Military Aviation News Archive

Russian-Indian Missile to BeTest Fired From Su-30MKI Jet Before End 2016

02/05/2016

A supersonic BrahMos cruise missile will be tested from a Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) fighter jet for the first time in the second half of 2016, the head of Russian-Indian BrahMos Aerospace enterprise, Sudhir Mishra, said Thursday.

Boeing CEO pitches F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet to India

02/04/2016

U.S. aircraft maker Boeing Co is in a "conversation" on manufacturing its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet in India, Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg was quoted on Wednesday as saying on his first visit to the country. "We see the Super Hornet as an opportunity ... to tie directly into the 'Make in India' strategy," Muilenburg told the Hindustan Times in an interview whose authenticity was confirmed by the company.

Defense secretary: A-10 retirement plans on hold until 2022

02/04/2016

An annual Washington budgeting dance in recent years, where Pentagon officials seek to retire their legacy A-10 fleet and members of Congress take pains to preserve it, appears on hold for awhile after Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he expects the aircraft to fly through 2022.

DoD Weapons Tester Raises Red Flags Over Possible F-35 Block Buy

02/04/2016

The Pentagon has long discussed the possibility of a bulk order of F-35 joint strike fighters that would span several years and multiple international partners. But now the Department of Defense’s top weapons tester is raising concerns about committing to the so-called “block buy” before testing of the aircraft is complete.

Pentagon chief unveils plan to buy more ships, aircraft and munitions

02/04/2016

Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday announced plans for the Pentagon to buy more Navy ships, aircraft, munitions and capabilities over the next five years. He said the administration's fiscal 2017 defense budget will include money to buy nine Virginia-class attack submarines and 10 Aegis destroyers. The purchase of the submarines had been planned, but Carter said one of them would have a Virginia payload module to triple its firepower.

NATO report: A 2013 Russian aerial exercise was actually a 'simulated nuclear attack' on Sweden

02/04/2016

On the night of March 29, 2013, a contingent of Russian combat aircraft flew across the Gulf of Finland and came within 18 to 24 miles of Swedish territory near Gotland Island, which is only 100 miles from Stockholm. The aircraft followed a flight path that deviated from typical Russian air force routes in the region.

Turkey bans Russian observation flight near Syria border

02/04/2016

The Russian military says Turkey has violated an international treaty by barring a planned Russian surveillance flight. Defense Ministry official Sergei Ryzhkov says the Turkish military has refused to allow the mission intended to monitor the areas near Turkey's border with Syria and air bases used by NATO warplanes.

AN UPDATE ON INDIA’S LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT

02/04/2016

The development of India’s indigenous fighter is an important development for India and might well reshape the export market as well. It has been an uphill battle to develop the aircraft and to get it into production and operations. But India is making clear progress with regard to the way ahead for the LCA.

US Starts Flight Testing New Radars for Upgraded F-16 Combat Aircraft

02/04/2016

Flight testing has begun on the new APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) as part of an upgrade program for US Air Force’s F-16 combat aircraft, defense contractor Northrop Grumman announced in a news release.

Boeing to Provide P-8 Training Systems to Royal Australian Air Force

02/04/2016

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has selected Boeing to provide the service with P-8 maintenance training devices. This is the first international sale of P-8 maintenance training equipment currently used by the U.S. Navy for its P-8A Poseidon fleet. The RAAF virtual trainers were purchased through the U.S. Navy and RAAF Cooperative Program and will be used to train P-8A maintenance personnel starting in early 2018.

Moscow Considers Delivery of Russian MiG-29s to Serbia

02/04/2016

Russia is considering possibly delivering air defense systems and MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia, a source in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said Wednesday. "We are working on the issue of deliveries of air defense systems and MiG-29s to Serbia. This country is our strategic partner in Europe, in many spheres, including military-technical cooperation," the source told RIA Novosti.

Serious concerns raised about F-35 jet and Australia's $24 billion commitment

02/03/2016

A SENIOR Pentagon official has slammed the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet, saying it could not win a dogfight against an older jet, could not meet its test and evaluation deadlines, and could not fly unsupported against a threat.

Iraq Orders A Boatload Of Bombs

02/03/2016

Iraq began receiving its own F-16IQ fighters in 2014 and now has over ten of them regularly in action. To support this effort Iraq recently ordered nearly two billion dollars’ worth of missiles and smart bombs for their F-16s as well as some useful accessories. Iraq bought nearly 20,000 bombs, but only enough laser guidance tail kits for half of them. Most of the bombs were 227 kg (500 pound) types with about a quarter of them being 908 kg.

USAF considers defensive lasers for future fighters

02/03/2016

The dawn of the combat laser era might begin in 2021 when the US air force hopes to begin demonstrations of a podded electric laser system for fifth and sixth-generation fighter jets that can destroy incoming missiles, not just steer them off course.

Chinese military aircraft trespass into Japan, Korea airspace

02/03/2016

Two Chinese military aircraft flew into South Korean and Japanese airspace, and Japan's Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled to intercept the planes. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff stated the two combat planes entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, or KADIZ, on Sunday, Yonhap reported. Kyodo News reported the aircraft were the Shaanxi Y-9 – a medium-size plane capable of transporting 25 tons of cargo.

The IAF’s Fleet Strength Is Depleting Fast, But Su-30MKI Is Flying To The Rescue

02/03/2016

The Indian Air Force’s quick fix solution for its fighter crunch is to crank up production of the Su-30 MKI – the backbone of its combat fleet. India had initially contracted with Russia for 272 Sukhois, but that number will in all probability cross 300 by 2019. With multiple squadrons of older MiG-21 interceptors and MiG-27 ground attack jets being retired in quick succession, the IAF fighter fleet is set to decline to a low of 32 squadrons – or around 576 aircraft.

Super Bowl air cover brought to you by... the U.S. Air Force

02/03/2016

One plane has two powerful jet engines with afterburners, flies at almost 2,000 mph, can soar more than 12 miles above the earth, and has 34 air combat victories in Operation Desert Storm. The other hums along at 150 mph, powered by a six-piston engine and a two-bladed propeller. It can't get much higher than 3 miles above the ground. It's more suited to carry your grandma than a gun.

DOD reveals ‘arsenal plane’ and microdrones in budget speech

02/03/2016

The Pentagon is developiong a repurposed “arsenal plane” that would carry large volumes of bombs and missiles into battle alongside modern combat aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-35. The Department of Defense (DOD) is also investing in “fast, resilient mircodrones” that can launch from fighter jets travelling at Mach 0.9 and fly through strong crosswinds.

Langley crews give teeth to the Raptor

02/03/2016

Michael Dickens and Julian Lopez can't fly the Air Force's most advanced fighter jet, but the F-22 Raptor wouldn't have much of a bite without them. Airman 1st Class Lopez and Tech Sgt. Dickens are among the crews at Langley Air Force Base that keep the stealth fighter supplied with a lethal mix of bombs and missiles, plus a 20-millimeter multi-barrel cannon for close encounters.

Will Turkey risk a military confrontation with Russia?

02/03/2016

Tensions between Russia and Turkey continue to escalate following the downing in November of a Russian Su-24 fighter jet that strayed into Turkish airspace. Questions are being raised now whether the two countries are heading for a military confrontation. A leading Turkish military expert told Al-Monitor that such a Russian move could spell disaster for Turkey.

Su-35S at Its Finest: Advanced Fighter Which Started Its Mission in Syria

02/03/2016

Russia has sent its advanced, super-maneuverable Su-35S multirole fighters to Syria to test the brand-new aircraft in a combat environment for the first time ever; aviation experts explain what makes the warplanes so unique.

Astonishing rescue of 'blinded' RAF pilot who was guided down by colleague

02/02/2016

AN RAF fighter jet pilot who suddenly lost his sight while on a training flight was guided down to safety by a colleague who raced to his aid, it has emerged. Leading airmen described the rescue at RAF Leeming as "amazing" - saying the 622mph maximum speed Hawk T Mk 1 combat planes would still have been travelling at 115mph when they landed at the North Yorkshire station.

Israeli satellite photos show Russian Air Force deployment in Syria

02/02/2016

The Aros satellite took photos of the Lattakia air base used by the Russian Air Force, showing the vast array of fighter jets on hand, the operations of the new S-400 batteries, and the intensive amount of sorties in the area.

Pentagon to Navy: Convert UCLASS Program Into Unmanned Aerial Tanker, Accelerate F-35 Development, Buy More Super Hornets

02/02/2016

The Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) effort is being retooled as primarily a carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling platform as part of several Pentagon naval aviation mandates as part if the the service’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget submission, USNI News has learned.

France Places C-130 Order

02/02/2016

France has placed an order for four Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft – two standard C-130J transports and two KC-130Js equipped for in-flight refueling of helicopters, the defense procurement office said. “Direction Générale de l’Armement ordered on Jan. 29, 2016 from the US Air Force four new Hercules C-130Js,” the DGA said in a Feb. 1 statement. The first two aircraft will be delivered between the end of 2017 and early2018, with the two refueling versions due in 2019.