Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Will The Philippines Buy F-16 Jets To Patrol South China Sea?

07/02/2021

On June 24 the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency authorized the sale of a dozen Lockheed-Martin F-16 Block 70/72 jet fighters and associated weapons to the Philippines totaling $2.43 billion. Such a sale could fulfill Manila’s requirement long-standing plans to procure Multi-Role Fighters (MRF).

Neutral Switzerland plans to buy dozens of US F-35 fighter jets

07/02/2021

Switzerland has chosen Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning II as its next-generation fighter jet, the government said on Wednesday, angering opponents who have pledged a new referendum to overturn what they dubbed an unnecessary "Ferrari" option.

‘We have to solve this’: Afghan aircraft maintainers prepare for withdrawal of US contractor support

06/30/2021

Afghans who maintain the country’s military aircraft have been learning to fix damaged aircraft over the past two months via videoconferences with U.S.-funded contractors just a few rooms away. It’s practice for the day when the American contractors will leave the country, said Col. Abdul Fatah Ishaqzai, head of maintenance for the Afghan air force. The future of the country’s air force, one of Kabul’s chief advantages over the Taliban, may depend on calls like these.

Putin puts arsenal of ‘invincible’ hypersonic nuke missiles on ‘combat alert’ in chilling warning to the West

06/30/2021

The Kremlin strongman’s announcement comes after HMS Defender was fired on by a Russia coastguard off Crimea and the presence of a UK carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean. Putin issued the chilling warning as he addressed newly graduated military and secret service elites in the Grand Kremlin Palace. “You are the very ones who will be operating this hardware,” Putin told 400 “top graduates” from 18 military schools.

Germany Gives Big Boost To FCAS Fighter Jet Program; Will Compete With UK’ Tempest, US’ NGAD 6th-Gen Aircraft

06/30/2021

But the question remains, can European jets ever match American fighter aircraft. France, Germany, and Spain are partners in the FCAS program. FCAS is the largest defense project that is projected as an anchor in the French-German ties, the two most powerful countries in Europe.

New Air Combat Training System Highlights Need To Speed Modernization Of Ranges

06/30/2021

America’s global military power rests upon twin pillars of training and technology. U.S. forces are the most rigorously trained and best equipped in the world. In recent years, the two pillars have tended to intertwine as digital technologies enabled breakthrough approaches to training. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of air combat training.

UOTT pushes boundaries of F-35 operational testing

06/30/2021

A team of engineers, analysts, and pilots are pushing the boundaries of F-35 combat aircraft operational testing. The United States Operational Test Team is partnered with Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 6.

Did Russia Test Hypersonic Missile From Syria? Israel May Know

06/29/2021

Some Israeli observers say the missile test is part of Moscow's effort to gain a very strong presence in the Mediterranean. For example, they say that in recent days the Russian Air Force and the Russian Navy performed a joint combat drill just 30 km from the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, is currently in the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus.

Green Light for 'Too Expensive' Philippines' F-16 Purchase

06/29/2021

On June 24 the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 12 F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to the Philippines, following a request from the government in Manila as its searches for a Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) to defend the nation's airspace and surrounding seas. However, a day later the Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzano, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the F-16 package was too expensive, and that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was examining other options.

AS ALLIES DESIGN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, THE UNITED STATES FACES A DECISION

06/29/2021

The United States has a long history of urging its closest allies to spend more on defense, and over the past few years Europe and Japan have started to respond. But there’s a catch: Rather than content themselves with procuring capabilities that complement U.S. forces, they are about to drop some very expensive investments into the development of their own next-generation fighter aircraft.

US jets strike Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq and Syria in response to ongoing drone, rocket attacks

06/28/2021

After three months of drone and rocket attacks on facilities in Iraq housing U.S. and coalition personnel, President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes Sunday on three Iran-backed militia facilities in Iraq and Syria. “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

Pentagon report says UFOs can’t be explained, and this admission is a big dea

06/28/2021

A report from the US task force dedicated to investigating UFOs — or, in the official jargon, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — has neither confirmed nor rejected the idea such sightings could indicate alien visits to Earth. On Friday June 25, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its eagerly awaited unclassified intelligence report, titled “Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena”.

Russia and China make war games fashionable again in the West

06/28/2021

Even as Russia massed over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in April, Andriy Zagorodnyuk felt sure President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t go to war. The former defense minister in Kyiv, who’d also spent years on projects to modernize Ukraine’s military, reasoned that Putin knew an invasion would be no walk in the park for Russia this time.

Europe’s Biggest Fighter Jet Deal On Stake As Stealth F-35 Jets Compete With Rafales & Typhoons

06/28/2021

The Nordic country is set to replace its older fleet of F-18 Hornet aircraft, in what is being considered as Europe’s largest fighter procurement in a decade. The winner of the bid is likely to be announced by the end of the year, reported AP News. The Defence Ministry of Finland stated that the winner will be picked after due consideration on four major parameters including the fighter’s military capability, the security of supply, the cost and proposed industrial cooperation with the country.

End Of Road For Indian Air Forces’ Nuclear-Capable Ground Attack Fighter Jet – The SEPECAT Jaguar?

06/28/2021

The Cold War Jaguar fighter-bombers have been modified by India to deliver nuclear gravity bombs, constituting a critical part of India’s nuclear triad. The Anglo-French fleet of the Sepecat Jaguar aircraft was initially purchased in 1978 after India felt the need to have a dedicated deep strike aircraft. Other prominent ground attack fighters with the IAF have been the Russian MiG-27 fighters.

‘Super-Rafales’: Dassault Plans To Produce F5 Variant Of Rafale Jets Amid Rising Global Demand & Competition

06/27/2021

Dassault Aviation is set to bring an F5 standard of the existing aircraft, “endowed with an impressive number of capabilities”. “At the start of the 2030s, the F5 standard will allow us to further improve the Rafale’s first entry capacity, with new sensors and armaments, but also capacities to communicate, collaborate and be interoperable,” French magazine Zone Militaire quoted Frédéric Parisot, Vice Chief of the French Air and Space Force, as saying.

Germany Signs Off Funding for FCAS and Poseidon

06/27/2021

Germany’s parliamentary budget committee this week approved the defense ministry’s requested €50.3 billion (€60 billion) budget for 2022 in Berlin. The budget includes crucial funding for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) that is being developed jointly with France and Spain for service entry around 2040.

The F-16 Viper: Why America's 1970s Fighter Continues to Punch Above its Weight

06/27/2021

The F-16 Fighting Falcon has proven itself to be one of the world’s most successful combat aircraft, having now flown over 400,000 combat sorties and a combined 19 million flight hours. There are roughly 3,000 operational F-16s today in service with the air services of 25 different countries, and the United States Air Force operates more F-16s than it does any other fighter model in its fleet.

Army soldiers get involved in helicopter design process

06/26/2021

Members of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade got a look at development of the SB-1 Defiant vertical lift helicopter, the Army said on Friday. The active duty and National Guard soldiers of the brigade, headquartered at Fort Campbell, Ky., visited the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., to learn about the design of the medium-lift helicopter destined to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk, which first saw service in 1974.

Five Ways The Air Force’s F-35A Fighter Is Becoming More Affordable To Operate

06/26/2021

In the two decades since Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to develop the F-35 fighter, the industrial team it formed has had to overcome many engineering challenges. Each of the three variants—for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps—had to be nearly invisible to enemy radar.

Russia launches Mediterranean drills amid rift with Britain

06/26/2021

The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea. Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters.

Guns and Diplomacy: Philippines’ F-16 FMS Request Approved by U.S.

06/26/2021

The U.S. State Department has approved a Philippines government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) request for F-16 Block 70/72 combat aircraft, with notification of the proposal delivered to Congress on June 24. The request covers 10 F-16Cs and two F-16D two-seaters, plus associated engines, subsystems and armaments.

Royal Navy warship sailing in Black Sea ‘entirely right’, says Johnson

06/25/2021

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has stood by the decision to sail a warship through Black Sea waters claimed by Russia after Moscow threatened it would bomb British ships in the event of further “provocative steps” in the region.

Satellite imagery suggests ongoing expansion of N. Korean airbase for larger aircraft

06/25/2021

Satellite imagery has shown ongoing work at a North Korean airbase that will result in modernization and expansion to house larger and more heavily armed aircraft, a U.S. think tank said Thursday. Citing satellite imagery dated June 12, Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the maintenance and expansion project at North Korea's Sunchon Airbase will improve the conditions of the runway and also provide a smoother environment.

Air Force Picks Langley to Host F-22 Formal Training Unit

06/25/2021

The U.S. Air Force notified lawmakers that it has approved Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, to host its F-22 Raptor formal training unit, a move three years in the making. But don't expect to see more fifth-generation jets there just yet. The service last week told Congress it had completed the necessary environmental analysis and signed a record of decision approving the base as its top pick to host the formal training unit, or FTU, Air Combat Command spokeswoman Alexi Worley told Military.