Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US F-15EX ‘Dents’ KF-21 Fighter Aircraft; Indonesia Reportedly Losing Interest In Korean Jet Program

11/03/2023

Indonesia’s recent shopping spree to acquire Western fighter jets, notably the US-made F-15 fighter aircraft, seems to have dented its interest in South Korea’s KF-21 stealth fighter jet. The KF-21 is a joint effort between South Korea and Indonesia to create a next-generation supersonic combat aircraft, incorporating South Korea’s domestically developed technology.

S.Korea mulls plan B as Indonesia falls behind on KF-21 project payments

11/02/2023

Indonesia, a partner of South Korea’s KF-21 fighter jet development project, has failed again to notify the Korean government of its plan to pay its share of the project's cost, putting their partnership in jeopardy. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Seoul’s arms procurement agency, said on Wednesday that Indonesia didn’t provide its payment plan by the end of October as promised.

Air Force Plans RFP for New Tanker in Fiscal 2025, But Is Still Building Its Acquisition Strategy

11/02/2023

The Air Force aims to release a request for proposals for the KC-135 Recapitalization Program—formerly called the “bridge tanker”—in fiscal 2025 but has yet to set an acquisition strategy for the aircraft, waiting for more industry input, a service spokesperson said. Service officials have previously forecast an acquisition strategy to be ready by mid-2024.

Still reliant on Russia, India swaps MiG-21 for Su-30 MKI fighter jet

11/02/2023

Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots are converting from the MiG-21 to the Su-30 MKI, with the IAF Number 4 Squadron on 30 October flying the last sortie of the supersonic jet fighter that was in service for 60 years. The formal induction of the Su-30 MKI happened on the same day, joining the Mig-21 in its final flypast.

Ukraine had just 40 operational fighter jets in February 2022 — Zaluzhnyi

11/02/2023

At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine had 120 combat aircraft, of which only 40 were airworthy, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi wrote in an article for The Economist on Nov. 1. According to him, thanks to the material and technical assistance from partner countries, Ukraine has been able to strengthen its air force and air defenses.

French Rafales ‘Trounce’ Eurofighters As Germany Blocks Sale Of Typhoon Jets To Saudi Arabia – Reports

11/02/2023

Germany loosened export restrictions against Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Still, it refused to allow the sale of the 4.5th generation Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet to the kingdom, despite the UK government’s intense lobbying. Berlin’s refusal, unfortunately, poses a significant challenge to Britain’s production lines.

Su-75: Russia's Cheap Stealth Fighter Is Now a Giant Question Mark Now

10/30/2023

Russia’s Su-75 Checkmate fighter has had a troubling life. Initially envisioned as a cheap fifth-generation fighter intended for export, it has so far failed to get off the ground – both figuratively and literally.

Ukraine's combat aircraft land five strikes on clusters of Russians – General Staff report

10/30/2023

Ukraine’s Air Force launched five strikes on clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment. In addition, Ukraine’s air defence assets and personnel destroyed three Iskander-K ground-based cruise missiles.

China dispatches 1 military aircraft, 5 navy ships around Taiwan

10/29/2023

A relatively low-key day for China sending military aircraft and navy ships near Taiwan was reported by the Ministry of National Defense on Saturday (Oct. 28). A defense ministry post on X (formerly Twitter) said just one aircraft and five ships were detected by 6 a.m. Saturday morning. It added that the Chinese incursions were tracked by Taiwan’s military.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Now in the Mediterranean Sea, Bataan ARG in the Red Sea

10/29/2023

The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is headed toward the mass of U.S. naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea after transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday. Meanwhile, two ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group are now in the Red Sea. The Navy confirmed aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and its escorts made the transit early Saturday via social media.

Deploying additional support

10/28/2023

he Australian Government has deployed additional ADF personnel and aircraft to the Middle East as part of Operation Beech. Operation Beech is Defence’s support to the Australian Government response to the Hamas-Israel conflict. Deploying in a non-combat role, Australian Army personnel from Townsville and Brisbane, and two Royal Australian Air Force C-130J aircraft from Sydney, will join a C-17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft and the ADF contingent already in the region.

Ukraine Situation Report: Signs Longer-Range ATACMS Will Be Sent Grow

10/28/2023

There are growing indications that Ukraine could get longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missile variants from the U.S. military as early as January of next year. Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said today that her country's military needs more "game changers" like ATACMS to keep up the pressure on Russian forces.

Kuwait boosts combat readiness with new Eurofighter typhoon jets

10/28/2023

The Kuwaiti Air Force received four Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3 aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft received to 13 out of 28 aircraft. The delivery of the aircraft began in December 2021 as part of a comprehensive strategic project to enhance combat readiness. The Eurofighter Typhoon is considered one of the latest multi-role fighters and is distinguished by electronic warfare capabilities and high-speed response capabilities. The aircraft received have exceeded 400 flight hours so

Turkish new Bayraktar TB3 combat drone has flown

10/28/2023

Baykar’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Selçuk Bayraktar, announced this historic event on the nation’s centennial, stating, “On the Republic of Türkiye’s centennial, the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned aerial vehicle successfully completed its maiden flight.” The TB3, a variant capable of operating from short runways, is based on Baykar’s renowned Bayraktar TB2 platform. It taxied down a runway in northwestern Türkiye before taking off from the Çorlu Flight Training and Test Center.

Kazakhstan puts 100+ Soviet-era combat aircraft up for sale

10/28/2023

According to Forbes Kazakhstan, the aircraft are offered for sale under the condition of liquidation. A total of 117 aircraft, which were previously in service with military units in the country’s Almaty, Abai, Karaganda, and Shymkent regions, are being auctioned. These aircraft predominantly include MiG-31, MiG-27, MiG-29, and Su-24 models, which were manufactured in the 1970s and 1980s.

KF-21 Stealth Fighter: Boramae’s Bodyguard Drone Could Have Smaller UAVs Protecting It In Warzone

10/27/2023

South Korea’s first homegrown stealth fighter, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae, has been envisaged with another loyal wingman project, carrying other drones in what appears to be an extended manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concept.

Russia ‘Fuses’ S-400 Missiles With A-50 AWACS To Shoot Down Ukrainian Aircraft At Longest Possible Range

10/27/2023

A report in TASS quoting an unidentified Russian said the fusion worked perfectly and led to the downing of at least one Ukrainian fighter. While the information in the story could not be verified, and there was no official word from the Russian Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) at the time of filing this report, at the same time, there is little reason to doubt the claim.

Chinese fighter jet got within 10 feet of US bomber over South China Sea, US military says

10/27/2023

A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the US military. The Chinese pilot “flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, demonstrated poor airmanship by closing with uncontrolled excessive speed, flying below, in front of, and within 10 feet of the B-52, putting both aircraft in danger of collision,” US Indo-Pacific Command said in a Thursday statement.

US fighter pilots lay bare what it's really like to train for a mission at real-life Top Gun school in Dennis Quaid-presented Fox Nation show

10/26/2023

Dropping SEALs to confront a hostile mob at an embassy and battling Russian helicopters are just some of the tasks the nation's top military pilots face as they train in the real-life version of 'Top Gun.' The pilots at the elite Marines' Weapons and Tactics Instructor course are the best the US military has to offer. But their skills come at a price of $200,000 per student for the seven-week course - the same as an Ivy League education.

RAAF Wedgetail to protect vital supply lines to Ukraine

10/26/2023

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail early warning aircraft will use its highly effective radar system to search for missiles launched from hundreds of kilometers inside Russia and Belarus as it watches over Ukraine’s supply lines from Europe. The chief of the RAAF, Air Marshal Robert Chipman, tells The Strategist that the US decision to call in the Wedgetail to help protect the flow of military and humanitarian supplies Ukraine relies on as it battles Russia’s invasion.

U.S. and Australia agree to cooperate with Japan on military drones

10/26/2023

The U.S. and Australia will join hands with Japan to develop next-generation military drones, the leaders of the two countries announced Wednesday, stepping up efforts in the field of "collaborative combat aircraft." U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a joint statement after their White House meeting, noting that the two allies will "explore trilateral cooperation with Japan" on unmanned aerial systems.

F-16s Deploy from Germany to Iceland for Air Policing Mission

10/25/2023

A quartet of F-16 fighters and some 100 Airmen from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, arrived in Keflavik, Iceland, on Oct. 22 to take over the NATO Air Policing mission there—the first deployment of U.S. Air Force fighters to Iceland in two years. The arrival of the F-16s detachment comes a month after three B-2 bombers departed Keflavik, wrapping up a month-long Bomber Task Force deployment there.

Pentagon: China Working on Upgrades to Top Stealth Fighter, Manned-Unmanned Teaming

10/25/2023

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force is upgrading the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon, China’s answer to the Lockheed Martin F-22, and is experimenting with manned-unmanned teaming concepts, much in the same way the U.S. Air Force is doing, according to the Pentagon’s latest assessment of Chinese military power.

New delivery of Korean FA-50 fighter jets has reached Poland

10/25/2023

More Korean aircraft for the Polish Air Force. Two FA-50s have checked in at Warsaw Okecie. A total of 8 FA-50s have been delivered to date, and by the end of the year, there will be 12. Wrote the head of the Ministry of Defense. “With determination, we are modernizing the Polish Army and increasing the security of the Polish skies,” Minister Blaszczak wrote.

Sweden to upgrade its Gripen fighter jets

10/25/2023

Saab, the Swedish aerospace and defense company, has secured an additional order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to ensure the continuous operation and capability improvement of the Gripen C/D fighter aircraft. The order is valued at SEK 579 million ($52.7 million).