Military Aviation News Archive
12/18/2017
The US Air Force no longer needs to rob its A-10 fleet’s maintainers to support the incoming Lockheed Martin F-35As, according to a Congressional report. The F-35 delivery plan currently outpaces the number of maintainers the USAF can maintain and recruit until fiscal year 2020. In the interim, the service is hiring contract maintainers through 2019 in non-deploying squadrons to allow the USAF to stand up new F-35 squadrons, but Congress remains wary of a long term gap.
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12/18/2017
Lebanon is to receive MD Helicopters MD530Gs and Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles as part of a new military assistance package from the USA. Announced by the US embassy in Beirut on 13 December, the deal is worth more than $120 million.
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12/14/2017
Russia has started testing its new Sukhoi Su-57 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter with its new next-generation Saturn izdeliye 30 engines. The flight-testing with the new engines will run for several years. In the meantime, the Russians will build a dozen Su-57s equipped with interim Saturn AL-41F1 afterburning turbofans producing 32,500lbs thrust each for operational testing.
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12/14/2017
The Pentagon’s top weapons tester intends to approve limited testing on the Lockheed Martin F-35 while the programme office waits for modifications needed to begin the fighter’s full initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E).
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12/14/2017
Kuwait's future fleet of Typhoons remains on track for introduction from 2019, with the first major parts now in production by the Eurofighter partner companies. "Production activities have begun, in order to comply with the contract and customer expectations," the Eurofighter consortium says. Kuwait signed for 28 of the multirole type – including six two-seat trainers – in 2016 and Italy's Leonardo is lead partner for the sale.
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12/14/2017
Elbit Systems is to provide the Israeli air force with flight simulation services to support operations with its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules tactical transports until 2030. Announced by the company on 6 December, the $74 million deal covers both the new-generation C-130J and Israel's upgraded C-130H transports.
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12/14/2017
Israel Aerospace Industries has upgraded the Colombian air force's Kfir fighters to its latest C-60 standard, enabling the type to carry an expanded range of weapons and sensors. Benjamin Cohen, general manager of IAI's Lahav division, says the avionics suite at the heart of the upgrade is similar to the one installed in the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52.
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12/13/2017
The Pentagon is upgrading mission systems avionics as part of a tech refresh effort for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that improves memory, weapons delivery, storage, processing speed, display video and aircraft parametric data, industry developers said.
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12/13/2017
China’s military sent fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to patrol the self-governed island of Taiwan on Monday. The “island encirclement patrol” took place after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that Beijing would invade Taiwan if any U.S. warships made port visits there.
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12/13/2017
I had the opportunity to fly the F-16 in the US, Gripen in Sweden and Eurofighter in the UK during official visits to these countries as chief of air staff. I also flew the Rafale in India during ‘Exercise Garuda’ with the French air force. These fighter aircraft are very impressive in their performance, equipped with state-of-the-art systems and weapons to execute operational tasks.
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12/13/2017
Canberra has confirmed that it will sell 18 Boeing F/A-18 A/B Hornet fighters to Canada for an undisclosed amount. The first two "classic" Hornets will delivered to Canada in 2019, when the Royal Australian Air Force's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35A will be well underway, says defence minister Marise Payne.
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12/13/2017
Canada will hold an open competition to replace its aging CF-18 fighter fleet, but sent a firm warning to any company who might try to hurt Canadian business. That admonition appeared as a not-so-veiled threat toward Boeing, whose commercial arm launched a spat with Bombardier by accusing the Canadian manufacturer of dumping the CSeries on the market.
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12/12/2017
The tortuous Rafale acquisition saga has put a dent in an otherwise robust defense relationship. India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition for 126 aircraft, won by France’s Dassault Rafale, was initiated by the erstwhile United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in August 2007.
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12/12/2017
Qatar has entered a deal to obtain 24 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters just days after confirming an order for 12 additional Dassault Rafales. BAE Systems, the Eurofighter campaign lead for Qatar, says that the deal is valued a £5 billion ($6.7 billion).
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12/10/2017
The Israeli air force on 6 December declared its Lockheed Martin F-35I "Adir" combat aircraft as having achieved initial operational capability. Air force commander Maj Gen Amikam Norkin confirmed the milestone involving the stealthy type, nine of which are assigned to its 140th "Golden Eagle" squadron at Nevatim air base. The declaration followed an inspection performed on five of the unit's jets, after which the service says "the aircraft was found fit for operational activity".
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12/10/2017
Qatar will operate a future fleet of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, having signed an option to boost a previous commitment for 24 of the type. Announced by the manufacturer on 7 December, the development builds on a contract signed in May 2015 covering the provision of 18 single-seat Rafale EQs and six two-seat DQ-model trainers. Dassault has not disclosed whether the fresh order for 12 units will contain any additional trainers.
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12/10/2017
A Lockheed Martin F-22 grounded since a trainee pilot’s error led to a crash landing in May 2012 could be ready to return to service next March after a nearly six-year-long repair job, according to a new US Air force document. The process to return the aircraft, serial number 4037, to service condition offers a glimpse into the effort the USAF will undertake to keep as many of the limited number of F-22s flying rather than writing them off after extensive damages.
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12/07/2017
Northrop Grumman is partnering with composites manufacturer VX Aerospace on a canister-launched unmanned air vehicle that could fly on the US Navy’s updated Boeing E/A-18G Growler. The Office of Naval Research funded an October flight test that demonstrated the Dash X, a 3.66m (12ft)-long folding UAV, could collect and share electronic warfare information in flight with a manned aircraft.
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12/07/2017
Singapore air show organizer Experia has announced a number of new exhibitors for the show's sixth edition, which will run from 6 to 11 February 2018. At a media briefing, Experia managing director Leck Chet Lam highlighted Boom Supersonic and Honda Aircraft, amongst other new exhibitors including IHSE Asia, WEARE Group and Wright Brothers Science and Technologies Development.
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12/07/2017
Boeing’s first KC-46A tanker slated for the US Air Force operational fleet made its maiden flight this week, pushing the aircraft closer to a newly-delayed, 2018 delivery. While Boeing has flown six other test articles, the newest 767-2C-based aircraft will be one of the first 18 inducted into the service next year. The USAF had expected Boeing to deliver the first KC-46 by the end of 2017.
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12/07/2017
Russia’s latest fighter aircraft flew on 5 December for the first time with the NPO Saturn “Product 30” engine, which will be the production standard for the Sukhoi Su-57. Sukhoi has built and flown nine flight test prototypes of the Su-57 fighter powered by NPO Saturn Product 117 engines, which are derived from the AL-41F-1S afterburning turbofans developed for the Su-35.
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12/07/2017
France has taken delivery of its first Airbus Defence & Space A400M equipped with underwing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods, edging its air force closer to introducing a new tactical tanker capability.
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12/05/2017
North Korea issued a dire warning Monday as a large-scale joint U.S.-South Korean air exercise got underway. Two hundred and thirty U.S. military aircraft and 12,000 American personnel are participating in a five-day annual joint exercise with the South Korean military known as Vigilant Ace 18.
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12/05/2017
The Government of Qatar is expected to soon sign a contract with BAE Systems for the purchase of Typhoon fighter jet and Hawk trainer aircraft. Qatar intends to acquire a total of 24 Typhoon and six Hawk aircraft from the UK firm. In September, Qatar Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the then-UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to purchase Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft.
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12/05/2017
Russia has sent Argentina all the necessary materials for taking part in a tender for fighter jets with its Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Anatoly Punchuk told TASS on Monday. Punchuk is heading the Russian delegation at the Expodefensa 2017 arms exhibition in Bogota, Colombia. The arms show is being held on December 4-6.
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