Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Why Fighter Pilots Work Intensely For Eight Hours Just To Fly For 30 Minutes

02/01/2022

There is a multitude of videos of military jets flying low and fast or employing ordnance. No doubt, they are exciting to watch. Even after a full career of flying U.S. Navy fighters, I still look up in the sky every time I hear a jet — the louder the better. But military jets are not designed to just go out and fly for show. They were built to accomplish a mission that ultimately involves employing ordnance to destroy a target.

The US Air Force's newest fighter jet just fired off a missile for the first time

02/01/2022

The US Air Force's newest fighter jet, the F-15EX Eagle II, recently hit a significant milestone — it fired a weapon for the first time. The jet, which is assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron, let loose an AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile in pursuit of a BQM-167 target drone while flying over the Gulf of Mexico on January 25.

Iraqi defence minister confirms purchase of fighter jets from Pakistan

02/01/2022

Iraq’s Defence Minister Juma Inad confirms the purchase of combat aircraft from Pakistan. He made the revelations in a recent interview with Al Arabiya, an international Arabic television news channel based in Dubai. During the interview, the talk turned to the Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter deal. To clarify, last year reports emerged that Pakistan received an international defense order from Iraq for the sale of 12 fighter jets JF-17 Thunder Block III, manufactured at the Pakistan.

Azerbaijan Might Expand Small Air Force With Turkish And Georgian Attack Aircraft

02/01/2022

The South Caucasus nation of Azerbaijan might decide to expand its small air force in the foreseeable future with affordable acquisitions from neighboring Turkey and Georgia. Turkey and Azerbaijan have dramatically increased military ties in recent years. Turkish arms exports to Baku surged six-fold in the months leading up to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, in which Azerbaijan dealt Armenia a stinging defeat.

The Russia crisis has exposed why NATO needs a strategy shift

01/31/2022

The standoff over Ukraine has underscored a pressing need for NATO. Even though NATO leaders agreed to its new military strategy of defense and deterrence in 2019, given the events in Ukraine, that strategy appears dated.

US military receive newest spy plane

01/31/2022

According to a press release from Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors, the LRR-E is capable of detecting moving targets using two types of Moving Target Indications (MTIs). Ground Moving Target Indications (GMTIs) to scan for larger types of targets, such as vehicles, and Dismount Moving Target Indications (DMTI) to focus on smaller targets, like people.

Drone Race in the Middle East

01/31/2022

Over the past two decades, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been characterized by deep divisions, political turmoil, and inadequate governance. Geopolitical competition and increased ambitions of some countries (Iran, Israel, Turkey) were reflected in bold and unilateral foreign policies that in many cases exceeded longtime restrictions imposed by partnerships with foreign powers and conflicted with regional agendas.

U.S. cuts military aid for Egypt after arms sale

01/30/2022

The United States is canceling $130 million (€117 million) in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns, the State Department said on January 28. The announcement comes just days after U.S. President Joe Biden's administration approved a $2.5 billion arms sale to Egypt on January 25. This included 12 Super Hercules C-130 transport aircraft and air defense radar systems.

China-Russia drills near Japan hint at burgeoning military ties

01/30/2022

China and Russia appear to be entering a new and deeper phase of military cooperation that threatens to upset the established security order in East Asia. Two Chinese and two Russian bombers flew southward over the northern part of the Sea of Japan on Nov. 29 last year, surprising Japanese and U.S. defense officials, who saw the sortie as an anomaly. While this was believed to be the third such group flight, following one in July 2019 and another in December 2020.

Berlin will send fighter jets to Romania to participate in the NATO mission

01/30/2022

The German Air Force (Air Force) is sending three combat aircraft to participate in the NATO mission to protect Romanian airspace. In this way, the Luftwaffe demonstrates that «is firmly on the side of its allies», the Air Force command said in a statement released on Friday, January 28.

China hypes up Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and voices support

01/29/2022

China has spoken out in support of Russia’s impending invasion of Ukraine, insisting the “outdated” NATO alliance is the true cause of the crisis. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Russia’s “reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved”. He did not refer to European and Ukrainian security concerns over Moscow’s 100,000 troops, heavy tanks, armoured vehicles, combat aircraft and warships assembling on their borders.

Russia Deploys Su-35 Fighter Jets to Belarus for Military Drills amid Tensions with West

01/29/2022

Russia has completed the deployment of Su-35S multi-role fighter jets to Belarus as part of the upcoming joint exercises between the two ex-Soviet countries. The crew of 12 Su-35S fighter planes was sent to Belarus for participation in the Union Resolve 2022 Russia-Belarus joint exercise scheduled for next month. The multi-role fighters landed at the Baranovichi airfield in the Brest region.

COMACC gets in-depth look at “Installation of the Future"

01/29/2022

Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, visited 325th Fighter Wing units at Tyndall and Eglin Air Force Bases, Jan. 24-25. During the visit, Team Tyndall displayed Installation of the Future initiatives while showcasing the resiliency of Team Tyndall during the rebuild and pandemic.

US Air Force ramps up intel flights, weapons shipments to Ukraine

01/28/2022

Some American troops are on standby as the world waits to see whether Russia will invade Ukraine, but the U.S. Air Force’s involvement in the conflict is already well underway. U.S. and allied reconnaissance flights in the region have been ongoing since at least Dec. 24, dispatching multiple types of military planes to serve as extra eyes and ears over Eastern Europe.

Pentagon defends its preparation for Ukraine crisis, details military forces that could deploy

01/28/2022

The Pentagon is defending its preparations in response to the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a top spokesman on Thursday highlighting that the United States has provided millions of dollars in weapons to Kyiv and providing new details about U.S. military forces that could deploy to Eastern Europe to bolster security there.

Japanese pilots are responding more frequently to airspace challenges from China

01/28/2022

China’s military is stepping up its airborne challenges to Japanese airspace, according to recent data from Japan’s Ministry of Defense. Japan has already scrambled more fighter jets to intercept approaching Chinese aircraft in the past nine months than it did during all of fiscal year 2020, according to statistics the ministry released Tuesday.

KAI bets heavily on KF-21 Boramae, whose development is progressing at a good pace

01/28/2022

At the Korean Aircraft Industries plant in Sacheon, the four prototypes of the single-seat KF-21 have already been assembled and units 5 and 6, both two-seaters, are being assembled. Journalists from The JoongAng gained access to KAI’s facilities and were able to see first hand the progress being made on the 6 KF-21 prototypes. One of the peculiarities they were able to quickly appreciate were the different paint schemes KAI is testing on its aircraft. In particular the striking vertical drifts

US deploys F-15 fighter jets to Baltics until end of next week

01/27/2022

Six American F-15 jets landed in an Estonian airbase on Wednesday for deployment for a week and a half, as the NATO transatlantic military alliance reinforced its eastern flank due to frictions with Russia over Ukraine. NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, in what Russia denounced as Western "hysteria" in response to its build-up of troops on the Ukraine border.

NATO Press conference

01/27/2022

Good evening. We face a critical moment for Euro-Atlantic security. Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine continues, with more than 100,000 troops in position, and more on the way, including significant deployments in Belarus. We call on Russia once again to immediately de-escalate the situation. NATO firmly believes that tensions and disagreements must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Not through force or the threat of force.

140 Russian Navy Warships Drilling Across Europe, Middle East as Ukraine Tensions Simmer

01/27/2022

The Russian Navy is kicking off several simultaneous exercises, with ships from the Baltic and Black seas and its Northern Fleet sortieing from their homeports across Europe, the Kremlin has announced. More than 140 warships and support vessels, along with 60 aircraft and a total of 10,000 personnel, will participate in the drills, according to the Russian MoD.

Russian Su-35S multirole fighter jets deploy to Belarus for joint drills

01/27/2022

Sukhoi Su-35S multirole fighters of Russia’s Aerospace Force are deploying to Belarus for an inspection of the Union State’s response forces, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday. "The crews of Su-35S multirole fighter aircraft of the Eastern Military District involved in an inspection of the Union State’s response forces continue deploying to Belarusian airfields," the ministry said in a statement.

Lockheed’s F-35s get a flawed $20b software upgrade

01/27/2022

A $US14 billion ($19.5 billion) Pentagon software upgrade for F-35 jets is being installed on planes that are already deployed even though it’s “immature, deficient and insufficiently tested”, according to a new assessment by the military’s testing office.

The Air Force Wants Laser Communication Pods To Securely Link Fighter Aircraft With Satellites

01/27/2022

The United States Air Force’s AFWERX program is funding the development of a pod to enable beyond-line-of-sight laser communications between aircraft and satellites in orbit. Such a concept is not new, but recent developments in optical technologies could make it more feasible to deploy such a system across a large force.

NATO chief: Still a 'diplomatic way out' of Ukraine conflict, as military alliance prepares written proposal for Russia

01/26/2022

NATO will send a written proposal to the Kremlin later this week to "try to find a way forward" amid growing tensions over Russia's troop build-up on Ukraine's border, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.

Rafale Fighters: Dassault Aviation On-Course To Grab Another Massive Deal As Indonesia Awaits ‘Contract Activation’ — Minister

01/26/2022

Indonesia is moving ahead with its plan to procure 36 Rafale multirole fighter aircraft, Janes reported. Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto told reporters on January 20 that discussions for the program had already been finished and that the contract was now “awaiting activation”.