Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

RAF Lakenheath: US fighter jet crashes into North Sea

06/15/2020

The F-15C Eagle, from the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, crashed shortly after 09:40 BST while on a training mission. The cause of the crash is currently unknown but the US Air Force confirmed only one pilot was on board. Search and rescue teams are looking for the aircraft, which is believed to have crashed 74 nautical miles off the East Yorkshire coast.

Egyptian Air Force intercepts 2 Russian military aircraft en route to Libya: report

06/15/2020

The Egyptian Air Force intercepted two Russian military aircraft that were en route to Libya this past weekend, Avia.Pro reported on Sunday. “The Egyptian military for the second time in the last 48 hours intercepted a Russian military plane flying from the Khmeimim airbase to the Libyan national army airbase in Libya,” the publication said.

China, Taiwan: US flight path that drove China to brink of conflict

06/15/2020

China has responded to an "unusual" flight by a US transport aircraft by sending its combat jets into Taiwan's airspace. Taiwan says it had to "forcibly" remove them. Communist China considers Taiwan its sovereign territory. Taiwan – never conquered during the 1949 Cultural Revolution – does not. Chairman-for-life Xi Jinping, however, has repeatedly asserted his intention to bring the island under Beijing's rule – by any means necessary.

Lockheed Martin will supply more F-35B Short Take-off Vertical Landing STOVL fighter to Italy

06/15/2020

According to information released by the U.S. Department of Defense on June 11, 2020, American Company Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $368,194,942 not-to-exceed, undefinitized contract modification (P00036) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-17-C-0001. This modification provides for the procurement of five F-35A Lightning II lot 14 aircraft

India has a bigger worry than LAC. China now expanding military footprint in Indian Ocean

06/14/2020

China at the Line of Actual Control is not the only thing India needs to worry about. According to recent media reports, China is growing its military presence in the Indian Ocean too. Satellite pictures in May this year suggest China’s military base at Djibouti is being modernised. The facility, set up in 2017 as a logistics support unit, is being upgraded into a full-fledged naval base with a 1,120-feet pier that can berth Chinese warships, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier.

US Sends Stern Message To China; Deploys 3 Aircraft Carriers In South China Sea

06/14/2020

Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus, China and the US have been at each other’s throats. While China has been taking advantage of the pandemic to forward its interests in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and India, the US has resorted to passing ant-China bills and pushed anti-China rhetoric globally.

US Air Force pilot is the first woman to ever fly new stealth F-35A fighter jet into combat

06/14/2020

The United States Air Force says that a woman has flown its new class of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets into combat for the first time ever. Captain Emily ‘Banzai’ Thompson piloted the stealth aircraft after deploying from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, according to the military.

Chinese South China Sea ASW

06/13/2020

China is apparently operating some of its Y-8FQ ASW (Anti-submarine Warfare) aircraft from a 3,100 meter (10,000 foot) airstrip on the Fiery Cross (Yongshu) Reef airbase. This base was completed in 2016 by dredging up enough sand to create a 271 hectare (677 acre) artificial island. Before that there were two tiny “islands” that were rocky outcroppings only exposed at low tide.

Italy Procures 6 F-35 Jets for $368.2M

06/13/2020

The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract $368.2 million to produce five F-35A fighters and an F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) jet. “Lockheed Martin is awarded a $368.2 million contract modification. This modification provides for the procurement of five F-35A Lightning II lot 14 aircraft, one F-35B lot 14 combat aircrafts and associated red gear for the government of Italy. Work is expected to be complete by June 2023,” Pentagon said in a statement Thursday.

Russia Has a Stealth Fighter Problem

06/13/2020

Bolshakov blames the situation on Russia’s weak finances. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia in the 1980s and 1990s focused on improving its fourth-generation Cold War aircraft instead of fifth-generation models like the Su-57. While several hundred advanced fighters were produced, many were exported to foreign customers for cash instead of the Russian air force.

Lawmakers are once again fighting to save the A-10 Warthog from retirement

06/13/2020

The Senate Armed Services Committee isn't keen on the U.S. Air Force's plans to retire legacy aircraft in favor of new technology, putting a stop to some proposed aircraft retirements and delaying others. In the committee's version of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers say that the service must operate a minimum number of aircraft for each major mission set.

Production of one of the F-35's most anticipated bombs has been on hold for almost a year

06/13/2020

Deliveries of a new precision-guided bomb under development by Raytheon for the F-35 and other fighter jets have been at a standstill for about a year as the company struggles to correct a technical problem involving a key component. A fix for the issue, which brought production of the Small Diameter Bomb II to a halt in July 2019, could be approved by the government as soon as July, said Air Force spokesman Capt. Jake Bailey in response to questions by Defense News.

Putin got the memo! Russia immediately responds to NATO naval wargames in the Baltic Sea by sending combat jets to carry out practice strikes on marine targets in the area

06/12/2020

Moscow has also repeatedly voiced concern over the deployment of NATO forces near Russian borders, describing it as a threat to its security. Russia and the alliance have also blamed each other for conducting destabilising military exercises near borders. The US and NATO allies have repeatedly said that Russian fighter jets have performed unsafe maneuvers while shadowing their planes - accusations that the Russian military has rejected.

BREAKING: 2 Navy pilots assigned to NAS Pensacola killed in Alabama plane crash

06/12/2020

The Navy confirms to WKRG News 5 that two people killed in a plane crash in Alabama were personnel assigned to NAS Pensacola. According the Selma Times the local district attorney has identified the victims as Joshua Fuller and Vincent Segars, two Navy pilots. The Navy has not officially confirmed that information. Captain Segars currently serves as the commanding officer, Naval Aviation Schools Command according to his Navy bio.

Meggitt signs $15m F-35 contract

06/12/2020

Meggitt has signed a $15 million contract with Chemring Australia Pty, for the continued supply of flare countermeasure assemblies on the F-35 fighter jet. The contract award strengthens the existing partnership between Chemring Australia and Meggitt on the multirole combat aircraft. Countermeasures are critical to pilot survival in a combat environment. They provide decoy heat signatures that attract enemy fire, enabling an aircraft to return to base safely.

Mystery Over Indian Air Force Jets Flying Over Karachi, Pakistan Solved

06/12/2020

A twitter user said – “I definitely saw jet planes, live near airport. Whats up,” said Laraib Mohib from Karachi. “There were a lot of fighter jets flying around in Karachi probably,” added Ayesha Zafar, also from Karachi. However, IAF sources have rejected any such activity by its fighter aircraft over Pakistan.

Senate defense bill limits Air Force’s aircraft retirement plans

06/12/2020

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants to give the Air Force more F-35 fighter jets and drones, but the panel’s version of the 2021 defense policy bill leaves many questions open about the future of the service’s legacy aircraft. In the Air Force’s fiscal 2021 budget request, the service proposed retiring a number of its B-1 bombers, A-10 Warthog attack planes, RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones, KC-135 and KC-10 tankers, and C-130H planes.

American fighter jets intercept Russian bombers and fighter jets off the Alaskan coast in international airspace

06/11/2020

The Russian military plane entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone and was intercepted by US combat aircraft, supported by US oil tankers, NORAD said in a statement. In the first encounter, NORAD said, two Russian bombers, two Russian fighter jets and a Russian control and early warning aircraft approached 20 nautical miles off the coast of Alaska. The second formation consisted of two bombers and an airborne early warning and control aircraft that reached 32 nautical miles.

The Russian MiG-35 Fighter Jet’s Voice Assistant Will Advise Pilots in the Air

06/11/2020

The next generation of MiG-35 fighter jets used by the Russian military will use a voice assistant named Rita to help out in complex situations, according to a report from Russian news service Sputnik. The new features will expand Rita’s role to include providing suggestions when matters in the air become fraught, like a more high-stakes version of Alexa or Google Assistant.

MiG-29 Fighter Jet Reportedly Appears Over Key Libyan City That Is Now Under Siege

06/11/2020

There are as yet unconfirmed reports that at least one MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter from a tranche of jets that Russia sent to Libya to bolster forces aligned with strongman Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army last month has now flown a mission over the strategic coastal city of Sirte. This comes as the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord is pushing to retake control of that area after weeks of substantial victories fueled by Turkish military assistance, especially deliveries of armed dron

There’s A Russian Version Of The A-10 Tank-Killer. Now a Tiny Country Wants To Make Copies

06/11/2020

The Republic of Georgia is ready to flip a switch, power up an old factory and churn out copies of the rugged old Su-25 Rook attack plane, the Soviet answer to America’s A-10 Warthog. But don’t hold your breath awaiting factory-fresh Rooks to flood the warplane market. The tiny Eastern European country, population 3.7 million, can’t afford to buy a bunch of Su-25s. And it’s not clear that the international market is clamoring for the plane, either.

Russian Tu-160 and Il-78 aircraft conduct night refuelling in air

06/11/2020

Crew members of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ (VKS) Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber and Il-78 long-range aircraft have conducted night refuelling in the air. The flight training was performed in the airspace over the Volga region in Russia. During the flights, crew personnel of VKS performed two night aircraft refuelling missions under harsh weather conditions with a strong crosswind. It saw the participation of more than five aircraft units.

Marine V-22 Osprey Damaged After Being Hit by Civilian Plane on Runway

06/10/2020

A civilian aircraft collided with a sitting MV-22 Osprey last month in San Diego, resulting in millions' worth of damage to the tiltrotor aircraft. The Class A mishap, defined as one that involves fatalities, damage totaling $2 million or more, or a complete loss of the aircraft, happened May 30 at Brown Field, a Marine Corps official told Military.com. The incident was highlighted in a recently released Naval Safety Center accident report.

Taiwanese Fighters Drive Off Chinese Jets After Navy Transport Plane Flies Over The Island

06/10/2020

Taiwanese fighter jets reportedly "drove off" Chinese Su-30 Flankers after the latter briefly entered the island's air defense identification zone earlier today. That incident came after a U.S. Navy C-40A Clipper passenger transport aircraft flew an extremely unusual route over Taiwan's western coast, a flight that was almost sure to draw some form of rebuke from authorities in Beijing, who consider the island part the country's sovereign territory.

Four injured as C-130H overruns runway at Iraq base

06/09/2020

Four service members were injured Monday when a C-130H Hercules overran the runway while landing at Camp Taji, Iraq, and crashed into a wall, sparking a fire. The service members’ injuries were not life-threatening, and they are being treated at the base’s medical facility, according to a release by Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.