Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

CH-53K King Stallion demonstrates first air-to-air refuelling

04/14/2020

The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion has demonstrated its first air-to-air refuelling. The heavy lift helicopter, in development for the US Marine Corps (USMC), completed the 4.5h test over Chesapeake Bay with a Lockheed Martin KC-130J in-flight refuelling tanker on 6 April, says Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on 9 April.

USA approves $675 million support package for Korean F-35s

04/14/2020

The US government has cleared a potential $675 million deal for the sustainment of South Korea’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters. The Foreign Military Sale package includes follow-on support for the aircraft, engines, weapons, spare parts, software, training, and other elements. It follows a request from the Seoul.

U.S., Chinese military aircraft fly near Taiwan's airspace

04/13/2020

A United States military reconnaissance aircraft was reported flying near Taiwan's southern airspace Friday, the same day the Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed Chinese warplanes were monitored southwest of the country. A U.S. RC-135U Combat Sent was operating in the South China Sea, according to a flight chart posted on Twitter Friday morning by Aircraft Spots, a military air movement tracker.

Nigerian Air Force renews war against insurgency

04/13/2020

Apart from the establishment of new units, he revealed that the NAF, in line with the federal government’s commitment to the security of the nation, has also acquired 22 brand new aircraft in the last four and half years with another 16 due for delivery soon. Said he: “The additional air assets include an Mi-17 helicopter, which is expected to arrive the country this month, as well as three JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft and 12 Super Tucano attack aircraft.

Thunderbirds Wow Las Vegas With Tribute Flight to Healthcare Workers in COVID-19 Crisis.

04/13/2020

The U.S. Air Force flight demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, performed an inspiring flyover of the greater Las Vegas area on Saturday, April 11, 2020 in honor of healthcare workers and first responders working during the international COVID-19 crisis.

These Metrics Show Why The F-35 Is The World's Most Dominant Stealth Fighter

04/13/2020

Overall, the F-35A fighter is flying exceptionally well. The F-35 Lightning II is now the world’s most dominant multi-role fighter. Its detection range, geolocation, threat identification, and system response capabilities allow the jet to precisely fix and destroy the most advanced threats in the world including every layer of Russia’s latest SA-20 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

Azerbaijan Could the the First Client for Russia’s New MiG-35 Fighter: Why Baku Could Receive the Jets at a Discount

04/12/2020

Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry has revealed that pilots from the country’s Air Force have test flown MiG-35 ‘4++ generation’ fighter jets in Russia, with the announcement coming shortly after the country received permission to purchase new high end Russian fighter jets.

Israel Is Showing America How To Best Use The F-35 Stealth Fighter

04/12/2020

Over time, Israel will likely acquire additional F-35s, as it intends for the type to replace its fleet of over 320 F-16s. On May 22, Israeli Air Force commander Amikam Norkin announced that its F-35I stealth fighters had flown on two combat missions on “different fronts,” showing as proof a photograph of an F-35 overflying Beirut. While details on those missions have not been released—apparently, they were not deployed in a massive Israeli air attack on Iranian forces in Syria that took place

Northern Fleet warplanes perform stratospheric drill over Arctic

04/12/2020

The tactical drill this week involved ten Su-24 bomber and five MiG-31 interceptor-fighters, the press service of Russia’s Northern Fleet in Severomorsk informs. “The crews of upgraded MiG-31 interceptor-fighters will practice assignments at a maximum altitude in the course of tactical flight drills that have stated in the Northern Fleet’s separate composite air regiment this week,” the note from the fleet reads.

Germany to replace most Tornado jets with Eurofighters: report

04/11/2020

Germany will replace most ageing Tornado fighter-bomber jets in its air force fleet with Eurofighter aircraft but buy a share of the replacements from US manufacturer Boeing, media reported Friday. From 2025, the Tornados will be replaced by up to 90 Eurofighters built by Airbus and 45 Boeing F-18s, according to news weekly Der Spiegel.

U.S. and Russian Media Depict Starkly Different Narratives of Russian Navy Il-38N Intercept By Alaskan F-22s.

04/11/2020

As reported in international media, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors supported by KC-135 Stratotankers and E-3 AWACS aircraft responded to a pair of Russian military Ilyushin Il-38N ASW and Maritime Patrol Aircraft off the Alaskan coast in international airspace on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. But the differences in how the story is being reported around the world is an interesting study in how journalism may influence our interpretation of events depending on where we live.

Is Russia Finally Getting New Su-57 Stealth Fighters?

04/11/2020

Russian plane-maker Sukhoi finally is gearing up to begin delivering new Su-57 stealth fighters to the Russian air force. How many of the radar-evading planes the air arm acquires, and how quickly, are open questions. To say nothing of the type’s actual capabilities. In any event, deliveries are good news for the air force. The Su-57 first flew in 2010. Sukhoi hand-built ten prototypes.

F-35 Lightning II for India: Is America About to Make a Big Stealth Sale?

04/10/2020

New Delhi still likes Russian technology, but Washington is trying to make a sale and enhance American-Indian ties. If a deal happens, it will further remove India from Russia’s influence. When the Times of India revealed that the Indian air force was revising its single-engine fighter competition to encompass twin-engine jet designs, a collective groan likely rang from New Delhi to Washington—and even Stockholm.

Draken Works the Red Team: Mirage F-1s as Part of the Arsenal

04/10/2020

Draken International has begun flying supersonic, radar equipped Mirage F1M fighters to support US Air Force (USAF) combat training at Nellis Air Force Base after the aircraft were returned to service by Paramount Aerospace Systems.

Photos Of An A-10C After A Belly Landing Are A Reminder Of Another Key Feature of The Warthog: Its Main Landing Gear

04/09/2020

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II, assigned to the 75th Fighter Squadron, performed a successful emergency gear-up landing at Moody AFB, Georgia, on Apr. 7, 2020. The pilot safely escaped the aircraft.

Why India Might Fly French Dassault Rafales Over Lockheed’s ‘Super F-16s’ In The Near Future

04/09/2020

An F-16V or F-21 is a radically different warplane compared to the F-16A that first flew in 1978. Lockheed Martin is developing a new variant of its iconic F-16 single-engine fighter in order to compete in India’s 2019 tender for 110 new warplanes. But don’t count on the American firm’s “F-21” to win the contract. According to journalist Angad Singh, the likely winner is French company Dassault’s Rafale twin-engine fighter.

Iran Has One of the World's Most Bizarre Air Forces

04/09/2020

Four decades since its Islamic Revolution made it a pariah, Tehran has cobbled together one of the world’s most bizarre air forces—a combination of rebuilt U.S.-supplied planes dating from the 1970s plus homegrown designs of highly varying value and, most strangely of all, scores of aircraft essentially stolen from Iraq after they fled to Iran to escape American attack during the 1991 Gulf War.

Jolly Green II combat SAR helicopter taken to extremes

04/09/2020

An HH-60W Jolly Green II, the U.S. Air Force’s new combat search-and-rescue helicopter, has completed a month-long trial of extremes inside the McKinley Climatic Lab. The Sikorsky test aircraft endured real temperatures ranging from 120 F to -60 F as well as 45 mile-per-hour winds coupled with heavy rainfall. All of those scenarios were created within the lab’s 55,000-square-foot test chamber.

The Marine Corps Wants to Transform JLTVs into Aircraft-Killing Trucks

04/09/2020

The Marine Corps wants to know whether the defense industry can transform its heavy weapons-mounted Joint Light Tactical Vehicles into mobile air defense systems for tracking and killing enemy drones, helicopters and fighters. Marine Corps Systems Command recently invited defense firms to submit ideas for creating the Direct Fire Defeat System being developed by Program Manager Ground Based Air Defense, according to a March 27 request for information.

Indian Navy Futuristic Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter

04/08/2020

In twelve years from now, a twin engine variant of India’s Tejas fighter could start replacing Russian built MiG-29K jets deployed on board the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant which is yet to be inducted.

PACAF Maintains Readiness Despite COVID Challenges

04/08/2020

Pacific Air Forces has been fine-tuning the Agile Combat Employment concept in training exercises for years, but the new coronavirus outbreak has required real-world execution. “When it comes down to the Pacific theater and the … challenges we face out here, COVID is merely just another challenge to the world order,” Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus, the command’s director of air and cyberspace operations, told Air Force Magazine.

South Korean light fighter sale agreement to Argentina put on hold

04/08/2020

Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on Monday that the agreement to sell 10 FA-50 light fighters to the Argentine Air Force was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It must have been difficult for Argentina to spend its defense budget for fighter jets when it is experiencing difficulties due to the virus spread,” a KAI official said to a local newspaper in South Korea.

Boeing to build three MQ-25 carrier-based unmanned aerial tanker aircraft and avionics in $84.7 million deal

04/08/2020

U.S. Navy carrier aviation experts are ordering three unmanned aerial tankers from the Boeing Co. in preparation for future larger orders and eventual carrier deployment of these unmanned tanker aircraft. Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced an $84.7 million order to the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis last week for three new MQ-25 unmanned tanker aircraft for system demonstration.

Azerbaijan eyes purchasing combat aircraft from Russia

04/08/2020

Russia is ready to supply combat aircraft to Azerbaijan, local media reported citing the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan on April 7. 'Within the framework of military-technical cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, a delegation of specialists of the Azerbaijan Air Force visited the enterprises included in the Russian military-industrial complex.

South China Sea: US State Department Criticizes China for Reported Ramming, Sinking of Vietnamese Fishing Boat

04/07/2020

On Monday, the U.S. State Department criticized China after reports emerged that a Vietnamese fishing vessel had been sunk near the disputed Paracel Islands. In a statement, Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. Department of State’s spokesperson, said that the United States was “seriously concerned by reports of the PRC’s sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.”