Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

MiG-21 crashes in Rajasthan, Indian Air Force pilot killed

12/26/2021

A MiG-21 Bison of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Rajasthan on Friday evening, killing the pilot, Wing Commander Harshit Sinha. This is the fifth crash involving a Bison jet this year. “This evening, around 8:30 pm, a MiG-21 aircraft of IAF met with a flying accident in the western sector during a training sortie...,” the IAF said in a statement.

Japan Cabinet OKs record defense budget amid Taiwan concerns

12/25/2021

Japan’s Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

Russia’s CMD receives five MiG-31BM interceptor fighters

12/25/2021

Russia’s Central Military District (CMD) has received five MiG-31BM high-altitude interceptor fighters as per the basic weapons and military equipment supply plan of 2021. According to a Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation statement, a batch of five interceptor jets entered service with CMD’s fighter aviation regiment.

USS Gerald R. Ford Passes Combat Tests: Deployment Next?

12/25/2021

The carrier is armed with the Phalanx CIWS, which can be used to destroy incoming threats such as small boats, surface torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and helicopters. It functions as part of an integrated, layered defense system in order to intercept closest-in threats.

The World's Fastest Plane's Successor Will Reach Over 4,600 Miles

12/25/2021

The Lockheed Martin SR-72, which is rumored to be the world’s fastest plane, is expected to make a test flight in 2025, eight years after its private proposal in 2013. SR-72 will be the successor of the SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest manned aircraft which smashed speed records in 1974 and was retired by the U.S. Air Force back in 1998.

Indonesia excludes Su-35 from fighter aircraft acquisition plans

12/25/2021

The Indonesian government has announced that it will not proceed with the acquisition of Sukhoi Su-35 ‘Flanker-E' multirole combat aircraft. It has instead shortlisted the Dassault Rafale and the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II for the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU), Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo said on 22 December.

Chinese Carrier Group Drills in Pacific Ocean; Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group Wraps Up Exercise with Australia

12/23/2021

A six-ship People’s Liberation Army Navy carrier group led by aircraft carrier Liaoning (16) is currently operating in the Pacific Ocean, according to releases from the Japanese military. The PLAN carrier group featuring Liaoning, destroyer Nanchang (101), a Luyang III-class destroyer, frigate Rizhao (598) and another Type 54A Jiangkai II frigate, along with a Type 901 replenishment ship, was in the vicinity of the waters off the uninhabited Oki Daito Island, 315 kilometers, or about 196 miles.

Round-Up 2021: The year Indian Air Force bolstered its combat firepower

12/23/2021

The year 2021 has been eventful for the Indian Air Force with the induction of the Rafale fighter aircraft, deployment of the S-400 air defence system and contract signing for the procurement of transport aircraft C295. The Narendra Modi government, ever since it came to power in 2014, has prioritised the modernisation of armed forces. This year, the government undertook several measures to modernise the Indian Air Force and equip it to be battle-ready. Let's take a look.

Bell delivers Huey II to Bosnia and Herzegovina

12/22/2021

Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, announced the delivery of four Bell Huey II aircraft to the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) on Dec. 4. The aircraft are part of a Foreign Military Sale signed in December 2019.

Baltic air space defenders intercept Russian military aircraft

12/22/2021

The ministry reported on Monday, December 20, that in the week from December 13 to 19, the fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states intercepted one Antonov AN-12 aircraft flying from Russian mainland to the Kaliningrad Oblast. Its its onboard data transponder had been switched on, but the flight took place without a pre-filed flight plan and without maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.

The F-35’s Cyber Reliance Makes It Powerful—But Also Vulnerable to Attack

12/22/2021

This kind of cyber-reliant modernization trajectory for the F-35, intended to ensure the stealth jet retains its performance edge well into the 2070s and beyond, also needs to ensure that computer systems are sufficiently “hardened” against cyberattacks and intruders.

The RAF’s Typhoon fighter jet got its first air-to-air kill over Syria

12/22/2021

The Eurofighter Typhoon is an air superiority fighter aircraft manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. As its name implies, the Typhoon is a multinational collaboration among the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Its combat debut came in 2011 during the military intervention in Libya with the UK’s RAF and the Italian Air Force. Although it proved itself to be a capable ground-attack aircraft, the Typhoon was designed to be a dogfighter.

DOD Has Increased Its Use of Contracts to Meet Training Requirements

12/22/2021

The Department of Defense hires private companies to provide "enemy" aircraft for U.S. military training. DOD awarded almost $8.4 billion for these air support contracts in FY 2015 through 2020. We found contract awards for air support have increased since FY 2015. For example, the Air Force awarded an air support contract for $83 million in 2015 and awarded a $6.4 billion contract in 2020.

Greece Has Sky High-Hopes of Getting US F-35 Fighter Jets

12/21/2021

After Turkey was barred from acquiring them, Greece’s Air Force wants to get US-made F-35 fighter jets to bolster the country’s arsenal, hopes rising after an amendment in the American Senate tied to the defense budget. That was co-authored by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez and Florida Republican Marco Rubio in an increasingly rare bipartisan move in the US Senate that has split over ideological lines.

Inside China’s rapidly growing naval force and what this means for Australia

12/20/2021

Expect to see these soon: Chinese social media is boasting of its rapidly growing naval strength, with comprehensive and powerful battle groups soon to begin roaming the world’s seas. A set of graphic representations of Beijing’s next-generation aircraft carrier, only known as Type 003 at this point, is capitalising upon a rapidly looming shift in the world’s balance of power.

China's 2nd aircraft carrier conducts exercises in South China Sea

12/20/2021

The Shandong, the second aircraft carrier of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, recently set out for realistic combat-oriented drills in the South China Sea, in a move experts said on Sunday will enhance its capabilities.

Turkey to train its pilots on Qatar’s French-made jets to counter Greece’s Rafale fleet

12/20/2021

The Turkish Air Force is set to train with Qatar’s French-made Dassault Rafale jets to counter the Greek military, which has increased its air force capabilities with newly acquired Rafale fighter aircraft from its ally France, Nordic Monitor has learned.

Revived hopes for buying the F-35 aircraft

12/20/2021

The passage by the US Senate of the country’s defense budget, including the Menendez-Rubio amendment enhancing defense cooperation with Greece, has revived talk about Greece’s possible acquisition of the fifth-generation F-35 stealth multirole combat aircraft.

USAF F-15C pilot who became TOPGUN instructor explains how he helped the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School to develop tactics to counter the MiG-23 Flogger

12/19/2021

The history of air combat has seen one recurring theme—new tactics are learned in battle, forgotten or discarded when battle concludes, and relearned at great cost during the next war. This cycle continued into the 1960s, when America was drawn into the Vietnam War. Despite having a skill and equipment advantage, US Navy aircrews were faring poorly against North Vietnamese fighters.

The end of the US combat mission in Iraq: A meaningful change?

12/19/2021

Earlier this month, the US military announced it had ended its combat role in Iraq. The move comes just a few months after a July meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and US President Joe Biden. Afterwards, the leaders issued a statement announcing that "there will be no US forces with a combat role in Iraq by December 31, 2021."

Turkey, Azerbaijan could start production of combat aircraft

12/19/2021

Turkey has reportedly offered Azerbaijan and Pakistan to join the production of national combat aircraft. "Our doors for the joint production of national combat aircraft are open to countries that want to cooperate with us," President of Turkey's Defense Industries Ismail Demir said in an interview with CNN Turk on Friday, December 17.

Brazilian Air Force receives new batch of Meteor missiles

12/19/2021

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) received the second batch of the Meteor missile, which will equip the F-39 Gripen fighter, the first four units of which were delivered by Saab on November 24. The first batch, of a few units, had been purchased for development, integration and qualification of the aircraft. With the new armament, Brazil will make a leap in air combat capability, significantly increasing the Air Force’s deterrent capacity.

The US confirms its commitment to the sale of F-35 aircraft to the United Arab Emirates

12/19/2021

The US Government remains “very committed” to the sale of 50 F-35 combat aircraft to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as part of an agreement for the supply of $ 23.37 billion worth of military equipment to one of its main allies in the Middle East. This was indicated in a telephone call with journalists by a senior official in the Administration of President Joe Biden, who admitted, however, that it is a “very complicated sale.”

Loyal wingmen could be used to break open enemy defences

12/17/2021

Boeing didn’t mention it, but Christopher Pyne did: the company’s Airpower Teaming System could be armed. Australia’s then defence minister, speaking at the unveiling of the ATS in February 2019, omitted details of kinetic missions that might be undertaken by the aircraft, a ‘loyal wingman’ drone. But they’re not hard to guess. Most obviously, they would be attacks on relatively easy surface targets but also, quite possibly, shooting down low-performance aircraft.

RAF Lakenheath Has Become The First Base in Europe To Receive U.S. Air Force F-35s

12/17/2021

Four F-35A aircraft departed from Fort Worth, Texas, arrived at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, on Dec. 15, 2021, marking the arrival of the first Europe-based USAF’s Lightning II 5th generation. Flying as RETRO 31-34 and supported by BLUE81, a KC-135R #59-1495, and BLUE82, a KC-10A Extender #84-0189, the four aircraft (#19-5473, #19-5474, #19-5475 and #19-5476) approached RAF Lakenheath as a 4 ship at 13.50L before braking off and then all of them landing on RWY24.