Military Aviation News Archive
10/05/2024
Ukraine's F-16 pilots have had to dramatically change the way they fly in a very short period of time in order to fight Russia, and it's a tremendous challenge for pilots when they're under pressure, an air-warfare expert told Business Insider. Michael Bohnert, an engineer at the RAND Corporation, told BI the big changes Ukrainian pilots have had to make so quickly made it difficult for them to overcome old habits and muscle memory in a crisis.
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10/05/2024
Spain's Air Force on Friday confirmed the death of an F-18 Hornet fighter jet pilot after the aircraft crashed near the northeastern city of Teruel. "We regret to communicate that our teammate Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Estrada Martin died in the F-18 accident," the Air Force posted on X.
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10/05/2024
Since the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s inception, the Defense Department and industry have struggled to wrestle down its price tag to roughly $80 million or $100 million per jet, depending on the model. It’s been a grueling battle involving inflation, supply chain crunches, evolving requirements and developmental problems, and remains ongoing to this day.
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10/04/2024
The United States has expressed openness to selling F-15 fighter jets to Türkiye, according to sources familiar with recent discussions between the two nations. This development comes as Türkiye faces ongoing issues related to its acquisition of Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defense systems, which have strained U.S.-Türkiye relations and led to the imposition of CAATSA sanctions.
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10/04/2024
Ukrainian forces used long-range drones overnight to strike a Russian base where fighter-bomber aircraft and their highly destructive glide bombs are stored. A source in the Security Service of Ukraine told Business Insider on Thursday that the attack targeted the Borisoglebsk military airfield in Russia's Voronezh region. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operations.
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10/04/2024
Defense Minister Walter Enrique Astudillo Chávez confirmed that Peru will purchase 24 fighter jets for the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) to fulfill the constitutional role of defending national sovereignty and protecting the Peruvian population against threats to the country’s security.
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10/03/2024
pain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday. “The Spanish airplanes are ready, the staff are ready, as always with the professionalism of the Spanish army,” she said in an interview with Antena 3 TV station.
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10/03/2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered on Wednesday military aircraft to be deployed immediately to evacuate its citizens from Israel and other parts of the Middle East amid escalating tension, his office said. Yoon met with his national security and economic advisers over the Middle East conflict and called for a swift but measured response to any impact on the country's energy supply, trade and supply chains, his office said.
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10/03/2024
Four NATO fighter jets were scrambled and an emergency alert issued in response to a Russian drone attack on targets near the Romanian border in Ukraine's Odesa region. The jets were deployed after Russian drones were detected near Romanian airspace flying toward Ukrainian territory in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the country's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
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10/03/2024
The Philippine Air Force has awarded Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) a contract to sustain its FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft. The agreement will run under a performance based logistics (PBL) framework in which value per maintenance, repair, and overhaul relies on resulting improvements.
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10/03/2024
In the race to field the first sixth-generation fighter, the U.S. Navy is pressing ahead as the Air Force pauses its program amid concern that it’s too expensive and might not be the best answer to emerging threats. The Navy expects to award a contract for its next-generation, carrier-based fighter and expects the long-range attack jet to enter service in the 2030s, its top officer said Oct. 2.
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10/02/2024
Azerbaijan has officially confirmed that the JF-17C Block-III fighter jets it bought from Pakistan are now in service as part of a $1.6 billion deal signed in February. The president’s office announced the news, showing Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev seated inside the aircraft during his inspection of it at the Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition 2024 in Baku on September 25.
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10/02/2024
Bulgaria is to begin a long-awaited review of the readiness and training of its air force, which has seen several fatalities during combat exercises and demonstration flights in recent years.
Bulgaria guards part of NATO's eastern flank with old, hard-to-maintain MiG-29 fighter jets and Su-25 aircraft that were supplied by the USSR more than 35 years ago.
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10/01/2024
A Russian Su-35 fighter cut across the front of a U.S. Air Force F-16 conducting a routine intercept of Russian aircraft off the coast of Alaska in a dramatic incident Sept. 23. The U.S. military called the encounter “unsafe,” and said the Russian aviator’s actions were “unprofessional and endangered all.”
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10/01/2024
The U.S. military is ordering additional U.S. Air Force fighters to the Middle East after Israel launched punishing attacks on Lebanese Hezbollah and killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
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09/30/2024
Utah residents may notice a new aircraft in the skies starting this weekend. Several F-5 Advanced Tiger fighters were scheduled to arrive Saturday at Hill Air Force Base to begin a year of training alongside F-35A Lightning IIs from the 388th Fighter Wing.
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09/30/2024
While some international media are busy announcing the definitive retirement of the MiG-29 fighters, nothing has been said in the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) regarding the retirement or sale to third parties of the emblematic fighter-bombers of Russian origin. Offers have been received, such as that of the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), which proposed to sell them in exchange for U.S.-origin equipment, an idea that did not go beyond the headlines.
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09/30/2024
Neighboring rivals India and Pakistan are helping two other rival countries in the South Caucasus region build up their modest air forces with fighter jet exports and upgrades. Beaming and giving a thumbs up from the cockpit of a newly-delivered JF-17C Block III at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku on September 25, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev conclusively confirmed years of rumors that his country would acquire that combat aircraft from Pakistan.
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09/29/2024
Perhaps all the world's advanced armies pay great attention to the development of unmanned systems, as the war in Ukraine has shown their effectiveness and indispensability in the conditions of modern combat operations.
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09/28/2024
It has been announced that the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s (RNLAF) F-35 Lightning II fighter jets have reached Full Operational Capability (FOC). The fighters are now capable of performing a range of critical defense missions, from airspace monitoring to counterterrorism operations, and even contributing to NATO’s nuclear deterrent strategy.
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09/28/2024
In June of this year, the Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing in Portland, Oregon received America’s first operational F-15EX Eagle II – a revamped iteration of the legendary air superiority fighter intended to replace the nation’s aging fleet of F-15C and D fighters. These non-stealthy but highly capable fighters will be tasked with assuming the homeland defense role, but both Boeing and the Air Force are already looking at the possibility of expanding the responsibilities.
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09/28/2024
A group of Ukrainian pilots have completed a six-month training in France, the French Air Force announced last week. It is the second leg of a three-part training program, with the first phase in the UK and the third in Romania. The group began training in France in March on the Alpha Jet aircraft, a light attack jet and advanced jet trainer.
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09/28/2024
When a Russian warplane ventured near Alaska earlier this month, it faced a familiar—if perhaps unexpected—sight. On a trip into the Alaska Air Identification Zone (ADIZ) in September, a Russian Ilyushin Il-38 maritime surveillance aircraft was photographed by the U.S. military flying alongside a fighter with navy blue, light blue, and gray camouflage, complete with bright red numbering—the colors of the Russian Aerospace Forces, or VKS.
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09/27/2024
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is progressing in evaluating the C-390 Millennium multi-mission transport aircraft following the successful showcase of Embraer‘s platform at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition.
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09/27/2024
Pakistan’s military announced on Thursday that it has signed a contract to sell JF-17 Block III fighter jets to Azerbaijan. The aircraft, co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and developed in collaboration with China, with whom Islamabad has grown increasingly close as ties with traditional military ally the United States have weakened over the last few years.
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