Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

S. Korea and Turkey seek defense industry partnerships in drones, armored vehicles

09/10/2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in New Delhi, Saturday, and discussed ways to expand partnerships in the defense industry focusing on drones, military transport aircraft and other weapons.

Japan To Become Third-Largest Military Spender By 2027; Plans To Spend $315B Over Next 5 Years

09/10/2023

Japanese government officials and representatives of four domestic startups in emerging technologies with potential defense applications met in Tokyo on Sep. 6. It was to discuss ways to help the fledgling companies working on drones and robots.

India, Nigeria Ink $1B Military Deal; Delhi To Help The African Nation Boost Its Defense Industry – Reports

09/09/2023

The Indian diplomatic blitzkrieg of the past couple of years to further defense ties with African countries has started bearing fruits. India and Nigeria have inked an unprecedented US $1 billion deal to boost the defense industry in the African country. Nigeria has expressed interest in the Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, drones, and armored personnel carriers.

Ukrainian Armed Forces have success near Bakhmut and Robotyne – General Staff report

09/09/2023

Thirty-nine combat clashes took place over the past 24 hours. Russia launched seven missile attacks, 74 air strikes, and 46 multiple-launch missile attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. The Russian Federation launched another missile and air strike overnight on 7-8 September on Ukraine. Information about the aftermath of this is being updated. The operational situation in Ukraine's east and south remains difficult.

Belgium will not deliver F-16 fighters to Ukraine, citing ancient airframes

09/09/2023

After consideration, Belgium has now decided not to deliver its aging F-16 aircraft to the Ukrainian military. Belgian officials cited the fleet condition as a primary reason for their reluctance, estimating that the airframes have accumulated too many flight hours and are at the end of their service life. Coincidentally, Belgium will retire the first F-16A, registered FA-95, from service on August 8, 2023, after it reaches 8,000 flight hours, the end of structural life set by Lockheed Martin.

Boeing offers F-15EX for Poland, but details are scant

09/08/2023

Boeing today announced it is actively seeking to sell its F-15EX fighter aircraft to Poland — but for now, both sides are keeping their cards close to their chest. Boeing held a Thursday press conference at the annual MSPO defense trade exhibition, although offered little in the way of details about what a potential F-15EX buy would look like.

Rafales on the upswing? French fighter eyes additional Mideast sales

09/08/2023

The United States’ dominance of the combat aircraft industry could see increased competition as the French hope to bolster their slice of the pie. With a German veto blocking Eurofighter deliveries to Saudi Arabia, and amid Israel’s persistent opposition to any F-35 sale to Qatar, this may be French firm Dassault’s opportunity to further push its fighter in the region.

First F-16 Block 70/72 aft fuselage manufactured in Poland

09/07/2023

In a symbolic return to the tradition of manufacturing military jet aircraft, the F-16 structures are being built in a renovated hall where training and combat aircraft were produced more than 20 years ago. The completed F-16 aft fuselage, similar to smaller F-16 components also manufactured in Mielec, is destined for export to Lockheed Martin’s production line in Greenville, South Carolina, where F-16 Block 70/72 fighter aircraft are currently being manufactured for customers around the world.

Upgraded F-35 Deliveries Delayed to Mid-2024; USAF Prioritizes New Units in the Meantime

09/07/2023

The first F-35s with the Tech Refresh-3 upgrade—largely a processor upgrade upon which the Block 4 configuration of the fighter will ride—will be delivered before the middle of next year, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson said Sept. 6. Previously, TR-3 jets were forecast to become available in the last quarter of calendar 2023.

US Air Force general eyes more uses for drone wingmen By Stephen Losey

09/07/2023

The U.S. Air Force should consider additional uses for its planned fleet of drone wingmen beyond just flying them alongside fighter jets, a top officer said Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, the service’s deputy chief of staff for operations, made his pitch Wednesday at the Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia, suggesting the proposed collaborative combat aircraft could fly alongside the Air Force’s next-generation aerial refueling system.

Mirage-2000: Zelensky Meets Macron; Triggers Buzz Of France Sending Dassault Combat Jets To Ukraine

09/06/2023

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced he had struck a significant agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron on training Ukrainian pilots in France, speculation is rife that Paris could eventually announce the transfer of its Mirage 2000 fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Russia's Increasingly Desperate Drone Defenses: Truck Tires and Jacked-Up Missiles

09/06/2023

Embarrassed by Ukrainian drones penetrating Russia’s most sacrosanct air space apparently at will, Kremlin air defense planners are trying several creative countermeasures: parking expensive anti-aircraft missile systems on towers, piling used truck tires on the wings of strategic bombers, and putting up smoke screens.

The Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with a Mi-8 helicopter said he flew 32 feet above the ground to avoid being seen and turned off his transponder, per the WSJ

09/06/2023

The pilot who pulled off a first-of-its-kind defection from Russia to Ukraine flew 32 feet above the ground with his transponder off to avoid being spotted, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The defection was first made public in late August, but additional details about the Russian pilot who flew a Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine were released by Ukraine's Defense Intelligence in a video posted on Sunday.

Map shows China stepped up circling Taiwan's ADIZ in August

09/05/2023

Intrusions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in August dropped slightly by 20% from July, but there were more flights that circled Taiwan. In August, 130 Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military planes breached Taiwan's ADIZ, a 20.2% decrease from the 163 reported by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in July.

Lockheed Martin to Establish European F-16 Training Center in Romania

09/05/2023

Lockheed Martin is partnering with the governments of Romania and the Netherlands to establish a European F-16 training center in Bucharest. The facility would help ensure the safety and effectiveness of Romanian military personnel flying and operating the multi-role fighter aircraft. It could also expand to training aviators from other European nations, including Ukraine.

Israel requests U.S. approval to purchase more F-35 aircraft

09/05/2023

Israel has submitted an official request to the United States to purchase a third squadron of F-35 stealth combat aircraft, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Sunday. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant submitted a Letter of Request to the U.S. Department of Defense in order to sign the deal "in the next few months," according to a statement released by the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Russian Su-34 Fighter Can Now Fire Hypersonic Missiles; The 1st Crew That Made It Possible To Be Awarded

09/05/2023

An informed defense official told Russian state news agency TASS, “The Su-34 fighter jet used the Kinzhal hypersonic missile in the special military operation. The first crew who accomplished such a task will receive state awards.” The official did not, however, disclose the time and location of the attack.

RAF conducts first F-35B forward refuelling trial

09/03/2023

The capability trial is central to the Royal Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy. According to the press release, ACE focuses on the “ability to refuel and re-arm aircraft at austere locations.” Based at RAF Wittering, 1 ELS ensures that the Royal Air Force is adequately equipped and fueled during deployed air operations.

Like India’s Astra BVRAAM, Japan Is Also Developing A New Air-To-Air Missile For Its Sixth-Gen Fighter

09/03/2023

This achievement catapults India into an exclusive league of nations with the capability to develop and launch their indigenous air-to-air missile from fighter aircraft developed on home turf. Following a similar trajectory, Japan appears to be planning to design a new air-to-air missile intended for the next-generation fighter aircraft being co-developed with Britain and Italy.

Iran Reportedly Receives Russian Jets, But They Aren’t The Long-Sought-After Su-35 Flanker

09/03/2023

Jets Iran ordered from Russia have begun arriving in the country, according to Iranian media reports. However, these aircraft are not the Su-35 Flanker fighter jets Tehran had hoped to begin receiving this year. On Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported the country received subsonic Yak-130 trainer jets, citing undated imagery and video purportedly showing the new aircraft bearing IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) markings.

Is the West’s influence waning in South America?

09/02/2023

Against a long-standing absence of interstate conflicts, South American armed forces largely focus on domestic operations, including fighting organized crime. However, the region’s defense and security capabilities are undermined by aging equipment amid reduced fiscal space.

Australian and Thai fighters in joint combat air exercise

09/02/2023

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) returned from combat air training with personnel and aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) under Exercise Thai Boomerang 23, the first such iteration of the biennial event since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019. The exercise involved F/A-18F Super Hornets from 1 Squadron RAAF working alongside RTAF F-16 Fighting Falcon and JAS-39 Gripen fighters.

ANALYSIS: Why Training Ukrainian Pilots on Swedish Gripen Fighters is Important

09/02/2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, announced at a recent press conference that Ukrainian pilots are already flying Swedish aircraft and that “we are getting closer to having the Gripen in our skies.” Designed to combat a possible invasion of Sweden by Russia in a northern climate, it could be a solution to Ukraine’s air superiority woes. But the question of the supply of these aircraft to Ukraine remains open.

Pentagon: Russian fighter jets approached US and Coalition aircraft over Syria 7 times in August – at times within 1,000 feet

09/02/2023

Russian fighter aircraft approached US F-35 fighter jets and other Coalition aircraft over Syria on seven occasions during the month of August and in several instances flew within 1,000 feet, the Pentagon said Friday.

Future fighter program poses key test for US Air Force’s design method

09/01/2023

The futuristic Next Generation Air Dominance fighter platform now in the works is likely to be one of the most complex, highest-stakes weapon acquisitions in the U.S. Air Force’s history. The sixth-generation fighter jet is expected to include new technologies ranging from cutting-edge adaptive engines to an autonomous drone flying alongside its wings. If NGAD works as the service hopes, it could prove critical in a potential war against China.