous drones before the next crisis

05/10/2022

The Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter was poised to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Pave Hawk — a stalwart during the war in Afghanistan, time and again rescuing American troops and allies trapped in enemy territory. But in its fiscal 2023 budget released in late March, the U.S. Air Force unveiled a surprise: It wants to scale back its total planned purchases of the Jolly Green II HH-60W by one-third, to 75 in all, citing concerns they could be shot down.

The Overlooked Reason Russia’s Invasion Is Floundering

05/10/2022

Airpower should have been one of Russia’s greatest advantages over Ukraine. With almost 4,000 combat aircraft and extensive experience bombing targets in Syria, Georgia, and Chechnya, Russia’s air force was expected to play a vital role in the invasion, allowing the Russian army to plunge deep into Ukraine, seize Kyiv, and destroy the Ukrainian military. But more than two months into the war, Vladimir Putin’s air force is still fighting for control of the skies.

The Latest on Russian army losses, Sea Control Operations and Relieving the Mariupol Garrison

05/09/2022

Information we have from sources with Ukraine’s military shows the Russian army continues to bleed men, tanks, APCs, aircraft, artillery, and even ships and patrol boats to attacks by Ukrainian forces. On Saturday, we have these figures of Russian losses from just the Donbas and Luhansk regions: 19 tanks, 20 armored combat vehicles, 4 special armored vehicles, 6 soft-skinned vehicles. 1 special engineering vehicle.

French Navy Receives 7th Upgraded ATL2 Maritime Patrol Aircraft

05/09/2022

The French Defense Procurement Agency DGA took delivery of the seventh Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) upgraded to standard 6 on April 25, 2022, and delivered it to the French Navy (Marine Nationale) at the Lann-Bihoué naval air base.

Ukraine increases airstrikes to help its forces to stop Russia’s offensive

05/09/2022

Observers record an increase in the activity of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Eastern and Southern regions facing attacks from the Russian army. So far, photos and videos that have appeared on social media in the last few days confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have a significant majority of their air combat power available to them, both fixed-wing and rotary-wing.