Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

As Ukrainian Pilot Training Passes House NDAA, Legislators Work to Overcome Roadblocks

07/16/2022

Members of Congress took a big step toward granting Ukraine’s wish to defend its territory from Russia with American F-16s when the House passed an amendment to train Ukrainian pilots, but hurdles remain to overcome fears of escalation with Russia, Air Force veteran Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) told Air Force Magazine.

China's military is flying more combat aircraft near Taiwan as it tries to extend its reach around the island

07/16/2022

Beijing has steadily increased the number of combat aircraft flying into Taiwan's air defence identification zone and farther south in the Bashi Channel, a move analysts described as part of its efforts to expand its reach around the island.

House passes defense authorization with new arms transfers restrictions

07/15/2022

The House on Thursday passed the $840 billion National Defense Authorization Act 329-101 after attaching hundreds of amendments, including ones restricting new arms transfers. The legislation includes an approximately 7% increase over this year’s spending levels as well as a pair of amendments that curtail U.S. support and weapons transfers to states and militias implicated in human rights atrocities.

CSIS Cruise Missile Defense Plan Would Cost Less Than CBO’s, Reduce Need for Fighters

07/15/2022

U.S. Northern Command’s homeland cruise missile detection and defenses must be upgraded to respond to new threats, experts say, and a major D.C. think tank proposes a multi-layered defense that would require fewer Air Force fighters in the air and use new E-7 Wedgetails, the report’s authors told Air Force Magazine.

China, Russia military activity near Japan up 2.5 times since Ukraine

07/14/2022

Chinese and Russian military activity around Japan increased 2.5 times in the four months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking alarm here over a potential escalation. Releases by Japan's Ministry of Defense show 90 instances of activity by Chinese and Russian military vessels and aircraft near Japan in the four months after the invasion began. There had been 35 in the four months before.

China Warns U.S. Military Aircraft To Stay Away, Radio Intercept Reveals

07/14/2022

As tensions simmer across the Taiwan Strait, China and the United States continue attempts to stamp their authority in the region through a constant military presence, radio exchanges heard by Newsweek suggest.

NATO ‘air shielding’ to bolster missile defenses along alliance’s eastern edges

07/14/2022

NATO will add missile defense assets along the alliance’s eastern borders to guard against any potential threats that arise from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Air Force and NATO officials said Wednesday. The strategy is called “air shielding,” an expression coined during last month’s meeting of NATO leaders in Madrid, said German Brig. Gen. Christoph Pliet, deputy chief of staff operations at NATO Allied Air Command headquarters at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

India intensifies fighter operations as China raises temperature near Ladakh

07/13/2022

India has intensified fighter operations in Ladakh, with frontline jets carrying out increased sorties including night operations, as the Chinese air force has embarked on an aggressive defence exercise across the border in Tibet. Sources said fighter aircraft including Rafales and Su 30MKIs have been operating with enhanced frequency from Leh and Thoise air bases for the past few days, even as the People's Liberation Army Air Force has activated its air defence network and is conducting a larg

Partnerships Key as Tempest Begins To Take Shape

07/13/2022

The twin-tailed, delta-winged, “pelicanesque” configuration of the Tempest sixth-generation manned fighter concept has become familiar from numerous CGI artworks and from the presence of a full-scale mockup at various air and trade shows. However, there remains a very real possibility that the actual manned fighter that will form the cornerstone of the Tempest project could look nothing like this.

The ‘Future Fight’ is here: Red Flag-Nellis 22-3

07/13/2022

The familiar roar of America’s air power is filling the skies over Las Vegas and the Nevada Test and Training Range to the north, signaling the start of another Red Flag exercise. However, participants of this iteration will find themselves facing some unfamiliar opposition as the first ever dedicated fifth-generation aggressor force takes to the skies for Red Flag-Nellis 22-3.

Vision For Future Manned-Unmanned Air Combat Laid Out By Skunk Works

07/13/2022

Lockheed Martin has laid out its vision for the future of tactical air combat. The head of the company's legendary Skunk Works advanced project division says its plan, which is centered on a multi-layered "distributed team" of diverse unmanned aircraft working in concert with manned types, presents a far more capable alternative to so-called 'loyal wingman' concepts, which involve air combat drones working 'tethered' to manned platforms in a relatively rigid fashion.

GPS Taped To Its Dashboard; IAF Pilot Says India Has Done It Too

07/12/2022

Experts believe this is due to massive unreliability with Russia’s GLONASS satellite navigation systems, forcing them to rely on US-origin hardware. A Russian language website, identified it as a ‘fishing’ GPS 152 receiver, implying its widespread use by fishing vessels.

F-35A Purchase Raises Questions Over South Korean Aircraft Carrier Program

07/12/2022

South Korea is expected to purchase 20 new F-35A Block 4 Lightning II stealth fighters for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) – raising questions about the future of the South Korean aircraft carrier program. A decision is expected to be announced later this month, according to local media reports, with the aircraft slated to be introduced no earlier than mid-2020s. But these plans indicate a wider shift in the defense posture of South Korea and signals a change in the threat priorities as

Air Force rethinks combat rescue for major war — but what will it look like?

07/12/2022

In the opening days of a future war against China, an F-35 pilot on a mission is tracked and shot down by air defenses. He safely ejects — but is trapped deep inside enemy territory. Standing between him and his comrades: A bristling array of surface-to-air missiles, radars, enemy fighters and other defenses. If the U.S. Air Force sends a traditional combat search and rescue helicopter into that highly contested airspace, the chances are high it gets shot down.

First Laser Weapon For A Fighter Delivered To The Air Force

07/12/2022

The U.S. Air Force has received a high-energy laser weapon that can be carried by aircraft in podded form. The news came today when Lockheed Martin disclosed that at least one of the weapons, which it developed, has been delivered to the Air Force for test work. This effort falls within the wider framework of still-evolving plans to have laser-armed fighter jets that can engage enemy missiles, and possibly other targets too.

F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to USS Harry S. Truman blown overboard due to unexpected heavy weather

07/11/2022

On July 8, 2022, an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), blew overboard due to unexpected heavy weather in the Mediterranean Sea. The carrier was conducting a replenishment-at-sea, which was safely terminated through established procedures.

Beijing steadily increases combat aircraft flying into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone

07/11/2022

China has stepped up its incursions activities into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) by sending its combat planes to the region. According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, the People’s Liberation Army conducted 555 sorties in the first six months of the year, of which 398 involved combat aircraft, compared with 187 in the same period last year.

RAF fighter aircraft deploy to Finland and Sweden for joint training

07/11/2022

The Royal Air Force has deployed Typhoon FGR4 and F-35B Lightning jets to Finland, and Typhoon FGR4 jets to Sweden, for integrated fighter aircraft training as part of an increased presence in the region.

Entire Slovak MiG-29 fleet gifted to Ukraine, Bulgarian Su-25s in parts

07/10/2022

Ukraine will receive Slovakia’s entire air fleet of MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters or 12 combat aircraft, one of which was used as a trainer by the Slovak Air Force. The donation comes thanks to a bilateral agreement between the Czech Republic and Slovakia that the Czech Air Force will protect Slovakia’s airspace until Bratislava receives the 12 F-16 Block 70 units ordered by the US in the coming months. The information comes from the Spanish online portal InfoDifensa.

First homegrown KF-21 fighter jets ready to take off. What’s ahead?

07/09/2022

South Korea’s first homegrown KF-21 fighter jet is gearing up for its inaugural flight test scheduled for late July. But a maiden flight is just the beginning of 2200 rounds of planned flight tests that will be continued by 2026. KF-21 Boramae fighter prototypes have been undergoing low, medium and high-speed taxi tests since June 25 and will continue until July 13, Korea Aerospace Industries confirmed to The Korea Herald.

Taiwan condemns Chinese military aircraft in its airspace

07/09/2022

Taiwan's defense ministry says Chinese military aircraft entered its airspace, condemning the move as a provocation. The ministry said China's combat aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's airspace on Friday morning. Ministry officials did not specify the number of aircraft, the type or their flight paths. Taiwan's military says it expelled the Chinese aircraft while monitoring the situation with a ground-based air defense missile system.

Chinese fighter jet flew very close to eastern Ladakh in June: Report

07/09/2022

The incident took place at around 4 am on one of the days in the last week of June and after the Chinese fighter aircraft was spotted by men on ground and was also picked up by indigenous radars deployed in the border area.

NETHERLANDS F-35S ARRIVE AT VOLKEL AIR BASE AS NEW AIR COMBAT COMMAND IS STOOD UP

07/09/2022

The first four modern F-35 fighter aircraft landed at Volkel Air Base on June 30, 2022, marking the re-establishment of the their 313 Squadron as a fifth-generation fighter unit. At the same time, the Royal Netherlands Air Force stood up a new Air Combat Command (ACC), which is comprised of the two operational fighter bases at Leeuwarden in the north and Volkel in the south and Air Operations Control Station (AOCS) based at Nieuw-Milligen in the centre of the Netherlands.

Russia acquired new Su-34Ms with rear-hemisphere scanning radar

07/08/2022

According to the director-general of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation Yuriy Slyusar, the Su-34M has twice the combat capability of the original Su-34, with a dedicated interface for three different types of sensors maximizing situational awareness, including the UKR-RT capsule carrying electronic measures for search, camera UKR-OE and UKR-RL, which integrates a synthetic aperture radar.

US, Swedish planes top choices for multi-role fighter deal: PAF

07/07/2022

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday said it is in the process of choosing between the latest model of the American-made Lockheed Martin F-16s and the Swedish-made Saab JAS-39 for its multi-role fighter (MRF) project. "(The) two last contenders, (for the PAF MRF project are the) F-16V Block 50/52 Variant and the JAS-39 Gripen C/D+ Version," PAF spokesperson, Col. Maynard Mariano, said.