Military Aviation News Archive

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.”

Boeing asked to integrate Honeywell ADCP II avionics computer aboard Air National Guard F-15C jet fighters

04/07/2020

Military avionics experts at the Boeing Co. will integrate the Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II aboard versions of the U.S. Air Force F-15 combat jet under terms of a $8.2 million order announced last week. Officials of the Fighter/Bomber directorate of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are asking the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis to install and repair the environmental control system on the ADCP II boxes onto F

Battle for air supremacy heats up in Libya despite COVID-19 outbreak

04/07/2020

Renewed fighting in Libya, where both sides rely on drone support from foreign backers, has fueled a battle for air supremacy that augurs further escalation despite the coronavirus outbreak in the country. It also raises the prospect of Turkey sending more military aid to its allies.

Why Israel Was Not Allowed to Buy the F-22 Raptor

04/07/2020

Israel gets a large amount of defense aid from the United States in the form of both cash, weapons, and weapons platforms — but why doesn’t Israel have the F-22 stealth fighter? Perhaps the most prominent example of American-Israeli cooperation is the Israeli version of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which Israel — and Israel alone — is allowed to modify to better fit Israeli requirements for the Middle East.

China develops fighter jet for training new generation of aircraft carrier pilots

04/06/2020

Chinese engineers have modified an old fighter jet to create a training aircraft for pilots who will serve on the country’s newest aircraft carrier – the Type 002 – which is currently in development, according to the plane’s manufacturer. The adapted JL-9 – also known as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle or “Shanying” – was produced by Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) specifically for use on the Type 002, which will have a catapult launch system, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said.

Crimean S-400s and Flankers Conduct Massive Drills to Counter Simulated Full Scale Missile Attack

04/06/2020

Russian forces in Crimea have carried out massive exercises simulating a full scale missile attack on facilities there. The drills were centred around S-400 battalions stationed in the newly claimed Russian territory - which is still hotly disputed by Ukraine and the Western Bloc and joined the Russian Federation in 2014. The peninsula is among the most heavily fortified of Russian territories, and is on the frontlines of a potential war with NATO or Ukraine.

Hill AFB fighter pilots continue flying, despite increasingly stringent COVID-19 measures on base

04/06/2020

Right now, Hill Air Force Base looks drastically different than it did just a few weeks ago. To help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, base brass has restricted access to the commissary and restaurants, closed all morale, recreation and welfare centers, and ordered a large percentage of Hill's workforce move to "mission essential reporting" duty status. That status requires that all nonessential base workers stay off the installation unless they are granted permission from a supervisor

China’s military and paramilitary forces have been employing lasers with increasing frequency since at least 2018.

04/05/2020

China is laser-focused on maritime primacy — quite literally. Beijing is leveraging lasers and other emerging technologies to expand and police its offshore sphere of influence and keep American and allied naval power at bay. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) finds it insufficient to fabricate law with expansive nine-dash line claims and coerce others the old-fashioned way via ramming and gunboat diplomacy.

US Navy will receive three additional MQ-25 unmanned refueling aircraft from Boeing

04/05/2020

“We’re honored to have the Navy’s confidence in our system design and performance that is evident from this additional order,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing’s MQ-25 program director. “This order establishes uninterrupted production of the first MQ-25 aircraft and lines up with the Navy’s MQ-25 test and training plans for fleet introduction. The MQ-25 program is vital in ensuring the Navy can deliver a critical unmanned aerial refueling capability to the carrier air wing.”

Boeing suspends production of Chinook and Osprey aircraft

04/04/2020

Boeing has suspended operations at its Ridley Township, Pennsylvania facilities due to the spread of coronavirus, the company said Thursday. The site includes manufacturing and production facilities for military rotorcraft such as the H-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf multi-mission helicopter and the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft for defense customers, Boeing said.

China's Air Force Is Being Held Back By Its Terrible Jet Engines

04/04/2020

The Chinese defense industrial base is infamous for its tendency to “borrow” from foreign designs, particularly in the aerospace industry. Almost the entirety of China’s modern fighter fleet have either borrowed liberally from or directly copied foreign models.

US Air Force Reserve receives first HC-130J Combat King II

04/04/2020

The US Air Force (USAF) Reserve has received its first Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II. The turboprop transport is to be operated by the 39th Rescue Squadron, part of the 920th Rescue Wing, at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, says Lockheed Martin on 2 April. The Reserve flies the older HC-130 P/N Combat King search-and-rescue transport. The USAF received its first HC-130J in 2011. The US Coast Guard also operates a fleet of HC-130Js for search and rescue.

Netherlands takes new CH-47F as Boeing pauses production

04/04/2020

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has taken delivery of its first Boeing CH-47F Chinook produced in the manufacturer’s latest standard, with its Defence Helicopter Command to eventually operate 20 of the tandem-rotor transports. “The RNLAF made it clear to us that they need the advanced, proven capability of the CH-47F now,” says Andy Builta, the manufacturer’s CH-47 programme manager.

US awards Lockheed $512 million for Bulgarian F-16 production

04/04/2020

The US government has awarded Lockheed Martin $512 million to produce eight F-16 Block 70 fighters for Bulgaria. The project is expected to be completed by 31 January 2027, says the US Department of Defense in a contract announcement. The work will take place in Fort Worth, Texas and at Lockheed’s new F-16 line in Greenville, South Carolina.

Done deal: Boeing will have to rip and replace KC-46 sensor and camera systems on its own dime

04/03/2020

The agreement puts an end to years of negotiations between the Air Force and aerospace giant over the nature and extent of redesign work needed to correct the Remote Vision System, the collection of cameras and sensors that provide boom operators the imagery needed to steer the boom into another aircraft and safely transfer fuel.