Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

U.K. Bolstering Defense Budget

07/14/2021

Key U.S. ally the United Kingdom is growing its defense investments in its land, air and sea platforms, the nation’s defense chief said July 13. “We are giving our forces the military strength they need to deter adversaries in this new competitive age,” said Ben Wallace, U.K. secretary of state for defense. “We are investing heavily in modernizing our warfighting capability.”

IAF likely to operationalise second squadron of Rafale aircraft by July-end

07/14/2021

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to operationalise its second squadron of the Rafale combat aircraft by the end of July and it will be based in Hasimara air base in West Bengal, officials said on Tuesday. The first squadron of the Rafale jets is stationed at Ambala Air Force station in Haryana. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of arou

Boosting the Australia–Malaysia strategic partnership

07/13/2021

Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia and Malaysia have elevated their strategic partnership by launching the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) on 27 January 2021. Given the tenacious strategic context of Southeast Asia today, CSP defence cooperation has high potential spinoffs for Australia and Malaysia.

Indian Army Pushes Govt On ‘Urgent’ Acquisition Of Russian Ka-226 Helicopters

07/12/2021

With the older Chetak and Cheetah helicopters at the fag-end of their technical life, India’s chopper arsenal needs urgent upgradation. The Indian armed forces are set to request the government to acquire “a minimum inescapable quantity” of the Russian Kamov-226-T helicopters in a fly-away condition, reported The Times of India.

Why is China sending ‘grandpa fighter jets’ to test Taiwan’s air defences?

07/12/2021

The Chinese military’s use of ageing J-7 jets in a Taiwan fly-past last month has raised questions about why the second-generation fighters were deployed alongside more modern warplanes. Military sources raised the possibility that the planes had been converted into drones, which offer a cost-efficient way of honing the People’s Liberation Army’s combat drills and testing Taiwan’s response, and added they may also have been a way of testing whether all the island’s warplanes have resumed operati

China builds its own Area 51 in outback as arms race continues

07/11/2021

It’s big. It’s remote. It’s mysterious. It’s an enormous radioactive desert in “outback” China. And Beijing is building its equivalent to Area 51 there. Two of them. The arms race between East and West is once again heating up. Stealth is old news. As are cruise missiles and high-flying spy planes. The “black” projects of the 2020s are all about drones, artificial intelligence and sixth-generation combat aircraft.

Air Force to bring new rescue, attack missions to Davis-Monthan, retire oldest A-10s

07/10/2021

The Department of the Air Force has announced plans to move close air support and rescue missions, including A-10 Thunderbolt II and HH-60 Pave Hawk weapons schools and test squadrons, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base beginning in fiscal year 2022. The proposed plan would transfer rescue and attack missions, aircraft and personnel to Davis-Monthan AFB as part of the Air Force’s vision of making the base the Center of Excellence for close air support and rescue missions.

Why America could lose its next war

07/10/2021

The U.S. Department of Defense loves a good buzz phrase: capability over capacity, making the tough choices, taking risk now to reduce future risk. The DoD has used all three to rationalize a fiscal 2022 budget that shrinks the U.S. military’s size in the hope that new technologies will eventually lead to new acquisitions. The truth is the proposed budget is the latest in a series of funding requests that have fallen short of what the DoD needs to rebuild for the future.

Special Report: Afghan pilots assassinated by Taliban as U.S. withdraws

07/10/2021

Afghan Air Force Major Dastagir Zamaray had grown so fearful of Taliban assassinations of off-duty forces in Kabul that he decided to sell his home to move to a safer pocket of Afghanistan's sprawling capital. Instead of being greeted by a prospective buyer at his realtor's office earlier this year, the 41-year-old pilot was confronted by a gunman who walked inside and, without a word, fatally shot the real estate agent in the mouth.

China Upgrading Fifth-Gen Fighter Capabilities

07/10/2021

Experts say U.S. fifth-generation fighter aircraft — the stealthy F-22 and F-35 — remain the best in the world. However, China is upgrading its J-20 “Mighty Dragon” to try to close the gap. The J-20A, developed by Chengdu Aerospace Corp., is the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s heavy twin-engine, single seat, low observability, multi-role jet that made its first flight in 2011.

Video shows Russian Su-30 fighter jets buzzing a US Poseidon spy plane over the Black Sea as another NATO ship is 'tracked' by Putin's forces two weeks after HMS Defender stand-off

07/08/2021

Russian fighter jets have been filmed 'buzzing' a US spy plane over the Black Sea in the latest standoff between Moscow and western powers in the contested region. Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry showed two Sukhoi Su-30 fighters flying close alongside a Boeing P-8 Poseidon of the US Navy on Tuesday evening. The Kremlin said fighters were scrambled as the plane approached its airspace and blocked in from 'violating the state border'.

F-35s Work Best Together: Israel, UK and America Conduct Fifth-Generation Drill

07/08/2021

Israel, the United Kingdom and pilots for the U.S. Marines conducted a trilateral exercise known as Tri-Lightning 2 in Israel as the UK’s Queen Elizabeth carrier is making its way through the Mediterranean. The drill was built on another exercise called the Falcon Strike, which took place in Italy in early June in which the United States, UK, Italians and Israelis practiced with F-35 jets and other aircraft.

NATO scrambles jets 15 times to track Russian military planes over the Baltic

07/07/2021

NATO and Partner nations scrambled fighters to meet increased Russian air activity across the Baltic Sea. Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters met the Russian aircraft to ensure the safety and security of the Baltic Sea Airspace. Partners Sweden and Finland also joined. According to the Lithuanian Ministry, Spanish Typhoons carried out the most sorties — eight — between June 14 and 20.

China's J-31 fighter may be lacking in combat, says expert

07/07/2021

The Chinese J-31 jet somewhat lacks when it comes to F-35B-like vertical take-off-and-landing, Can China's fifth-generation, carrier-launched J-31 fighter take on US-made F-35C or F-35B? Well, there are some factors to consider that shed light upon this question.

First Marine F-35C Squadron Ready to Deploy on Navy Aircraft Carriers

07/07/2021

The “Black Knights” of U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 have taken their next step ahead of deploying on Navy aircraft carriers for the first time. The squadron of Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters officially attained full operational capability, the service said in a news release issued last week.

Raytheon to build 565 AIM-9X Block II infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for U.S. Navy, Air Force, allies

07/07/2021

U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking Raytheon Technologies Corp. to build 565 AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $328.2 million contract announced last week.

Brazilian Navy Fires Exocet AM39 Missile From H225M Helicopter

07/06/2021

In late June, a Brazilian Naval Aviation’s H225M helicopter took off from the Foudre-class landing platform dock ‘NDM Bahia’ to conduct a firing trial of an air-launched anti-ship Exocet AM39 missile. The missile was fired against the ex. Inhaúma-class corvette ‘Jaceguai’ – a ship decomissionned in 2019. It hit the corvette’s bow leading to its sinking.

Israel stands up new ‘Adir' squadron

07/06/2021

117 ‘First Jet' Squadron has been reactivated as an F-35I training unit, ahead of it becoming an operational squadron at a later date. As with the IAF's two existing operational F-35I units – 140 Sqn ‘Golden Eagle' and 116 Sqn ‘Defenders of the South' – 117 Sqn is located at Nevatim Air Base (also known as 28 Air Base) in southern Israel's Negev Desert. All three units form the IAF's Adir Division.

Chinese military plane enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

07/05/2021

A Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday afternoon (July 4), marking the third such intrusion this month. A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLAAF plane.

How US’ F-35 Stealth Jets Beat European Fighters Typhoons & Rafales To Win $6.5B Swiss Deal

07/05/2021

Last September, with a razor-thin majority, 50.1% of Swiss people voted in favor of a $6.5 billion budget to buy 30-40 new jets under the Air 2030 Program, which includes upgrading the country’s aircraft and defense systems. According to Swiss media reports, the 36 F-35A jets can be bought for $5.4 billion costing $2 billion cheaper than other jets. “With 336 points, [the F-35A] showed the highest overall benefit and was the clear winner with a lead of 95 points or more over the other candidates

F-35 global fighter fleet reaches 400,000 flight hours

07/05/2021

“This milestone is a testament to the dedicated work of the joint government, military and industry teams sustaining, maintaining, operating and flying F-35s around the globe,” said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program. “With every delivery and every flight hour, the enterprise gets more mature and effective and we are laser focused on continuing to deliver the most capable, available and affordable 5th Generation fighter aircraft.”

ASPI’s decades: Betting, fretting and getting—buying and flying the F-35

07/05/2021

When ASPI began its work, the F-35 joint strike fighter was Australia’s biggest and most expensive program ever. (Now that label has passed back to the submarines.) The F-35 arrived 10 years late. (The Attack-class submarine program exhibits similar tardiness.) The F-35 is now slowly delivering what Australia wants. Because of the delay, Australia spent $6 billion on an ‘interim’ Super Hornet capability, later topped up with another $3 billion on Growler electronic-warfare aircraft.

Philippine military plane crashes, 45 dead, 49 rescued

07/04/2021

A Philippine air force C-130 aircraft carrying combat troops assigned to fight Muslim militants crashed and exploded while landing in the south Sunday, killing at least 42 army soldiers on board and three civilians on the ground in one of the worst disasters in the air force’s history.

Wolf Pack develops skills, alliances at Red Flag-Alaska 21-2

07/02/2021

The 80th Fighter Squadron trained in Red Flag-Alaska 21-2 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, from June 14 to 25. The first full-fledged Red Flag exercise following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Israel Aerospace Industries to Upgrade SLAF Kfir Aircraft

07/02/2021

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a contract, worth USD $50 million with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense to upgrade Kfir aircraft for the Sri Lankan Air Force. The deal includes replacing the aircraft’s basic avionics with the advanced 4+ generation fighter aircraft avionics in order to one day integrate advanced radar, sensors, communication systems, and new helmets.