Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Lockheed Martin delivers 134 F-35 stealth fighters in 2019

01/04/2020

Lockheed Martin delivered 134 examples of its F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter in 2019 to the US military services, international development partners and Foreign Military Sales customers. The total was three more than the 131 aircraft it expected to deliver in 2019, the company said on 30 December 2019.

Lockheed Martin awarded $7bn contract to maintain F-22 fleet

01/04/2020

Lockheed Martin was awarded a five-year contract worth $7 billion for maintenance of the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. The contract is an option exercised by the US Air Force (USAF) from its ongoing sustainment deal with Lockheed Martin, the Department of Defense says in an online notice on 20 December. This additional five-year contract will extend the service’s contract work with Lockheed Martin through 31 December 2032.

Boeing KC-46A to resume cargo and passenger flights after cargo lock fixes

01/04/2020

The US Air Force is again allowing Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refuelling tankers to carry passengers and cargo, lifting a ban after accepting Boeing’s cargo-lock retrofit. The USAF announced in September that during test flights multiple cargo-floor restraint locks malfunctioned and came unlocked. At the time, in-service KC-46As were transporting cargo. The service suspended cargo and passenger flights as a precaution.

Indonesia rolls out indigenous MALE UAV

01/04/2020

Indonesian Aerospace has rolled out the first prototype of a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV for which it sees a number of domestic missions. The aircraft was unveiled on 30 December 2019 at Indonesian Aerospace’s Bandung factory, says the company, also known as PTDI.

Pilot shortages could ground China’s plans to develop combat-ready carrier fleet

01/03/2020

A shortage of naval pilots is holding back Beijing’s ambitions to develop a truly combat-ready fleet, military analysts have said. China officially commissioned its second aircraft carrier the Shandong last week, which means it will need at least 70 pilots, along with more supporting flight officers.

Israel-Iran conflict to be major Middle East issue in 2020

01/03/2020

Neither Iran or Israel may seek war. But a diplomatic breakdown after the US pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, strategic errors and a military buildup make a direct conflict — even an inadvertent one — more likely. Tensions between Israel and Iran have increased since President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action— the 2015 accord to wind back Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief — in 2018.

Upgraded version of fighter jet developed jointly by China, Pakistan makes maiden flight

01/03/2020

An upgraded version of a fighter jet being jointly developed by China and Pakistan has made its maiden flight in the Chinese city of Chengdu, official media reported on Thursday. The JF-17 Thunder, earlier named as FC-1 Xiaolong, was a single-engine multi-role light fighter jet jointly produced by the two countries for several years with engines supplied by Russia. The upgraded version features the technologies of China's stealth fighter J-20.

Boeing’s Autonomous Fighter Jet Will Fly Over the Australian Outback

01/03/2020

If you drive along the main northern road through South Australia with a good set of binoculars, you may soon be able to catch a glimpse of a strange, windowless jet, one that is about to embark on its maiden flight. It’s a prototype of the next big thing in aerial combat: a self-piloted warplane designed to work together with human-piloted aircraft.

Beijing celebrates new year with JF-17, J-20 progress

01/03/2020

The Block III version of the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 fighter has conducted its maiden flight, and China appears to be making progress with indigenous engines for the J-20 stealth fighter. Social media accounts covering Chinese defence aerospace developments were busy over the holidays, with two notable developments.

Israel Now Has a Second Squadron of Deadly F-35I Stealth Fighters

01/02/2020

The first public photograph has appeared depicting an F-35 stealth fighter in the livery of Israel’s second squadron of the radar-evading jets. The Israeli air arm in late December 2019 released a photo of an F-35 wearing the tail markings of 116 Squadron.

‘We are losing control’: China’s ‘dangerous’ South China Sea plan almost complete

01/02/2020

The battle for the South China Sea is heating up. Vietnam. Malaysia. The Philippines. All have drawn lines in the sandbars against China. But it may already be too late. This past year, Vietnam stood its ground over the right to deploy an oil rig within its UN-mandated waters. Malaysia complained publicly of interference by the Chinese coastguard. The Philippines moved to secure its Scarborough Shoal islands.

Argentina Is Getting Four Ex-U.S. Navy P-3C Patrol Planes

01/02/2020

The U.S. State Department has signed off on Argentina’s proposed purchase of four ex-U.S. Navy P-3C patrol planes. The $78-million acquisition, should Buenos Aires follow through on it, would continue the slow regeneration of Argentina’s air power.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Saw Record Production, Big Hurdles in 2019

01/02/2020

Lockheed Martin Corp. says it delivered 134 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters worldwide in 2019, surpassing its goal of 131. The milestone marks a "47% increase from 2018 and nearly a 200% production increase from 2016," the company said in a news release Monday. "Next year, Lockheed Martin plans to deliver 141 F-35s and is prepared to increase production volume year-over-year to hit peak production in 2023."

Here's How The Deadly F-22 Got A Little Deadlier

01/01/2020

The Air Force and Lockheed Martin have now “validated” several new weapons on the F-22 Raptor to equip the stealth fighter with more long-range precision attack technology, a wider targeting envelope or “field of regard” and new networking technology enabling improved, real-time “collaborative targeting” between aircraft.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s Pretty Good Year

01/01/2020

2019 has been a pretty good year for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. In October DoD announced a fairly dramatic rise in readiness rates, and yesterday Lockheed Martin announced it had exceeded its year-end delivery goal of 131 aircraft, pushing the per-unit price tag down to below the 2016 target of $80 million, a year earlier than planned.

The German Air Force Could Soon Get Lots of Eurofighter Typhoon Fighters

01/01/2020

The German air force just received the last Eurofighter Typhoon fighter from its initial order for 143 of the planes. The German air force in late 2019 operates 141 surviving Typhoons plus 74 Tornado fighter-bombers and 30 Tornado ECRs, the latter equipped with special weapons and sensors for the dangerous suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses, or SEAD, mission.

Lockheed Martin nabs $2.35B in contracts for F-35

01/01/2020

Lockheed Martin closed out the calendar year with $2.35 billion in five new contracts for the F-35 program. The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter -- a single-engine stealth multirole combat aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps -- is considered the most advanced fighter aircraft in the sky, as well as a notable driver of the Pentagon's budget.

Refurbished Iranian fighter jet crashes during test, rescue effort underway for pilot

12/31/2019

A rescue mission is underway for at least one pilot who was in a recently overhauled Iranian fighter jet when it crashed during a test flight near the country’s northern border Wednesday, according to Iran’s state television. The Russian-made MiG-29 went down in the mountainous Sabalan region near the Azerbaijan border after taking off from the Tabriz air base in northwestern Iran, a report said. State media said the crash occurred near a dormant volcano, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Days after crash, Algeria could show interest for Russian Su-57

12/31/2019

On December 24, 2019, the first production Su-57 took off from the test runway of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft plant in Dzyomgi Airport, where the fighter jet was assembled by the United Aircraft Corporation. The purpose of the flight was to test the engines. But for an unknown reason, the brand new fighter jet crashed 111 km away from the airport. The pilot successfully ejected and was recovered unharmed. No other injuries were reported, as the plane fell in an unpopulated area.

US, Japanese F-35 Airmen Collaborate for Maintenance Symposium

12/31/2019

Maintainers from Hill AFB, Utah, recently traveled to Japan for an F-35 maintenance symposium designed to increase interoperability at every level. Eight airmen from the 388th Maintenance Group worked with a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 maintenance squadron, first discussing lessons learned and then working hands-on in the Japanese facilities on specific maintenance tasks.

Raytheon receives $768 million AMRAAM deal

12/31/2019

Raytheon has secured a $768 million contract from the US Air Force to produce Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) for the US military as well as foreign partners. The deal covers production lot 33 and will be completed in 28 February 2023, according to the US Defense Department’s contract award site.

Mi-26T2V to undergo year of testing with Russian military

12/31/2019

The Mil Mi-26T2V heavy-lift helicopter will be subjected to a series of tests by the Russian government during 2020. Assessment work with the updated version of the venerable Cold War type will take place at four locations, with crews from the Russian military testing the rotorcraft’s performance and new systems, says Russian Helicopters.

20 Companies Profiting the Most From War

12/30/2019

Global arms sales totaled $420 billion in 2018, up 4.6% from 2017, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). U.S.-based companies again dominate SIPRI’s list of top global arms manufacturers and military services providers. With Congress passing its record high $738 billion defense spending bill this December, which includes military modernization and a new Space Force military branch, this trend is likely to continue.

Secret Is Out: Why America Bought 21 Russian MiG-29 Fighters

12/30/2019

Moldova couldn’t afford to maintain the fleet and, to make matters worse, was in a deep recession. Meanwhile, the United States feared Moldova would sell the MiG-29s to Iran, which could use them to bolster its own fleet of Fulcrums. Washington was also wary that Moldova might pass the technology to Iran’s rivals since the fleet included 14 MiG-29C variants configured to deliver nuclear weapons.

After Morocco purchased 25 F-16s, Algeria orders 42 Sukhoi from Russia

12/30/2019

By the end of 2019, Algeria has ordered from Russia, its main arms supplier, 42 combat aircraft : 14 Sukhoi 57, 14 Sukhoi 34 and 14 Sukhoi 35, Algerian and Russian media reports said. An option for two other squadrons of 14 aircraft for each aircraft type has also been signed to compensate for the natural withdrawal of aircraft from the Air Force fleet in the future», added the same source.