Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

C-130s arrive in Lithuania for Swift Response 21

05/06/2021

U.S. Airmen and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and the 143rd AW, Rhode Island Air National Guard, arrived at Siauliai AB, Lithuania, on May 5, 2021, to provide airlift and airdrop during Swift Response 21.

The Air Force’s first Skyborg autonomous drone prototype made its first flight

05/06/2021

The Air Force carried out the first flight test of a “Skyborg” drone last month with an Kratos UTAP-22 Mako equipped with a bespoke autonomy system, moving the service one step closer to fielding an uncrewed “loyal wingman” for human pilots.

India wins approval to buy more Boeing P-8 maritime patrol jets

05/05/2021

Boeing's P-8 program is close to winning another foreign sale after a federal agency has approved the potential sale of six more of the maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft to India's navy. If the deal goes through — and most P-8 sales have been inked after such approvals — the order is worth up to $2.42 billion to Boeing, but final price could be lower depending on how many jets and weapon systems are ordered.

Australia faces ‘potential military crisis’ with China over Taiwan within years

05/05/2021

You go to war with what you have, not with what you need. It’s an old saying. But a relevant one. With admirals, generals and politicians warning a new Pacific war may be just three to five years away, the question is being asked: Does Australia have what it needs? Last year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised to spend $270 billion over 10 years to prepare for a “poorer, more dangerous” world.

How US Helped French Rafales ‘Outflank’ Russian Su-35 Jets To Win Egyptian Fighter Jet Contract?

05/05/2021

This is the second Rafale deal that Egypt has signed with France in five years. After signing the agreement on May 4, the Egyptian defense ministry stated that the procurement would be financed through a loan to be repaid over the next 10 years. For France also, this is the second Rafale deal this year after Greece signed a $3.04 billion agreement on January 25 for 12 second-hand aircraft and six new ones.

India, UK agree on co-production of military hardware; technology collaboration for combat aircraft

05/05/2021

In a major move, India and the UK on Tuesday vowed to expand bilateral defence cooperation, including through technology collaboration in developing combat aircraft and complex weapons, during a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson.

Nato Tiger Meet tactical-level live-fly event begins in Portugal

05/04/2021

The Portuguese 301 “Jaguares” Squadron-hosted Nato Tiger Meet event has started at Beja Air Base in Portugal. More than 3,000 military staff and 57 aircraft with a tiger in their logo will take part in the two-week tactical-level live-fly event. It will be one of the largest international exercises ever conducted in Portugal.

Egypt signs contract with France to buy 30 Rafale fighter jets

05/04/2021

Egypt signed a contract with the French Dassault Aviation company to purchase 30 Rafale fighter jets, announced the Egyptian Armed Forces in a statement on Monday evening. The deal will be financed by a loan that will be repaid over 10 years, the statement said, adding that Egypt had signed a contract in 2015 with France to get 24 Rafale fighter jets for the Egyptian Air Force. The 24 Rafale aircrafts were part of a deal valued at 5.3 billion euros ($5.9 billion).

F-35B Jets To Join The Fight Against Daesh From Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group

05/04/2021

F-35B Lightning fast jets will be the cutting edge of the Carrier Strike Group’s (CSG21) formidable power in the air. These are next generation multi-role combat aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems and stealth technology, enabling them to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.

In arms race for air superiority, Russia challenges US hegemony

05/04/2021

Five years since its return to the Middle East with a military base in Syria, Russia is moving into weapons markets left vacant by the United States and boosting sales to traditional clients. Moscow’s expanding arms sales bring money and geopolitical influence, as it seeks to challenge US hegemony.

Top Aces provides advanced combat aircraft simulation and training for German military armed forces pilots

05/04/2021

The Bundeswehr German armed forces needed fast-speed adversary air training services for the nation's combat pilots. They found their solution from Top Aces Inc. in Dorval, Quebec. Top Aces will provide advanced airborne training to the Bundeswehr starting on 1 Jan. 2022 at Wittmundhafen Air Base in Wittmund, Germany.

Israel Is Enhancing Its Air Force’s Ability To Strike Iran

05/03/2021

Israel is once again warning that it may have no choice but to preemptively attack Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. And its air force is becoming more capable of executing such a challenging mission. In late April, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen warned that a “bad” nuclear deal between the United States and Iran “will send the region spiraling into war.”

Taiwan warned to monitor China's development of new refueling aircraft

05/03/2021

A Taiwanese military expert has advised the nation's armed forces to closely monitor China's development of a new refueling tanker aircraft, warning that it would significantly boost the Chinese air force's capability to carry out long-range raids. Ou Si-fu, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said in an online article on April 28 that China is in the process of developing a refueling tanker variant of its Y-20 military transport aircraft.

Who Will Win HX Fighter Jet Program As Dassault Rafale Competes With F-35, Gripen, Typhoon & Super Hornets?

05/03/2021

Finland has received final quotations from aerospace giants for its HX fighter competition where Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen, Stealth F-35 Jets, F/18 Super Hornets aim to replace the country’s aging F-18C/D Hornets.

Arms deals to fortify Taiwan's defense capacity

05/02/2021

Defense deals by Taiwan worth $18 billion with the former US administration of Donald Trump are certain “to fortify Taiwan's national defense capacity", an expert noted on Friday. Boosting defense capacity by the island nation “under the US Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework is mainly to counter-balance and prevent the Chinese use of force on Taiwan,” said Taiwanese academic Chien-Yu Shih.

Modified U.S. F-15E Jets Transport 2X JDAM Munitions to U.A.E. Base

05/02/2021

Six U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jets featuring modified munitions carriage completed their first delivery of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The carriage allows the jet to carry up to 15 JDAMs, which convert unguided bombs into all-weather precision-guided munitions.

Five Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan's ADIZ

05/01/2021

Five Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, including two multi-role strike fighters, according to Ministry of National Defense (MND) data. The aircraft involved in the sorties were two J-16 multi-role fighters, one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane, the MND said.

RAF Typhoon detachment to begin Nato enhanced Air Policing mission

05/01/2021

The British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon detachment in Romania is set to start conducting Nato enhanced Air Policing (eAP) patrols. On 29 April, the Germany-based Nato Air Command officers gave formal accreditation for the RAF’s 121 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) for the eAP mission. The formal accreditation was given following a training period by 121 EAW to test and assure its air policing procedures.

Hawaiian Raptors fly with RAAF for exercise Pacific Edge 21

05/01/2021

Total Force Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam completed a multi-faceted, air-combat exercise April 22, flying more than one hundred sorties alongside partners from the Royal Australian Air Force and other U.S.-based units. The exercise, Pacific Edge 21, was hosted over three weeks to provide cost-effective and realistic training, tailored to equip multi-national warfighters with skills to fly, fight and win against advanced threats throughout the Indo-Pacific Region.

F-22 And F-35 Datalinks Finally Talk Freely With Each Other Thanks To A U-2 Flying Translator

05/01/2021

Five F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and a single F-22 Raptor "talked" with each other using their proprietary stealthy datalinks via a U-2S Dragon Lady spy plane carrying a specialized communications gateway payload, during a recent demonstration. This marks the first time that the Air Force's two stealth fighters were able to exchange data freely in flight, something that has been years in the making.

GAO Finds F-35 Too Expensive and Calls for Annual Affordability Reports

05/01/2021

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been touted as the most advanced aircraft ever built, but it is also on track to be the most expensive military program in the history of the United States, if not the world. The fifth-generation stealth fighter could cost more than $1.5 trillion over the life of the program, which could last until the 2070s.

First F-35C Air Wing Ready to Bring 5th-Gen Fighters to Carrier Strike Group

04/30/2021

As the Navy approaches the first-ever deployment of its advanced carrier air wing – with the fifth-generation F-35C Joint Strike Fighter paired with the CMV-22B Osprey to serve as the carrier onboard delivery plane – leadership from USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and Carrier Air Wing 2 say they’ve ironed out many integration issues between the ship and the two new aircraft types and are ready for a final exercise this summer to prove they can deploy.

DRDO trials Python-5 air-to-air missile for Tejas

04/30/2021

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted a trial of the 5th generation Python-5 air-to-air missile (AAM) for the Tejas, India’s indigenous light combat aircraft. The trials aimed to test the Python-5’s air-to-air weapons capability and the capability of the already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM.

Cobham to provide countermeasure to German Eurofighters

04/30/2021

Cobham Mission Systems announced on April 29, 2021, it won subcontracts to provide chaff and flare dispenser equipment for the German Air Force’s Tranche 4 Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. Cobham’s Chaff and Flare Defensive Aid Systems include flare dispensers for off-board infrared-seeking missile countermeasures and chaff dispensers that deploy particles to neutralise threats from radar guided missiles.

JF-17 fighter jet gets J-20’s combat missile: reports

04/30/2021

The latest, upgraded version of the JF-17 fighter jet has recently been spotted equipped with China's most advanced air-to-air combat missile that is also used by China's J-20 stealth aircraft, with military observers saying on Thursday that the weapon will give the China-Pakistan jointly developed light fighter the upper hand against its counterparts in dogfights and make it one of the world's best in its class.