Military Aviation News Archive

Pentagon Comments on Russia's Airstrikes With Cruise Missiles in Raqqa

02/18/2017

The United States has no particular reaction to the news that the Russian military has conducted cruise missile strikes on Daesh near Syria's Raqqa, US Department of Defense spokesperson Jeff Davis said in a briefing on Friday.

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'Waste of Money': Will Israeli 'Pythons' Make Vietnam's Air Force Any Better?

02/18/2017

A Vietnamese online paper recently published an article, whose author tries to justify the need to arm the country’s Russian-made Su-27/30 fighters and Su-22 fighter-bombers with Israeli-made Python-5 air-to-air missiles.

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US Major General: Air Force Developing New Jet to Replace F-35 Since 'Long Ago'

02/17/2017

The US Air Force has worked long time on developing a sixth generation combat aircraft to replace the F-35 jet once it reaches the end of its service in 2070, US Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements Maj. Gen. Jerry Harris said in a congressional testimony on Thursday.

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16 more JF-17 aircraft handed over to PAF

02/17/2017

Sixteen more JF-17 Thunder jets were inducted into the No. 14 Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force during a ceremony held at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex on Thursday. Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif attended the ceremony as the chief guest while Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman was also present.

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U.S. Adversaries Closing Gap With American Aircraft Capabilities

02/17/2017

U.S. adversaries are rapidly catching up to America's fifth generation fighter aircraft capabilities—a risk that has exacerbated given ongoing cyber vulnerabilities in the F-35 fighter jet program, according to an Air Force major general.

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Commercial helicopters unable to meet Huey recapitalisation requirements

02/17/2017

The US Air Force has delayed the release of its final request for proposal to recapitalise its fleet of UH-1N Huey helicopters, after contractors told the service their off-the-shelf solutions would not meet all of the proposed requirements.

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Lockheed pulls out of FA-50 CRADA

02/17/2017

In August, the USAF and Lockheed were preparing to move the FA-50 into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA). The CRADA allows the air force to assess an aircraft’s airworthiness without a programme of record. With a USAF stamp of approval as a gold standard in assessment, the CRADA can open up aircraft to direct commercial sales customers.

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?US Air Force must retrofit 108 F-35As

02/17/2017

The air force is now facing a fleet of 108 F-35As that must be retrofitted from the Block 2B or 3i configuration, Lt Gen Jerry Harris, USAF deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, states in a 16 February testimony to Congress. The USAF and the F-35 Joint Programme Office are working together on a Block 3F upgrade plan.

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Russia to Begin Exporting Il-76 When Aerospace Forces Adopt Il-76MD-90A - Rostec

02/17/2017

Russia will begin supplying foreign customers with its Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifters after the Russian Aerospace Forces put into service its Il-76MD-90A modification, Rostec state corporation's chief international cooperation official said on Thursday.

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Will Sweden Supply India’s Latest Fighter Jet?

02/16/2017

Swedish aircraft maker Saab and U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin are the runner-ups in a fierce international competition to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with up to 250 new Western-made single-engine fighter jets in the 2020s.

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US Navy revives interest in Super Hornet engine upgrades

02/16/2017

The US Navy has revived interest in studying a major upgrade of the engine that powers the Boeing F/A-18E/F, EA-18G and two foreign fighters, including the possible addition of new technologies.

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KC-46A tests delayed until January 2018

02/16/2017

Initial operational test and evaluation on the Boeing KC-46A tanker will begin in January 2018 at the earliest, US Air Force officials tell FlightGlobal. In a 10 February interview at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, KC-46 programme manager Col. John Newberry told FlightGlobalthat testing will begin pending the results of a US Air Force IOT&E readiness review in the fall of 2017.

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AERO INDIA: Saab talks up Gripen industrial opportunity

02/16/2017

The Saab Gripen has appeared at the Aero India show for the first time since 2011, signalling the Swedish firm’s determination to win a planned Indian single-engined fighter deal.

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AERO INDIA: Tanker suppliers ready for new tender

02/16/2017

Boeing, IAI, and Airbus Defence & Space all say recognize the need India has for tanking capability at this year’s show. Airbus’s A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) has twice been selected for New Delhi’s tanker requirement. Unfortunately, both times the deal has fallen through, leaving the Air Force to soldier on with its Ilyushin Il-78 Midas tankers.

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Beijing Warns US Against Planned Maritime Patrols in South China Sea

02/16/2017

On Wednesday China responded to rumblings about the US planning fresh naval patrols in the South China Sea by warning Washington not to impose on their sovereignty. The Navy Times reported on Sunday that officials with the Pacific Command and US Navy were considering having the Carl Vinson carrier strike group, based in San Diego, conduct freedom of navigation patrols in the waterway.

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India Gets First Locally Designed Early Warning and Control Aircraft

02/16/2017

On Tuesday India’s Air Force received the first three indigenously designed airborne early warning and control platforms (AEW&C) from the country’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

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Russia Ready to Increase Licensed Production of Su-30MKI Fighter Jets in India

02/16/2017

Russia is willing to ramp up the licensed production of its Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets in India, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) told Sputnik on Wednesday.

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India Approves $203 Million to Ramp up Production of Indigenous Combat Aircraft

02/16/2017

To meet the shortage of Fighter Jets in Indian Air Force, Narendra Modi led government has approved $203 million for another production line of its light combat aircraft Tejas. India needs to increase its domestic production capacity to at-least 16 fighters per year which is currently as low as eight fighters per year. India needs 300-400 more fighter jets of different types over the next decade.

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Russia Breaks Arms Control Treaty By Deploying Land-Based Cruise Missiles

02/15/2017

Russia’s shadowy SSC-8 land-based land-attack cruise missile has been in testing for nearly a decade, but now, according to The New York Times, the system has gone operational and has been deployed to two separate locations. Although both the US and Russia have thousands of cruise missiles they are not supposed to have land-based cruise or ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear or conventional warheads over a range of 300 to 3,400 miles.

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Trump administration taking fresh look to have F-16 fighter aircraft production in India

02/15/2017

The Trump Administration is taking a "fresh look" at Lockheed Martin's proposal to have a F-16 manufacturing base in India if it agrees to buy the fighter jets, officials from the US defence giant said.

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F-35A premiers at Hill AFB Red Flag

02/15/2017

The F-35A premiered at Red Flag this month, marking the first time the US Air Force’s Lightning Strike variant participated in the training exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The Hill event marked the second part of the F-35A’s Red Flag activities. Earlier this month, the F-35 participated in Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

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AERO INDIA: Lockheed powers up India F-16 pitch

02/15/2017

Lockheed Martin is confident of securing new sales for the F-16, and claims that the type’s economies of scale and broad user base give the Block 70 variant an edge in New Delhi’s requirement for a single-engined fighter.

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US Air Force Narrows Field For Enlisted Drone Pilots

02/15/2017

The US Air Force may select its first enlisted drone pilots for surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence training this month. Last week, the pilot selection board met to consider 185 airmen who passed the program’s qualifying phase.

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Russian Helicopters Holding to Supply About 220 Helicopters to Customers in 2017

02/15/2017

The Russian Helicopters holding company is expected to supply about 220 helicopters to its customers this year, the company’s CEO Andrey Boginsky told Sputnik Tuesday.

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Russia Showcases 300 Pieces of Military Hardware at Aero India Expo

02/15/2017

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is showcasing about 300 pieces of Russian military hardware at Aero India, an international aerospace exhibition, held in India's Bengaluru on February 14-18, Rosoboronexport said in a press release issued on Tuesday.

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