Military Aviation News Archive

Will Japan Finally Get the 1,498 MPH F-22 Raptor, Command Air Superiority?

07/17/2016

Tokyo has long had ambitions to acquire the ultra-advanced fighter jet, but after US politics got in the way the aircraft’s production was phased out which means Japan would have to pay a hefty sum.

Russia Tests Parts of 6th Generation, Railgun Equipped Near Space Warplane

07/17/2016

Russia’s largest radio electronics manufacturer gave a glimpse into the future of Russian air superiority confirming on Monday that components for a sixth 6th generation fighter jet are being tested on the 5th generation PAK FA T-50 prototype.

It’s Official: ‘MQ-25A Stingray’ U.S. Navy’s Name For First Carrier UAV

07/16/2016

MQ-25A Stingray, service officials told USNI News this week. Approved following a lengthy U.S. Air Force Material Command process for not only for the official “designation” (MQ-25A) but also the “popular name” (Stingray), the service can now have an official title for the unmanned aerial vehicle that’s had several labels since late last year. The word came to the Navy via a July 11 memo from the Air Force.

Russia's PAK FA Stealth Fighter: The US Air Force's Worst Nightmare?

07/16/2016

The PAK FA has played the bugbear for Western air forces for nearly a decade, the terrifying Russian jet that will eat F-35s for breakfast. American aviation analysts in search of something, anything that might threaten U.S. air dominance settled on the PAK FA, a frankly evil looking jet that bore a very mild resemblance to the MiG-31 “Firefox” that Clint Eastwood made famous.

FARNBOROUGH: Successful show debut for Embraer KC-390

07/16/2016

Embraer’s developmental KC-390 tanker/transport is due to depart on a multinational demonstration tour in the coming days, following a successful debut at the Farnborough air show.

FARNBOROUGH: BAE wins 10-year Typhoon support deal

07/16/2016

BAE Systems has been awarded a new support deal for the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, that will for the first time allow cost savings achieved under the programme to be ploughed back into capability enhancement.

South Korean navy receives upgraded P-3C Orion

07/16/2016

The South Korean navy has taken delivery of the first of eight Lockheed Martin PC-3 Orion aircraft to be upgraded by Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD). The work saw the aircraft receive improved radar, communications, acoustic devices, and other digitized systems, says Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration in a statement.

Horror in Turkey as F-16 Shoots Down Helicopter, Forces Massacre Civilians

07/16/2016

Fighting has intensified in Turkey as forces loyal to President Erdogan shoot down a helicopter from an F-16 fighter jet while the military coup plotters have taken fire on mass crowds throughout Istanbul unleashing a wave of terror.

Russian Aerospace Forces Receive 4 Jets, 23 Helicopters, 15 Drones

07/16/2016

The Russian Aerospace Forces put into service four jets, 23 helicopters and 15 drones in the second quarter of 2016, Anatoly Gulyaev, head of the Armaments Department of the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Russian Defense Ministry to Obtain Seven Tu-95MS Strategic Bombers

07/16/2016

The Russian Defense Ministry will receive seven more modernized Tu-95MS strategic cruise missile carriers, Tupolev PJSC director general Alexander Konyukhov said Friday.

Fighter Jets on High Alert in Western Russia for Flight Exercises

07/16/2016

Russia’s MiG-31BM and Su-27 fighter jets have been put on alert for tactical flight exercises in the Tver Oblast in the country’s west.

South China Sea sovereignty decision: Peter Jennings says China must be told might isn’t right

07/15/2016

IT’S not often that a complex legal judgment has such an obvious and devastatingly clear outcome. But that is what the Permanent Court of Arbitration achieved at The Hague in the Netherlands this week, when it ruled on a dispute between the Philippines and China over who owns a number of rocks and reefs in the South China Sea.

US Military Preps F-35 for Operations, Including Possible ISIS Strikes

07/15/2016

The Marines' F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has four deployments lined up across the next five years, a senior official said this week - and some of them could take it into the heart of the coalition fight against the Islamic State. Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday, Col. William Lieblein said by 2021 the aircraft will have completed three shipboard pumps with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, and one on an aircraft carrier.

FARNBOROUGH: Brimstone 2 hits the spot in Apache testing

07/15/2016

MBDA and Boeing completed the first firing of the former's Brimstone 2 air-to-surface missile from an AH-64E attack helicopter in June. The system – which its developer calls the Future Attack Helicopter Weapon – is being marketed as the primary armament for the British Army’s future fleet of AH-64Es. Made on 13 July, the announcement about the test success came three days after then-Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed plans to purchase 50 of the rotorcraft.

VIDEO: F-35B wows the Farnborough crowds

07/15/2016

The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II has flown its first public displays in the UK this week at Farnborough and the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford. The US Marine Corps aircraft, which is usually based at MCAS Yuma in Arizona, is operating out of RAF Fairford and performed its first full Farnborough display on 12 July. It also made flybys with the Red Arrows and a USMC KC-130 earlier at the show.

FARNBOROUGH: Lockheed sees bright future for F-16V

07/15/2016

There might only be 15 F-16s remaining to be built at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility in Texas, but there is still a lot of life in the fighter, the company says. While many at Fort Worth are now focussed on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Randy Howard, director F-16 business development, has a different task.

VIDEO: Eurofighter on target with Storm Shadow integration

07/15/2016

Integration of MBDA's Storm Shadow cruise missile with the Eurofighter Typhoon has cleared a key milestone, with a powered firing having recently been performed in the UK. Building on a significant number of carriage and release trials performed in 2014 and 2015, the integration activity "culminated in a powered firing which took place from a development aircraft on 14 June, flying out of BAE Systems' site in Warton, Lancashire," Eurofighter says.

Sweden's Saab Hopes to Seduce Canada With New Gripen Fighters

07/15/2016

Saab's promotion campaign for the new Gripen E fighter jet has suffered major setback. It is therefore hardly surprising that Saab's leadership has been clutching at straws. Recently, the company has been pinning all its hopes of international triumph on Canada's indecision regarding the updating of its fleet of military jets.

Russian MoD Denies Plans for Nuclear-Capable Outer Space Strategic Bomber

07/15/2016

Reports claiming that the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Academy is developing a hypersonic nuclear-capable outer space strategic bomber are not true, a representative of the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters Thursday.

US to Propose Establishing Joint Operational Center on Syria to Russia

07/15/2016

The new US proposal on military cooperation with Russia on Syria includes a plan to establish a joint command center with prospects of integrated operations, The Washington Post reports.

Blackhawk’s possible successor unveiled: ‘You need this kind of speed and range’

07/14/2016

The possible successor to the U.S. military’s iconic Blackhawk helicopter was unveiled Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow. Bell Helicopter gave attendees an up-close look at the V-280 Valor, which is part of the Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) program for assessing next-generation aircraft capabilities. Bell teamed up with Lockheed Martin to produce the aircraft’s advanced tiltrotor systems.

Desperate for planes, military turns to the 'boneyard'

07/14/2016

It's something akin to raising the dead. A troubling shortage of flyable combat aircraft - one military official recently called the air fleet the "smallest, oldest and least ready" in history - is forcing the military to go to its "boneyard." The Marine Corps announced last month it was taking the extreme step of resurrecting 23 F/A-18 Hornets to meet fleet requirements until the new - and much-delayed - F-35 fighter is eventually delivered.

LONGBOW LLC Receives $89 Million Contract for Apache Radar Upgrades

07/14/2016

The U.S. Army awarded the LONGBOW Limited Liability Company (LLC) an $89.8 million contract to upgrade the Apache attack helicopter’s LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR). The LONGBOW LLC is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The contract includes the production of 84 Radar Electronics Units (REUs) as well as software upgrades.

FARNBOROUGH: ?Bombardier looks to open up talks with USAF over Compass Call sole-source

07/14/2016

Bombardier has provided additional information to the US Air Force following the service’s proposal to sole-source a Gulfstream G550 to fulfill the EC-130H Compass Call’s mission. In May, the air force suggested Gulstream’s jet was the only option which did not require additional development or certification work.

FARNBOROUGH: Rafael and Northrop team to offer Toplite for V-22

07/14/2016

Rafael and Northrop Grumman are teaming to offer the former’s Toplite optronic system for the US Marines Corps’ Bell Boeing MV-22 tilt rotor. The two companies teamed to respond to a request for proposals issued for an advanced optronic system that is needed to improve the operational capabilities of the MV-22 in different combat scenarios.