Military Aviation News Archive

USAF solicits final bids for $6.9 billion JSTARS deal

12/31/2016

The US Air Force has launched the bidding phase in a $6.9 billion competition to select a replacement the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS ground surveillance fleet with a business jet-class aircraft.

Lockheed Martin Wins $61Mln Contract to Maintain F-22 Raptor Jets

12/31/2016

The Department of Defense said that US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics received a $61 million Air Force contract to provide maintenance support for F-22 Raptor combat aircraft.

Russian Jets Strike Daesh Positions Near al-Bab to Support Turkish Troops

12/31/2016

After brokering a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and opposition rebel groups, Russia bolstered Turkish military operations in the fight against Daesh, with three airstrikes around al-Bab.

Defence Minister and Finance Minister at Odds over New Fighter Planes

12/30/2016

Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister Damir Krsticevic said on Thursday before the cabinet meeting that Croatia needed combat airplanes for its Air Force and that the decision would be made in 2017, stressing that such a decision should be reached by consensus of parliamentary parties because it is a non-partisan issue regarding national security, reports Index.hr on December 29, 2016.

Israeli air force retires F-16A/B 'Netz' aircraft from service

12/30/2016

The Israeli air force officially retired the F-16A/B "Netz" fighter aircraft, concluding the plane's 36 years of operational service with the branch. 90 Netz aircraft were withdrawn from service during a ceremony at Israel's Ouvda Air Force Base. The event was marked by high praise for the plane's combat capabilities, including its performance during several of Israel's most notable armed conflicts.

Potential peace through technology

12/29/2016

What the former assistant secretary of the Navy said is descriptive of the entire military. Each service’s culture, and interservice rivalries, and bureaucratic viscosity are resistant to reform. Which is why the next secretary of defense, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, has the most difficult management challenge in American government.

Sweden Faces Major Funding Challenge in Defense Modernization

12/29/2016

Sweden is facing a major challenge in how it will fund a huge future defense modernization bill, a situation compounded by serial underspending by various Swedish governments in defense budgets delivered since 2004.

Croatian Air Force Surviving Despite Difficult Times

12/29/2016

In the last 16 years, Croatia’s armed forces been have significantly reduced in numbers, actually more than halved, but in some areas the numeric decline was less pronounced. During these years, Croatian Air Force and Air Defence managed to survive and even modernize some of its resources. In late 2016, Air Force has nearly a hundred different aircraft, of which 49 planes and 48 helicopters, reports Vecernji List on December 28, 2016.

India: Air Force Chief Wants 200-250 New Combat Aircraft

12/29/2016

The most senior officer of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshall Arup Raha, set to retire on December 31, told reporters on December 28 that the service needs to add 200 to 250 new aircraft in the medium-weight fighter jet category to maintain its edge over regional rivals.

Russia Left Out From Major Indian Tender for EW Suites

12/29/2016

India has requested for quotations from seven global manufacturers for electronic warfare (EW) self-protection suites to accelerate the upgrading of its self-developed light combat aircraft Tejas Mark-1A. Interestingly, India did not send a request to the Russian manufacturer Rosoboronexport though it has been selected to compete in the tender for AESA radars for the same aircraft.

For sale: 40 Israeli F-16 fighter jets with history

12/28/2016

On Monday the Israel Air Force retired the last of its F-16 "Netz” (Hawk) aircraft, used in the “Flying Dragon” force – aka “Red Squadron” – based at the IAF's Uvda base in southern Israel. The plane, which flew for years in operational missions and was later used for teaching combat pilots in advanced stages of training, has been grounded after 36 years of activity.

China's aircraft carrier prowling Pacific, sending a message

12/28/2016

China's lone aircraft carrier is prowling the Pacific as the country seeks to assert its military might and build up its naval warfare capabilities. The Liaoning carrier's J-15 fighter jets practiced air confrontations and air refueling in the Yellow Sea late last week before the ship and its flotilla of escorting frigates and destroyers headed into the open Pacific beyond Taiwan and Okinawa.

Boeing’s Super Hornet manufacture hits export hurdle

12/28/2016

Boeing’s decision to manufacture advanced medium combat aircraft, Super Hornet in India, has run into a fresh hurdle with issues over their export. Michael Koch, who is Boeing’s President for Defence, Space and Security in India, told BusinessLine that the aircraft maker is committed to producing Super Hornets in India.

US-Backed Syrian Militia Seeks Anti-Aircraft Missiles

12/28/2016

The Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, a US-backed militia which claims to be fighting the Daesh jihadist group, has expressed hope that it will be able to get US-made handheld anti-aircraft weaponry, or MANPADS. The statement stands in odds with the weapon’s utility to the SDF, as Daesh has no aircraft.

Iran Plans Aircraft Carrier Build, Major Naval Upgrade

12/28/2016

Iran is looking to add an aircraft carrier and possibly heavy submarines to bolster its navy. Constructing an aircraft carrier is "among the goals" of the Iranian navy, a senior commander recently told FARS News Agency.

Time to drain F-35 Joint Strike Fighter swamp

12/27/2016

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project is now in big trouble. And the vast army of Australia’s Joint Strike Fighter contractors are also in jeopardy because our government, led by Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, has not woken up to what it means to have Donald Trump as US President.

Will: Can Mattis make peace via technology?

12/27/2016

What the former assistant secretary of the Navy said is descriptive of the entire military. Each service's culture, and interservice rivalries, and bureaucratic viscosity are resistant to reform. Which is why the next secretary of defense, retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, has the most difficult management challenge in American government.

Trump Drops a Bomb On Lockheed Martin Corporation

12/27/2016

President-elect Donald Trump is concerned about the cost of the fifth-generation F-35 combat aircraft to be built by Lockheed Martin Corporation for the U.S. military. The U.S. plans to buy more than 2,400 F-35 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled until 2037 with an estimated service life up to 2070. The F-35 is the Pentagon is expected to cost around $400 billion over the next 22 years.

F-16 vs Gripen: Which combat jet will rule supreme in Indian fighter dogfight?

12/27/2016

As India looks to replace its ageing Soviet-era lightweight combat aircraft fleet, two players have emerged as possible contenders, American defence major Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 70 and Swedish defence major Saab's Gripen E fighter aircraft.

China tests latest stealth fighter aircraft FC-31 Gyrfalcon; strategically important for India as Pak shows interest in jet

12/27/2016

China has tested an improvised version of its stealth fighter and plans to sell it at half the price of the US variant to break Western monopoly over the high-tech aircraft, which will have strategic implications for India as Pakistan has already shown interest in acquiring it.

China targets export sales with its latest advanced fighter jet

12/26/2016

An improved version of China's FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighter jet has conducted its maiden flight in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, according to aviation industry sources. Previously known as the J-31, the twin engine, radar evading aircraft is still under development by Shenyang Aircraft Corp, part of the Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Will: Technology may be key to U.S. defense

12/26/2016

The president-elect ardently advocated substantially increased defense spending, and just as ardently favors unrestrained entitlement spending. For about $500,000 in expenditures, the 9/11 attackers did over $2 trillion in damage to the United States and the world economy. The linked physical and cyber infrastructures of complex societies are vulnerable to such asymmetries. General Atomics’ scientists toil to redress this imbalance with, for example, the Predator and other RPA's.

Which fighter aircraft for Indian skies? Ageing fleets crying for replacement

12/26/2016

The dogfight for picking the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) for the security of the Indian skies is beginning anew, this time for a much larger number than the 2007 figure of 189 asked by the Indian Air Force (IAF) -- an estimated 400 for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 60 for the Indian Navy.

Russian military identifies crashed Tu-154B

12/26/2016

Russia’s defence ministry has identified the military Tupolev Tu-154 which came down in the Black Sea after departing Sochi. It lists the airframe as RA-85572, a Tu-154B variant, which Flight Fleets Analyzer shows as a 33-year old jet originally ordered by the Soviet air force in 1981.

China's Liaoning Carrier Group Conducts Military Tests in Yellow Sea

12/26/2016

China's first aircraft carrier group conducted a series of military tests in the Yellow Sea December 24, ahead of scheduled testing farther away later, its military reported.