Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Philippines Set to Order 32 S-70i Black Hawk Combat Utility Helicopters

01/19/2022

The Philippines is preparing to order 32 additional S-70i Black Hawk combat utility helicopters from Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky’s Polish subsidiary, PZL Mielec. A Notice of Award (NOA) was issued to PZL Mielec on December 28, 2021, for the PHIP32 billion ($624 million) procurement. A Contract Agreement is now being drafted, which will be followed by a Notice to Proceed officially launching the acquisition.

Su-75 Checkmate Designers Explain Features of New Stealth Fighter

01/19/2022

Russian state-backed news outlet TASS has published an in-depth infographic on the new Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate fighter. Mikhail Strelets, the Checkmate’s chief designer, told TASS that the Su-75 project had its roots in the Russian military’s experience over the course of Moscow’s intervention into the Syrian Civil War. Russian leadership concluded that the strike role played by the Su-35 in Syria could have been filled by a cheaper fighter with a smaller footprint.

Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier Vikrant completes third sea trials

01/19/2022

The Indian Navy’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), Vikrant, has concluded its third round of sea trials in high seas. The vessel sailed back to Kochi harbour on 16 January. On 9 January, the aircraft carrier set sail to start the trials that included ‘complex manoeuvres’. PRO Defence Kochi tweeted: “IACVikrant returned after completing third sea trials, wherein large number of ship systems were operated and tested with training on various equipment fitted onboard.”

Air Force Activates Two New Fighter Generation Squadrons at Moody

01/19/2022

The Air Force inactivated one squadron and activated two new ones at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., on Jan. 14, as Air Combat Command works to better align fighter operations and maintenance. The 23rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is making way for the 74th and 75th Fighter Generation Squadrons. The shift is part of ACC’s Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization, a new structure whereby aircraft maintenance squadrons will be transitioned to fighter generation squadrons.

KC-46 Cleared For Refueling 70% Of Joint Air Fleet As Next Round Of Tanker Competition Looms

01/19/2022

With 53 aircraft in service, Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus tanker is now approved for supporting over two-thirds of the aircraft in the joint air fleet that are capable of receiving fuel in flight. The tanker has passed 60 million pounds of fuel in testing and operational missions, including refueling fighters escorting Air Force One, the president’s plane, during the holidays.

Report to Congress on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

01/18/2022

The largest procurement program in the Department of Defense (DOD), the F-35 Lightning II is a strike fighter aircraft being procured in different versions for the United States Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. Current DOD plans call for acquiring a total of 2,456 F-35s. Allies are expected to purchase hundreds of additional F-35s, and eight nations are cost-sharing partners in the program with the United States.

Indonesia to Help Nigeria Produce Military Weapons, Aircraft

01/18/2022

The Indonesian government has announced its intention to assist Nigeria in producing indigenous military weapons and aircraft to bolster its air defense capabilities amid evolving threats in the region. Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria Usra Harahap made the announcement during a recent meeting with executive vice-chairman Mohammed Sani Haruna of Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).

VR to aid Russian aircraft technician training

01/18/2022

Specialists at Sukhoi, part of Rostec company United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), are developing a VR simulator to train aircraft technicians working on Su-35 and Su-57 combat aircraft. ‘The system tests are scheduled to be completed in 2022,’ Rostec first deputy CEO Vladimir Artyakov noted on 12 January.

The Rise of A.I. Fighter Pilots

01/18/2022

On a cloudless morning last May, a pilot took off from the Niagara Falls International Airport, heading for restricted military airspace over Lake Ontario. The plane, which bore the insignia of the United States Air Force, was a repurposed Czechoslovak jet, an L-39 Albatros, purchased by a private defense contractor. The bay in front of the cockpit was filled with sensors and computer processors that recorded the aircraft’s performance.

Iraqi Army Thwarts Drone Attack on Military Airbase

01/17/2022

The Iraqi forces thwarted an attack by three drones targeting the Balad Airbase near Baghdad, a day after rockets were launched at the Green Zone and a number of military areas. Three drones approached the southern perimeter of the Balad Air Base, some 90 km north of Baghdad, prompting the Iraqi forces to open fire on the drones and forcing them to flee the scene.

Air Force to resume flights suspended in the wake of F-5E crash

01/17/2022

South Korea's Air Force said Monday it will resume the operation of its combat aircraft suspended after a pilot died earlier this month following the sudden crash of an F-5E fighter. The armed service said the operation of its warplanes, except for F-5Es and F-35As, will resume in phases, starting at noon.

Deterring Russia requires a capable bridge tanker and Congressional support

01/17/2022

Russia is building up forces along its border with Ukraine, and NATO is watching with rising alarm. The current crisis is the latest in a long line of increasingly aggressive Russian actions against its neighbors. From the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea, NATO allies and partners have faced everything from grey-zone tactics to airborne harassment to outright war, all directed from Moscow.

Philippines Confirms Purchase Of Three Batteries Of BrahMos Supersonic Missile Systems From India

01/16/2022

“I recently signed the Notice of Award for the Philippine Navy Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile Acquisition Project. Negotiated with the Government of India, it includes the delivery of three batteries, training for operators and maintainers as well as the necessary Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package,” Lorenzana wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Full production of Russia's Tu-160 bomber restarted after 30 years

01/16/2022

In an echo of the Cold War, Russia's first newly manufactured Tupolev Tu-160M (NATO designation Backfire) supersonic nuclear heavy bomber completed its maiden flight on January 12, reaching a height of 600 m (2,000 ft) during its 30-minute test.

Turkey Begins Assembly Of Hürjet National Jet Trainer Prototype

01/15/2022

Over the last decade, Turkey has put great attention on its national aerospace industry, starting many ambitious programs for different types of aircraft, including unmanned ones. One of these programs is the Hürjet, an advanced jet training and light attack aircraft launched in 2017 and developed with the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) own resources and the first completely developed in Turkey.

How Silicon Valley Is Helping the Pentagon Automate Finding Targets

01/15/2022

When the Pentagon asked Google to quietly build a tool that could identify objects in drone footage, what it found was a nascent worker revolt against explicitly building weapons. The program, Project Maven, was launched in April 2017 with the goal of processing video taken by drones. The plan was to identify and label objects in those videos using computer algorithms, with those labels helpful for troops who would be picking targets.

How Flankers fought Fulcrums in the skies over Africa

01/15/2022

For many years these two 4th-generation fighters were the mainstay of the Russian Air Force: the lightweight MiG-29 tactical fighter (‘Fulcrum’), designed for gaining mastery of the air directly over the battlefield, and the heavy supersonic Su-27 (‘Flanker-B’), capable of intercepting enemy aircraft at long range.Performing different roles, the two planes were supposed to complement each other in combat.

Taiwan suspends F-16 training missions after jet crashes

01/12/2022

Taiwan's air force on Tuesday suspended combat training for its F-16 fleet after a recently upgraded model of the fighter jet crashed into the sea in the latest of a series of accidents. The defence ministry said the F-16V, the most advanced type in Taiwan's fleet, went missing from radar screens after taking off from the Chiayi air base in southern Taiwan for a training mission over a coastal firing range.

Polish, Belgian Air Force F-16 Fighter Jets To Take Part In NATO Training Flights Over Estonia

01/11/2022

Flights will be conducted in Estonia’s southwest, south, and east, far from populated areas, if possible. Low-altitude flights must be agreed beforehand with the country’s Aviation Department and Air Navigation Services, the agency added. On Tuesday, the US Air Force deployed F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets in Poland, so that the aircraft “work with the Polish Baltic Air Policing F-16s in Siauliai, Lithuania and enhanced Air Policing Belgian F-16s in Amari, Estonia,” the Allied Air Command sai

Idaho ANG A-10, Marine F-35 pilots train together

01/11/2022

The Idaho Air National Guard welcomed U.S. Marines from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, who fly the F-35B Lightning II, to Gowen Field Jan. 7-9. The squadron brought four of the fifth-generation fighters to train with A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 124th Fighter Wing’s 190th Fighter Squadron.

Fighter jet makes emergency landing in Taiwan's Hualien

01/11/2022

An F-5 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday evening (Jan. 10) after a warning light for its landing gear lit up, according to the Air Force Command. The aircraft took off from Hualien’s Chiashan Air Force Base to perform a routine night training flight. However, its landing gear lights lit up shortly after, and the pilot made it safely back to base, CNA reported.

USAF Aircraft Availability on Long Downward Trend, CBO Says

01/11/2022

The Air Force and Navy are both seeing a long-term, downward trend in aircraft availability and flying hours per aircraft, which is actually worse than the Pentagon reports because of the way the Defense Department counts aircraft as ready for duty, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. While USAF availability recovered a little during the COVID-19 pandemic, flying hours continued to fall, the CBO said.

F-35A Lightning II Fighters Can Share Information Like Never Before

01/10/2022

The U.S. Air Force has started stationing F-35A Lightning II fighter jets on the European continent, allowing the United States to bolster collective deterrence and streamline operations with the growing number of allied nations that have their own F-35s.

France On Track for New Aircraft Carrier by 2038

01/10/2022

At this point, it has been speculated that the Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation (PANG) carrier would likely be nuclear powered with two K22 reactors, would be in similar size to Charles de Gaulle, and would have an air wing that would include thirty-two next-generation fighter jets.

ANTONOV STATE ENTERPRISE SHOWS FIRST MILITARY TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT

01/09/2022

Antonov State Enterprise, which is part of Ukroboronprom state concern, at the end of last year demonstrated the first military transport aircraft An-178-100R No. 001 designed for flight certification tests. “Ukraine demonstrates its defense capability thanks to synergy, united efforts.