Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Indonesia orders five C-130J aircraft from Lockheed

09/10/2021

Indonesia has quietly signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, multiple sources have told Defense News. Photos taken during the Indonesian Air Force chief’s visit to the aircraft’s production line suggests construction on the first aircraft is underway. The government and industry sources told Defense News that Indonesia will acquire five C-130Js under a Direct Commercial Sales contract.

Another Japan-based F-35 squadron is ready for operations

09/10/2021

A second U.S. Marine Corps squadron in Japan has declared its F-35B fighters are ready for operations, less than a year after officially kicking off the process of transitioning to the stealthy fifth-generation aircraft. The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing announced Thursday that Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 attained initial operational capability with the Lockheed Martin-made jet, 10 months after transitioning away from the Boeing-made F/A-18D Hornet.

KC-135 Stratotanker: A Gas Station In The Skies

09/10/2021

During Red Flag Alaska 21-3, fighter jets complete multiple sorties, practice tactical maneuvers, and multi-squadron simulated combat objectives. Spending numerous hours in the air at a time requires a hefty load of fuel to keep them airborne. How are fighter jets able to stay in the air for prolonged periods? It’s in large part because of the KC-135 Stratotanker, which acts as a gas station in the sky, allowing jets to refuel midflight without the need to touch back down.

F-35B Stealth Fighters and Amphibious Assault Ship: The Ultimate Combo?

09/10/2021

The U.S. Navy’s second new America-class Amphibious Assault Ship, which can carry F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, is now making great progress toward deployment and operational service with the completion of the Final Contract Trials (FTC).

US aircraft carrier, destroyer busy in South China Sea despite Beijing’s new notification law

09/09/2021

A Navy aircraft carrier strike group and a destroyer steamed separately through the South China Sea on Wednesday, just days after China imposed a law requiring foreign vessels to give notice before entering waters claimed by Beijing. The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold “asserted navigation rights and freedoms” within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, according to a 7th Fleet news release Wednesday.

CCS clears purchase of 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft

09/09/2021

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the much-delayed purchase of 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleet of Avro-748 planes, the defence ministry announced on Wednesday. The deal is expected to be worth $2.5 billion.

JBLE members participate in Red Flag Alaska 21-3

09/09/2021

Members of the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Wing from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, participated in Red Flag Alaska 21-3 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, from Aug. 12 - 27, 2021. Red Flag-Alaska 21-3 is a large-scale exercise meant to simulate a real-world combat scenario, hosted by Pacific Air Forces and conducted over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex.

Looking at procuring 350 aircraft over the next two decades: IAF chief

09/09/2021

The Indian Air Force (IAF) would procure 350 more aircraft over the next two decades, including a fleet of Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), said IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, on Wednesday. All efforts, he added, would be made to procure combat aircraft from indigenous sources.

Turkey open to foreign participation in national combat aircraft project

09/09/2021

Turkey is open to foreign cooperation in jointly manufacturing its defence industry projects such as its planned 3rd generation national combat aircraft, Ismail Demir, the head of Turkish Defence Industries Directorate (SSB) said. Turkey can negotiate with those who want to participate under its own terms, Demir told state-run broadcaster TRT on Monday.

Air Force special operations’ next big battlefield

09/08/2021

There’s a war going on and, like it or not, you’ve already been drafted into it. But there’s no battlefield, no explosions, and no uniforms in this fight. Instead, it’s unfolding in Reddit threads, Facebook comments, and other social media forums where people swap information and, unwittingly or not, disinformation.

New US Air Force study asks: What’s the right number of F-35s?

09/08/2021

A new tactical aircraft study underway could make certain what has until now been a suspicion: The U.S. Air Force is unlikely to purchase all of the 1,763 F-35A jets in its program of record. The service is undertaking the study as it readies its fiscal 2023 budget and grapples with reducing the types of fighters it flies from seven to four main platforms by 2030, as prescribed by the service’s chief of staff.

Taiwan warplanes to take part in highway landing drill: source

09/07/2021

A scheduled military aircraft emergency takeoff and landing drill on a regular roadway will take place early in the morning on Sept. 15 and feature all three models of fighter jets in Taiwan's fleet, a military source told CNA on Monday. The drill will begin at 6:30 a.m. on a 3-kilometer section of Provincial Highway No. 1 near Jiadong and Fangliao in Pingtung County, and feature an Indigenous Defensive Fighter (IDF), an F-16V, a Mirage 2000-5, and a E-2K airborne early warning aircraft, the sou

Taiwan says 19 Chinese warplanes entered air defence zone

09/07/2021

The defence ministry said 19 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Taipei has been complaining for more than a year about repeated missions by China's air force near the island. China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state.

Four questions with the head of Air Combat Command

09/07/2021

U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, who leads Air Combat Command, wishes he could tell the public more about the service’s secretive sixth-generation fighter program, Next Generation Air Dominance. Last September, the Air Force disclosed that a full-scale NGAD demonstrator had already flown, signaling that the program is further along than most outside aerospace analysts predicted.

South China Sea showdown continues as world pushes back against Beijing

09/06/2021

Satellite photos expose a showdown brewing in the South China Sea. Against all assurances, Beijing has armed its artificial island fortresses with aircraft and warships. Now the world is pushing back. Beijing said it guaranteed free and open access to the South China Sea’s shipping lanes. Beijing said it would never militarise the region. But that’s all changed.

China sends nuclear bombers into Taiwan's airspace as fears of war intensify

09/06/2021

The Chinese-claimed island dispatched combat aircrafts to warn away the Chinese advances, as well as monitoring them with missile systems, according to the defence ministry. The ministry reported ten J-16 and four Su-30 fighters, along with an anti-submarine aircraft. Reportedly four H-6 bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, were also among the Chinese aircraft. Taiwan reported the latest incursion into its airspace on Sunday.

Russian Heavyweight MiG-35 To Compete With India’s HAL Tejas, Pak’s JF-17 For Malaysian Fighter Jet Contract

09/06/2021

India is pitching its HAL Tejas light combat aircraft to the Southeast Asian country. “The Russian side is considering the possibility of Rosoboronexport’s [Russia’s state arms exporter] participation with MiG-35 in the Malaysian Air Force tender for the supply of training and light combat aircraft.

Taiwan scrambles jets in response to renewed Chinese military activity

09/06/2021

Taiwan's air force scrambled on Sunday against renewed Chinese military activity, with its defence ministry reporting that 19 aircraft including nuclear-capable bombers had flown into Taiwan's air defence identification zone. Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China's air force near the self-ruled island, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

PAF jets intercept unknown aircraft entering Philippine airspace

09/05/2021

Two Philippine Air Force (PAF) jets scrambled to intercept an unidentified foreign aircraft spotted flying toward the country’s airspace last Thursday. In a statement, the PAF said it deployed two FA-50 aircraft to intercept the unknown aircraft, which was detected flying about 120 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao, Pangasinan.

Navy Ends Search for 5 Missing After Helicopter Crash; Sailors Presumed Lost at Sea

09/05/2021

Five sailors missing after a helicopter went into the sea after crashing on the deck of an aircraft carrier on Monday are now presumed dead, U.S. 3rd Fleet said today. The MH-60S was on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) when an unspecified mishap caused the helicopter to fall into the Pacific about 60 miles off the coast of San Diego, Calif., on Aug. 31 at 4:30 p.m. local time.

Why the F-35B Stealth Fighter Is Revolutionary

09/05/2021

One of the lesser-known Lightning II variants, the F-35B is nonetheless slated to become a core pillar of the Marine Corps’ ability to project power. Although commonly referred to in the singular, Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter is technically three different planes: the F-35A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant that is being procured by the US Air Force (USAF) to phase out the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) varian

Iranian Drone Power: How Tehran Uses Armed Drones Across the Middle East

09/05/2021

The Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street was transiting through the Gulf of Oman on July 29, bound for the United Arab Emirates, when it was attacked by two delta-winged drones packed full of explosives. The startled crew issued several distress calls. But before help could arrive, a third drone slammed into the pilothouse early in the morning of July 30. The explosion ripping a six-foot-hole in the vessel and killing the ship’s Romanian captain and his British bodyguard.

Photos: Riding aboard the Navy's new littoral combat ship

09/05/2021

The U.S. Navy has just unveiled one of its latest ships: the Kansas City LCS 22, an Independence-Class Littoral, in San Diego. It is one of the most nimble ships the Navy has ever created. It's also controversial, with critics calling out its troubled history and saying it breaks down too easily. As recently as 2018, and after billions of dollars in investment, it wasn't clear the Littoral Combat Ship program had much of a future at all.

UAE and Egypt engage in joint military marine exercise

09/04/2021

The UAE and Egyptian navies have embarked on a 10-day joint marine drill in Emirati waters as part of the countries' Zayed 3 military exercise programme. Zayed 3 was launched in May, and has also featured land and air elements. It is the third such joint exercise between the UAE and Egypt since 2014.

Baltic Fleet aircraft hammer enemy with precision strikes in western Russia drills

09/04/2021

The crews of Su-24 bombers and Su-30SM multirole fighters of the Baltic Fleet’s naval aviation delivered precision bombing strikes from an altitude of 2,000-meters against targets that simulated a notional enemy’s command posts, manpower and combat hardware during drills in the Kaliningrad Region, the Fleet’s press office reported on Friday.