Military Aviation News Archive
09/15/2019
With the first serially produced Su-57 fifth-generation fighter set to enter service in the Russian Air Force later this year, the Russian defense industry is planning to unveil the export version of the Su-57 at the upcoming MAKS 2019 international air show.
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09/15/2019
Recent reports about the B-21 Raider suggest that the plane might have a mission that U.S. bombers have not had for a very long time: air-to-air combat. If the Air Force continues to pursue this line of thought, it will revive a concept that dominated airpower theory in the early age of aviation, but that fell by the wayside because of technological and operational concerns in the 1950s and 1960s.
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09/15/2019
President Donald Trump’s plan to pay for his proposed border wall by taking funds from more than four dozen Air Force military construction projects poses various national security risks for the U.S. armed forces, according to a report compiled by the U.S. Air Force.
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09/14/2019
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will formally receive the first of its 36 ordered Rafale multi-role fighters in Paris on October 8, the foundation day of the IAF. Previously, the official handover was expected to happen on September 20. It will mark the first new fighter induction into the Air Force since the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas was received in 2016. In September 2016, India signed a Euro 7.87 billion (INR 59,000 crore) deal with the French government for purchase of Rafale aircraft.
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09/14/2019
The US Navy has received its first Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft with an air-to-air refueling probe. The aircraft joined the navy’s VAW-120 “Greyhawks” fleet replacement squadron, according to the US navy.
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09/13/2019
The J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” is a mainstay of China’s effort to modernize its large fleet of single-engine jet fighters, with 350 already in service. An agile tactical fighter similar to the ubiquitous F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Vigorous Dragon was the first domestic Chinese design roughly on par with Western and Russian fourth-generation fighters.
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09/13/2019
Fresh off a fraught decade-long rewinging effort, the Air Force's beloved A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet is poised to keep on BRRRTing in the free world for at least another decade — and the beloved attack aircraft will pick up some tasty new upgrades along the way.
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09/13/2019
The US Air Force (USAF) has banned the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refueling tanker from carrying passengers and cargo after it discovered cargo floor restraint devices unlocking during a recent operational test and evaluation flight.
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09/13/2019
The Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Shadow R1 fleet of intelligence-gathering aircraft is to receive a major self-protection upgrade, intended to safeguard the Beechcraft King Air 350CER-based type against attack using infrared-guided missiles.
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09/12/2019
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) will be holding their first ever joint air combat exercise, codenamed Bushido Guardian 2019, in northern Japan, according to the Australian Department of Defense (DoD). According to the DoD, up to 150 RAAF personnel, seven F/A-18A/B Hornet fighters, a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft, as well as C-17A Globemaster and C-130J Hercules transport aircraft will participate in the exercise.
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09/12/2019
Less than 15 months after unveiling its long-term air combat strategy and next-generation Tempest concept, the UK has added a second international partner to the latter activity, with Italy signing a statement of intent to work on the project. The international armament directors of the UK and Italy signed an agreement at the DSEI exhibition in London on 10 September, followed by a similar pact the next day between their defence industries.
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09/12/2019
The US State Department has approved the sale of 32 Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters to Poland as part of a package worth an estimated $6.5 billion. NATO member Poland wanted the stealth aircraft as a counterweight to Russia, a country Poland has viewed as increasingly aggressive following invasions of Georgia and Ukraine. The F-35As are to replace the Polish air force’s Russian-built MiG-29 and Su-22 fighters, says a US State Department notice posted online on 11 September.
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09/12/2019
The US Air Force (USAF) has modified a Boeing B-1B Lancer to enable the bomber to carry larger and heavier weapons, including hypersonic missiles. The service's 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base in California showcased a B-1B with the improve weapons capabilities to an undisclosed group of industry partners on 28 August, the USAF says.
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09/12/2019
Speaking to employees gathered in a delivery hangar at its Marignane site, Airbus Helicopters chief executive Bruno Even laid out the importance of the Super Puma family to the airframer. Over its 41-year history – first flight of the original AS332 took place in September 1978 – the Super Puma has made Airbus Helicopters "stronger, more humble and more demanding", Even said.
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09/11/2019
U.S. jets bombed an ISIS-“infested island” in northern Iraq Tuesday, according to new video and a statement from the U.S.-led coalition battling the terrorist group. More than 80,000 pounds of laser-guided bombs were dropped on the island located on the Tigris River south of Mosul, according to U.S. Army Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, based in Baghdad.
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09/11/2019
Poland is being offered a locally developed modernisation package for its land forces' Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters, with updates to include replacement avionics and new weapons. An integrated avionics system would incorporate new head-up and multi-function displays and the update’s developers are also proposing the installation of a Rafael Toplite electro-optical/infrared sensor turret.
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09/11/2019
Kuala Lumpur is studying options for replacing its Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters, but its poor acquisition record suggests a long process. Media reports from Malaysia quote defence minister Mohamad Sabu as saying that studies about new jets are underway, with an eye to replace the jets with new aircraft from Russia - he did not mention specific types.
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09/09/2019
As the global arms industry prepares to set up shop at the DSEI arms fair in London this week, a new report today by Amnesty International reveals that the world’s biggest arms companies - including Airbus, BAE Systems and Raytheon - are failing to undertake adequate human rights due diligence which could prevent their products from being used in potential human rights violations and war crimes.
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09/08/2019
The federal government says it’s providing additional emergency military support to areas in the Bahamas that were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian. Global Affairs Canada says a Canadian Armed Forces’ CC-130J Hercules aircraft was sent Friday to provide airlift support.
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09/08/2019
Welcome to Syria, the Russian Air Force’s battle lab. Russia has been able to gain valuable combat experience in Syria, according to Anatoly Tsyganok, a retired Russian colonel and military commentator writing in the Russian defense publication Independent. Russian pilots have learned to perform high-altitude bombing runs over Syria, fire air-launched cruise missiles, conduct low-level helicopter attacks, and effectively support the ground troops.
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09/07/2019
Russia’s intervention in the Syrian Civil War proved pivotal in saving Bashar al-Assad’s regime from defeat by Islamic rebels. While Hezbollah and Iran fought the ground war with troops and advisers that buttressed the sagging Syrian Arab Army, Russia flew constant and devastating air strikes against the rebels (and also killed numerous Syrian civilians). Russia had a chance to test numerous planes, including the Su-35 fighter, the Tu-160 strategic bomber, the Su-57 stealth fighter and various m
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09/07/2019
To continue current missions, adapt to brand new aircraft and prepare for large-scale combat operations, the Army is pushing its pilots in some of the toughest training challenges, both real and virtual, that they’ve ever faced.
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09/07/2019
In a major boost for the indigenous defence manufacturing capability, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is expected to place orders worth around ?45,000 crore with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to acquire 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighters. The IAF had issued a tender for 83 LCAs about two years ago and the project was stuck over the pricing issue as the government and the Air Force felt that the price offered by the HAL was slightly higher.
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09/06/2019
The Czech Republic intends to acquire a dozen aircraft from Bell – eight transports and four attack helicopters – as part of a fleet modernisation worth Kc14.5 billion ($600 million). Speaking during a visit to Sedlec air base in late August, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the nation wants to acquire the new rotorcraft "as soon as possible".
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09/06/2019
The Philippine air force looks set to receive two Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters donated by Jordan in early 2020. The delivery had apparently been planned for this month, but training the crews for the rotorcraft has delayed this, according to the government-owned Philippines News Agency.
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