Military Aviation News Archive
10/13/2024
Taiwan might not move forward with its Advanced Defense Fighter (ADF) program over a host of technological, financial and commercial-diplomatic hurdles, Up Media reported. Chief among them is a prohibitive cost, together with the inability to develop a high-thrust engine and “unwillingness” of foreign defense firms to participate as the main contractors. The report also mentioned the thrust on “asymmetric” systems that is de-prioritizing big capital weapons.
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10/13/2024
More than 130 NATO aircraft took to the skies over Europe this week in a major show of strength and coordination as part of the Ramstein Flag exercise. The multinational drill, which took place in Greek airspace, involved fighter jets and support aircraft from over 12 NATO member nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Italy, and Poland.
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10/13/2024
An F-16 Fighting Falcon, possibly supplied by Denmark earlier this year, has reportedly claimed its first air-to-air kill against a Russian Su-34 aircraft in Ukraine. The incident, which occurred around 30 miles from the frontlines, was first reported by pro-Kremlin milbloggers, though neither the Russian nor Ukrainian governments have officially commented.
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10/12/2024
A new cockpit video offers an exclusive look at the operations carried out during Exercise Baana 24, in which two U.S. Air Force F-35As landed for the first time on a highway in Finland. The historic event, which took place on Sept. 4, 2024, saw the 495th Fighter Squadron’s Lightning II fighters operate from the makeshift airstrip in Hosio, Ranua, Finland.
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10/11/2024
A second russian MiG-31K fighter jet, equipped to carry the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles, has arrived in Belarus, marking a significant escalation in military presence from russia. This development, reported by Belarusian Hajun on Telegram, indicates that the aircraft has landed at the Machulishchy airfield, just two days after the first MiG-31K aircraft was deployed.
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10/11/2024
The Royal Saudi Air Force has deployed six Panavia Tornado fighter jets for the Indus Shield 2024 air exercise in Pakistan, where Turkey and Egypt also showcased their military capabilities and explored opportunities for enhanced cooperation. The drill allowed each nation to discuss and exchange best practices on the latest technologies, strategies, and operations.
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10/11/2024
Airbus Defence and Space is collaborating with Spain-headquartered Multiverse Computing to develop advanced gesture recognition software for future fighter aircraft, leveraging quantum-inspired algorithms and Large Language Models (LLMs). This initiative is part of the European Defence Fund’s Enhanced Pilot Interfaces and Interactions for Fighter Cockpit (EPIIC) project.
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10/11/2024
More of the U.S. Air Force fighters directed to deploy to the Middle East late last month arrived as Israel contemplates its response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1. A squadron of F-15E Strike Eagles began arriving in the region Oct. 9, U.S. Central Command announced.
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10/11/2024
In a significant technological advancement for the French Air and Space Force, the nation has announced the development of a stealthy uncrewed aerial vehicle (UCAV) that will fly alongside the futuristic ‘Super Rafale’ in a manned-unmanned teaming configuration.
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10/11/2024
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested information from a subsidiary of Saab, opens new tab over Brazil's purchase of the Swedish firm's Gripen fighter jets in 2014, which was the subject of a Brazilian corruption probe, Saab said on Thursday. "Saab intends to comply with the request to supply information and to cooperate with the DoJ in this matter," the company said of the U.S. queries to Saab North America.
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10/10/2024
A Kuwaiti Air Force F-18 fighter jet crashed and its pilot was killed "while conducting a training flight mission in the north of the country," the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.
Investigation was underway to find out the details and cause of the accident, ministry spokesman Hamad Al-Saqr was quoted as saying by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Xinhua reported.
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10/10/2024
The Russian Air Force has reportedly lost at least 35 Su-34 fighter-bombers in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, accounting for about a quarter of its pre-war fleet of 140 aircraft. In response, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced the delivery of a new batch of Su-34s to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
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10/10/2024
French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation has initiated the development of a new uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). The UCAV are slated to augment the capabilities of the future Rafale F5 standard post-2030. This advanced UCAV will be designed for collaborative combat, featuring stealth technologies, autonomous control with human oversight, internal payload options, and adaptability to counter emerging threats.
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10/10/2024
Local media in Myanmar are reporting that six FTC-2000G fighter jets purchased from China have arrived, and observers are concerned that Chinese military support for the Myanmar military is prolonging the conflict and worsening civilian suffering. China's supply of fighter jets, such as the FTC-2000G, has helped the junta maintain air superiority, and that has caused widespread casualties across Myanmar.
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10/09/2024
France plans to deliver French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine by the first half of 2025, Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu said in a post on X on October 8, 2024.
On June 6, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France would send Mirage-2000 jets to Ukraine and provide training for Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation program with Kyiv.
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10/09/2024
The Netherlands has delivered the first U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine, part of the 24 jets pledged to support Kyiv's war effort against Russia. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans confirmed the delivery, emphasizing the urgency given Russian airstrikes. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov expressed deep gratitude for the support. Ukrainian pilots are training on the F-16s in Romania.
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10/09/2024
The government of Kuwait has agreed to start negotiations on the sale terms of F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters to Malaysia. The Malaysian newspaper KOSMO reported that Malaysia and Kuwait had agreed to establish a joint committee to begin discussions and negotiations for the purchase of the combat aircraft. At this time, it is unknown how many of the 39 aircraft in the Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF) will be purchased, as the approval of the Kuwaiti government is expected.
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10/08/2024
The Royal Canadian Air Force has announced its CF-18 Hornet Extension Project (HEP) has achieved Initial Operational Capability. As part of a joint effort with the F/A-18 and EA-18G programme office, HEP will ensure the RCAF CF-18 Hornet fighter fleet can meet operational commitments to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and NATO until 2032, the RCAF stated. From then on, the fleet will be retired and replaced with F35-As under Canada’s future fighter capability project.
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10/08/2024
Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans has confirmed that the first Dutch F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine. “For the first time, I can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine,” Brekelmans stated on the social media platform X. “This is urgently needed. In Kharkiv, I saw the damage from Russian airstrikes and heard frequent air raid alarms. The rest of the 24 jets will follow in the coming months.”
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10/08/2024
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported the detection of multiple China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets and drones operating in areas surrounding Taiwan between October 6 and 7, 2024. 19 of the aircraft detected breached the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, and southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The exact model of the aircraft involved in the incursion was not specified. Six warships were also identified.
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10/07/2024
After suspending the NGAD 6th generation fighter program, will the US Air Force embark on a Copernican revolution in the way it designs and pilots its combat aircraft programs, and more generally, future air combat systems? This is essentially what can be understood from recent statements made by General James Slife, vice chief of staff of the US Air Force, and Andrew Hunter, vice secretary of the Air Force for acquisitions, on the occasion of the Defense News Conference.
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10/06/2024
Ukrainian forces said they shot down a Russian fighter plane Saturday while Russia claimed it made gains in Ukraine’s east. The Russian bomber was shot down near the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk province, head of the Kostiantynivka Military Administration Serhiy Horbunov was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Suspilne. Photos showed charred remains of an aircraft after it landed on a house that caught fire.
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10/06/2024
The Ramstein Flag 2024 exercise has begun with the arrival of fighter jets from the Air Forces of France, Italy, Sweden, and the U.S. in Greece. During the week of September 27, NATO Allied members started deploying their combat and transport aircraft to Andravida Air Base to carry out Exercise Ramstein Flag 2024.
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10/06/2024
Videos have started appearing online on Oct. 5, 2024, showing a RuAF (Russian Aerospace Forces) fighter jet shooting down an S-70 Okhotnik loyal wingman UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle) over the Konstantinovka area, Ukraine. The clips of the overhead flight of the two aircraft show two contrails one behind the other, with another streak of smoke leaving the aircraft in the rear and hitting the one ahead, implying it had fired it had fired an AAM (Air-to-Air Missile).
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10/05/2024
The new Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief made a strong case for the speedy acquisition of Medium-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) as the force has a yawning technological gap vis-à-vis China. However, he contends that based on superior training and exposure, the IAF will be able to maintain the status quo if China ups the ante.
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