Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

F-35s hit an Iranian shipment of surface-to-surface missiles

11/10/2022

Israeli F-35 fighter jets carried out a series of airstrikes on an Iranian convoy that night. The convoy traveled from Iraq to Syria. The Syrian government claims the convoy was only transporting fuel. However, Iraqi sources claim that in addition to fuel, there were containers of weapons.

How airmen perform the fine art of arming F-16 fighter jets with deadly weapons

11/10/2022

An Air Force jet is a complicated machine that takes an entire symphony of specialists working in concert to keep it ready for a mission. With regards to combat aircraft, one group of airmen puts their blood, sweat, and tears into making sure that when an aircrew member presses the pickle button, the right weapon comes off the rails in the nick of time.

China Unveils ‘NGAD Rival’ 6th-Gen Fighter Concept; Military Expert Says Maiden Flight Possible By 2026

11/10/2022

China’s aerospace industry is known to be pursuing a sixth-generation fighter jet program. In September, the chief of the US Air Combat Command (ACC), General Mark Kelly, said that China is “on track” to produce a sixth-generation fighter while asserting the need for the US to field its next-generation fighter before China does.

India’s fifth-generation combat aircraft programme has to succeed if it wants be part of the big league

11/10/2022

A ‘whole of nation’ vision and approach will be required. Spelling out clear end-states, timelines and regular path-line reviews would be important. The time to act is now, lest it is too late.

TNI AU dispatches six pilots for Rafale training in France

11/09/2022

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) has dispatched six pilots to France to attend training sessions to man the 4.5-generation Dassault Rafale fighter jets purchased by Indonesia. "We have dispatched six pilots and eight engineers to France to attend the training sessions," TNI AU Chief of Staff Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo stated on the sidelines of an Air Force seminar here, Tuesday.

Plan to pull F-15 fighters from Okinawa sparks alarm in Congress

11/09/2022

Republican lawmakers are sounding the alarm over the Pentagon’s plan to pull dozens of U.S. F-15 Eagle jet fighters out of Japan while Tokyo looks to beef up its defense forces and expand coordination with the U.S. in the face of rising North Korean provocations and China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Pentagon officials say the U.S. will maintain a “steady presence” of fighter jets at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa through rotational deployments of other aircraft, including F-22s currently

Boeing starts producing MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker aircraft to support Navy aircraft carrier operations

11/09/2022

U.S. Navy carrier aviation experts are ordering unmanned aerial tankers from the Boeing Co. in preparation for future larger orders and eventual carrier deployment of these unmanned tanker aircraft. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced an $47.5 million order to the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis in late September for MQ-25 Stingray low-rate initial production lot 1 for the U.S. Navy.

North Korea says launches were simulated attack, as South recovers missile parts

11/08/2022

North Korea said on Monday that its recent missile launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the United States as the two countries held a "dangerous war drill", while the South said it had recovered parts of a North Korean missile near its coast. Last week, North Korea test-fired multiple missiles, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and hundreds of artillery shells into the sea, as South Korea and the United States carried out six-day air drills that

Ukraine war: West warned against complacency on air defence support

11/08/2022

While Russia's air force far outweighs Ukraine's, both in size and sophistication, Russia has resorted to firing long-range ballistic and cruise missiles, recently augmented by cheap, mass-produced Iranian Shahed-136 explosive-laden drones. Ukraine has had some success in shooting many of these down, but those that do get through have severely damaged Ukraine's power and water infrastructure, just as winter is setting in.

US Air Force seeks the aircraft equivalent of a Swiss Army knife

11/08/2022

The C-17 Globemaster is one of the workhorses of the U.S. Air Force’s mobility fleet, transporting everything from heavy weaponry, like tanks, to hundreds of passengers. But the Air Force has another mission in mind for the massive aircraft: carrying pallets of standoff cruise missiles.

Greek, Turkish, Italian And U.S. Combat Aircraft Take Part In NATO Exercise PODA 22

11/08/2022

Organized by the NATO Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACC), based at Poggio Renatico in northern Italy, between Nov. 2 – 10, 2022, Poggio Dart 2022 (PODA-22) is an exercise that sees the involvement of four NATO nations (Greece, Italy, Turkey and U.S.), and about 30 aircraft, including F-35s, F-16s, F-4s, Eurofighter Typhoons and Tornado ECRs, with the foreign assets deployed to Aviano AB, Italy.

S. Korea scrambles jets on seeing North’s military aircraft

11/07/2022

South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets after detecting about 180 North Korean military flights north of the two countries’ border over four hours on Friday. The North Korean aircraft flew north of the so-called tactical action line, north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas, South Korea’s military said in a statement. The virtual line is used as a basis for South Korean air defence operations, a South Korean official said.

Five dead in Venezuelan military plane crash, says ministry

11/07/2022

Five members of the Venezuelan military died Sunday when their plane crashed during a training mission, authorities in the South American country said. The C-208B aircraft “fell to the ground” 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Jose Antonio Paez air base, in Venezuela’s southern Amazonas state, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez said in a statement. “So far, four lifeless bodies have been rescued and the search continues for the fifth,” he added.

Russian Su-30 combat aircraft used as ‘an aero lure’ in Ukraine

11/07/2022

The Russian Defense Ministry says two fighter jets shot down a Ukrainian warplane. The online information portal Izvestia quoted the ministry as saying that the two Russian fighters that took part in the battle were Su-35 and Su-30. Neither the Defense Ministry nor the reports said when the air battle took place and over which area in Ukraine.

US military's X-37B space plane zooms past 900 days in orbit

11/06/2022

The U.S. military's X-37B robotic space plane just passed 900 days in orbit on its latest hush-hush mission, adding to the program's flight-duration record. The current mission is the sixth for the X-37B program and is therefore known as OTV-6 ("Orbital Test Vehicle 6"). It launched on May 17, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and it's unclear when it will end.

U.S. bombers fly in military exercise with South Korea as North Korea fires more missiles

11/06/2022

North Korea added to its recent barrage of weapons demonstrations by launching four ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, as the United States sent two supersonic bombers streaking over South Korea in a dueling display of military might that underscored rising tensions in the region. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the four short-range missiles fired from a North Korean western coastal area around noon flew about 130 kilometers (80 miles) toward the country’s western sea.

Taiwan tracks 9 military planes, 2 naval ships from China in surrounding area

11/06/2022

The Ministry of National Defense said it had spotted nine aircraft and two ships from China’s military in areas surrounding Taiwan by 5 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 5). Only one plane, a Xi’an H-6 bomber, entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the military tweeted. The aircraft was spotted close to the Taiwan-held island of Dongsha, one of many disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Chilean military trainer Pillán will have a new generation

11/06/2022

The little-known ENAER (Empresa Nacional de Aeronáutica), from Chile, officially launched at the end of October in partnership with the Chilean Air Force (FACh) the program for the development and production of the new Pillán II trainer aircraft, under a contract of $ 142 millions. FACh plans to acquire 33 Pillán II aircraft for primary training missions. The aircraft is an evolution of the T-35 Pillán, which was ENAER’s first product and also the first aircraft designed and mass-produced in Chi

Russo-Ukraine War - 05 November 2022 - Day 255

11/06/2022

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that Russia is probably struggling to provide military training for its current mobilisation drive and its annual autumn conscription intake. The Russian Armed Forces were already stretched providing training for the approximate 300,000 troops required for its 'partial mobilisation', announced on 21 September 2022. These issues will be compounded by the additional regular autumn annual conscription cycle, announced on 30 September 2022.

Chinese Bombers Spotted With Kinzhal-Like Hypersonic Missile That Russia Has Deployed To ‘Threaten’ The West

11/05/2022

The H-6K carried one such missile on each wing, reported Global Times, citing the video report by China Central Television (CCTV). While Chinese officials did not specify the weapon’s exact type, one of the missiles was seen with “2PZD-21” scrawled on its body. Chinese media reports stated that it appeared to be some air-to-ground missile with a shape very similar to a ballistic missile.

Taiwan tracks 27 military aircraft, 4 naval ships from China

11/05/2022

The Ministry of National Defense said it tracked 27 aircraft and four ships from China’s military around the country before 5 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 4). Of the 27 People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft, 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and three intruded into the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the military tweeted.

Bulgarian parliament votes to buy F-16s under $1.3 billion deal

11/05/2022

Bulgarian lawmakers have voted to approve the purchase of eight F-16C/D Block 70 fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The forthcoming acquisition is to be worth close to $1.3 billion. The National Assembly, the country’s unicameral parliament, approved the planned purchase by a majority of 162 votes, with 49 members voting against, and 11 abstentions.

Seoul mobilizes fighter jets after large N Korean air deployment

11/05/2022

South Korea mobilized dozens of combat aircraft Friday after identifying a large deployment of North Korean aircraft, which in the last two days has launched some 30 missiles to respond to large air maneuvers of Seoul and Washington. “Our military took action after identifying some 180 North Korean military aircraft between 11 am and 3 pm (2 am-6 am GMT) Friday, November 4,” the South Korean defense ministry said in a statement.

France to deploy fighter aircraft in Romania

11/05/2022

A squadron of Rafale fighters will be sent to perform air policing missions in the Romanian airspace, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said during a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca.

US, South Korea to extend military drills after North Korean launches

11/04/2022

The U.S. and South Korea announced Thursday they will extend joint military drills in the wake of North Korea’s saber-rattling this week, which included an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. North Korea fired at least six missiles into the sea on Thursday and more than 20 missiles a day earlier, prompting condemnation from Seoul and Washington ? including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after a prescheduled Pentagon meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup.