Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

China fumes over reports of U.S. Special Ops training force in Taiwan

10/09/2021

New reports that the U.S. has secretly sent teams of special operations soldiers and Marines to Taiwan to train military forces there has added fresh fuel to rising tensions with an increasingly bellicose China. About two dozen troops have been conducting training missions with Taiwan‘s ground forces for at least a year, in an effort to shore up the island’s defenses against a possible invasion by Beijing, according to a report this week from The Wall Street Journal.

US Air Force receives prototype combat laser for ground attack aircraft

10/09/2021

Lockheed Martin has delivered to the US Air Force an airborne high-energy laser prototype called AHEL, which will be tested next year on a ground-attack aircraft, the military technology manufacturer reported in release. The laser must first be integrated with other systems for ground testing and later the complete weapons system can be incorporated into an AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft to evaluate its performance in the air.

Taiwan Air Force releases defiant video after Chinese incursions

10/08/2021

As China began to send large numbers of aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the country's Air Force on Saturday (Oct. 2) released a patriotic video meant to showcase its military capabilities and determination to defend the nation.

Finland tweaks 2022 budget to accommodate HX fighter purchase

10/08/2021

The Finnish government has approved an expansion to its defense procurement budget for 2022 that takes into account preliminary costs associated with the €10 billion (U.S. $12 billion) HX Fighter Program and the acquisition of new multirole aircraft. The proposal for new budgetary measures was presented to Finland’s national parliament, the Eduskunta, on Sept. 27. It is now included in the preliminary defense budget for 2022.

Reimagining the Reaper

10/08/2021

Faced with an inventory full of aging equipment, the Air Force is proposing to slash legacy aircraft it believes cannot survive in a high-end fight. The aim is to divert dollars needed to support these legacy platforms to modernization programs. While this approach has not succeeded in the past, leaders still feel it is the last card they have to play, given a cultural unwillingness to demand a greater share of the defense budget pie.

Korea expected to face reduced military capability: lawmaker

10/07/2021

A serious shortfall in Korea's military capability is expected in the near future, as the country's plan to secure new assets to replace aging military aircraft and warships remains insufficient, a lawmaker said, Wednesday.

Russia's S-70 Unmanned Combat Craft Is Nearing the Prototype Stage

10/07/2021

Russia's forthcoming unmanned combat air vehicle is about to enter its prototype stage, making its debut on the country's Ministry of Defense television station, TV Zvezda. The video (included below) is also the most in-depth analysis of the new aircraft, called the Sukhoi S-79 Okhotnik UCAV, to ever reach the public. The forthcoming Russian Okhotnik means "Hunter" in English, and it's huge.

New Compass Call Electronic Warfare Plane Takes To The Skies

10/07/2021

The first new EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft recently made its inaugural flight, L3Harris announced Wednesday. Unlike a typical military aircraft procurement program, the US Air Force intends to modernize its aging Compass Call fleet by stripping sophisticated electronic warfare systems out of its legacy EC-130H aircraft and incorporating them onboard new Gulfstream G550 business jets.

The Stealthy F-35 Fighter Jet Is One Step Closer to Carrying Nuclear Weapons

10/06/2021

A pair of F-35s from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada released dummy nuclear bombs at a nearby test range this month, moving the advanced stealth fighter closer to carrying the world’s most powerful weapons into combat, the Air Force said Monday.

VIDEO: Japan’s Largest Warship Launches U.S. Marine F-35s; First Fighters to Fly from Japanese Ship Since WWII

10/06/2021

Two Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters took off and landed on Japan’s largest warship, on Oct.3, marking the first time that fixed-wing aircraft have operated off a Japanese warship since World War II. The two F-35Bs from the “Bats” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 flew from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, to operate on Izumo to test modifications to the big deck warship so the short takeoff, vertical landing version of the F-35 can operate from the ship.

India offers LCA Tejas for RAAF trainer requirement

10/05/2021

RAAF had floated a tender in June 2020 for a new advanced jet trainer to replace its age-old BAE Systems Hawk 127 LIFT aircraft. “We have responded to a request for information (RFI) from Australian DoD for the Air 6002 Phase 1 requirement , which was issued on June 1, 2020, by offering our LCA as LIFT configuration,” says an HAL official.

China flies record 56 warplanes toward self-ruled Taiwan

10/05/2021

China flew 56 fighter planes toward Taiwan on Monday in the largest show of force on record, continuing the three days of sustained military harassment against the self-ruled island. The first sortie of 52 planes included 34 J-16 fighter jets and 12 H-6 bombers, among other aircraft, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense. Later, four more Chinese J-16s flew toward the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone — a buffer outside a country’s airspace.

As HAL Scouts For Potential Buyers, Here Are Five Allies Where India’s Tejas Remains A Big ‘No Go’

10/05/2021

Earlier this year, India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) received a Rs 48,000-crore order from the country’s Defense Ministry for the supply of 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to the Indian Air Force. Buoyed by this mega-deal, HAL has been actively looking for foreign buyers, but may not be able to pitch its fighters to many countries due to certain export restrictions.

French military aircraft banned from Algerian airspace amid diplomatic row

10/04/2021

The French military says its planes have been banned from Algerian airspace amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries. "This morning, while filing flight plans for two of our planes, we learned that the Algerians were closing the overflight of their territory to all French military planes," Colonel Pascal Ianni, spokesman for the French military, told CNN Sunday.

US condemns Chinese activities near Taiwan

10/04/2021

The United States urged China to stop its "provocative" military activities near Taiwan after the island's forces scrambled jets to warn away close to 100 Chinese military aircraft entering its air defence zone over a three-day period. Taiwan, a democratically governed island that is claimed by China, has complained for more than a year of repeated missions near it by China's air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

Taiwan deploys combat aircraft to meet China’s largest ever ‘military aggression’

10/03/2021

China has infuriated Taiwan by marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China with the largest ever incursion by the Chinese air force into the island’s air defence zone. Taiwanese fighters scrambled against 38 Chinese aircraft in two waves on Friday, the Taiwan Defence Ministry said. It said Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

Saab delivers third T-7A rear fuselage section to Boeing

10/02/2021

Saab delivered to Boeing its third aft fuselage section for use in the T-7A Red Hawk flight test program for the U.S. Air Force. The production and shipment of this aft fuselage section is the latest milestone in Saab’s (Sweden) contribution to the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the T-7A Red Hawk trainer for the U.S. Air Force. Upon completion of the EMD phase, Saab’s new plant in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, will take over the production of the aft fuselage sections.

North Korea fires new anti-aircraft missile in latest test, state media says

10/02/2021

North Korea fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile on Thursday, state media KCNA reported on Friday, the latest in its recent series of weapons tests amid deadlocked denuclearization talks with the United States. It was North Korea's second known weapons test this week after launching a previously unseen hypersonic missile on Tuesday. It has also fired ballistic missiles, and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities in recent weeks.

Crews of reconnaissance aircraft and fighter jets conduct exercises over Crimea

10/02/2021

The crews of the aircraft of a separate naval assault regiment from the naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet conducted combat exercises at a practice range in the Crimea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday. "According to the scenario, a Su-24MP tactical bomber while performing reconnaissance tasks, detects objects of a conventional enemy in a mountainous area. Su-24M fighter jets and Su-30SM multirole fighters took to the sky to eliminate the "enemy", the press service noted.

JF-17 Row: Has Argentina Put Thunder Fighter Jets On Backburner As It Negotiates Exclusive Military Deal With Russia?

10/02/2021

Argentina’s search for a budget-friendly fighter jet initially took it to narrow down on five sellers: China, Israel, Russia, South Korea, and the US. Despite the prominent view being that China / Pakistan’s JF-17 was the frontrunner, there is are indications that Argentina could ink a military deal with Russia.

Taiwan says it scrambled jets again after Chinese ‘air incursion’

10/02/2021

Taiwan has said it scrambled its combat aircraft after 25 Chinese fighter jets entered its defence zone on a day Beijing marked the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The latest Chinese incursion – its biggest in weeks – involved 18 J-16 and four Su-30 fighters, two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, and an anti-submarine aircraft, the Taiwan ministry said on Friday.

International Flight Training School In Italy Welcomes First Two German Air Force Pilots

09/30/2021

The new International Flight Training School (IFTS) is a joint venture between the Italian Air Force and Leonardo. Currently located at the 61° Stormo (Wing) at Galatina Air Base, in southeastern Italy but about to relocate to Decimomannu Air Base, Sardinia, (where a groundbreaking ceremony was held in December 2020 to mark the beginning of the construction works of a modern flight training campus).

Skunk Works Boss Says He Can't Comment On Video Of Mysterious Stealth Shape At Radar Test Range

09/30/2021

Yesterday, Jeff Babione, the head of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works advanced projects division declined to comment in a somewhat cryptic way on a video that emerged last week showing what looked to be a stealthy, advanced fighter aircraft-like test shape at the company's secretive Helendale radar-cross section (RCS) measurement facility. Separately, Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown said he was not aware of the clip and couldn't comment on it.

China preps rollout of a new carrier-based fighter jet

09/30/2021

China will debut its next-generation, carrier-borne fighter jet later this year, according to the country’s main state-owned aerospace conglomerate and the chief designer of its current carrier-based fighter jet. This comes as China has demonstrated a pair of its land-based J-20 stealth fighters powered by indigenous engines at the ongoing Zhuhai airshow.

Could Britain stop Argentina from buying the JF-17 warplane?

09/29/2021

Argentina insists reports the country is buying the JF-17 Thunder warplane are premature, but analysts believe it could still succeed where other fighter types failed — mostly as a result of British pressure. Speculation arose after media reports highlighted a request in Argentina’s fiscal 2022 draft budget for $664 million to purchase 12 JF-17s from Pakistan.