Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

Russian fighter aircraft ‘may drive a new wedge’ between Turkey, US

03/15/2021

Russia’s announcement that it is ready to hold negotiations with Ankara on the delivery of Su-35 and Su-57 fighter aircraft if requested may cause further tensions between the US and Turkey, experts say. Turkey hired a Washington-based law firm last month to lobby for its readmission to the US F-35 fighter jet program after it was suspended following its purchase of the Russian air defense system.

Kazakhstan Military Plane Crashes; 4 Killed By VOA News

03/14/2021

At least four people were killed Saturday in a military plane crash in Kazakhstan, the government said. The An-26 military transport plane crashed as it was landing in foggy conditions at the airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, the country's Emergencies Ministry said.

Satellite maps show China building helicopter base facing Taiwan Strait

03/14/2021

A military expert said on Friday (March 12) that new satellite imagery appears to show a helicopter base that could threaten Taiwan is being built in China's Fujian Province. Ho Cheng-hui was cited by the Taiwan news website pourquoi.tw as saying the base had not been previously reported. He added it could be regarded as a product of Xi Jinping's "desperate desire to resolve the Taiwan issue and expand the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) combat power."

MiG-29K fighter from Russian Navy deployed for the first time in Arctic

03/14/2021

The MiG-31BM fighters based at the Northern Fleet’s Rogachyovo airfield have been replaced by MiG-29K fighter aircraft s of the 100th shipborne aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet’s Air Force and Air Defense Army, according to a Russian Navy statement.

2 Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan’s ADIZ

03/12/2021

Two Chinese military turboprops entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday (March 8), marking the fourth such intrusion this month. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) sent one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In response, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems.

Russian latest fighters to get ice sensors with artificial intelligence

03/12/2021

Tecmash Group (part of Technodinamika within the state tech corporation Rostec) has launched serial production of ice sensors with artificial intelligence elements that will be installed on the latest fighter aircraft, the Rostec press office reported on Thursday.

Air Force receives first F-15EX

03/12/2021

The U.S. Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX from the Boeing Co. March 10 at the company’s St. Louis facility. The new fighter is a two-seat aircraft—though operable by a single pilot—with fly-by-wire flight controls, digital cockpit displays, and advanced avionics systems, to include the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, an electronic warfare upgrade also being fielded on F-15E Strike Eagle models.

F-35Bs with special instruments are testing whether the advanced jet can operate on the Italian navy flagship

03/12/2021

Two specially instrumented US F-35Bs from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland, landed aboard Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, off the US East Coast, on March 1, 2021. The flagship of the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) had left Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia) on February 28, in preparation of the four-week sea trials.

Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper replacement requirements now include air-to-air combat capability

03/12/2021

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) always has been highly intrigued by the MiG-29 Fulcrum, and for the country’s military to get its hands on one, it indeed had to jump over plenty of hurdles. According to one report, “Israel obtained a nearly complete, crated, MiG-29 via a covert deal with a Polish general. The aircraft was at Gdansk awaiting shipment to Syria but was instead put on a plane and flown to Israel in late 1985. The Soviets soon got wind of this and demanded its return.

US aerospace giant Boeing offers KC-46 tankers to IAF! Dates announced for the US Def Sec visit to India

03/12/2021

The US aerospace Boeing Company is open to leasing KC-46tanker, a derivative of the Boeing 767 passenger aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is seeking quotes for mid-air refuellers. Confirming this to Financial Express Online, in an exclusive interaction with Financial Express Online, Torbjorn Sjogren, VP, International Government & Defence, Boeing Global Services, said “We are in talks with the IAF for KC-46tanker.

Denmark F-35 Lightning II production aircraft takes inaugural flight

03/12/2021

Denmark flew its first F-35 Lightning II production aircraft ‘L-001’ becoming the fifth European Nato nation to be armed with the F-35 fighter jet alongside the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy.

The US ‘On Course’ To Become 1st Nation To Field Sixth-Gen Fighter Jet?

03/12/2021

A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notice indicates that the country could field a new fighter jet by 2029. This development assumes significance given that the US is currently developing the sixth-generation fighter jet under the NGAD program.

India to induct second squadron of Rafale fighter jets soon: IAF

03/12/2021

The Indian Air Force will induct the second squadron of Rafale fighter aircraft at Hashimara Air Force base in West Bengal in mid-April, said officials. The Air Force would be moving fighter aircraft there in May. The training of the fighter pilots in France completing around the same time.

Could Ukrainian Firm Solve China’s Jet-Engine Problem?

03/10/2021

Washington and Kiev are trying to block the Chinese takeover of a jet-engine maker little known outside Ukraine, Motor Sich. If the sale goes through, it will let China obtain a key defence technology that has eluded them for decades, in one of the few remaining disciplines where the US and its allies retain a competitive advantage.

Royal Navy seeking information on cats and traps to launch drones

03/10/2021

A Request For Information (RFI) issued to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed that the Royal Navy is seeking information on potential electromagnetic catapult and arrestor wire systems that could be used to launch and recover ‘air vehicles’ from ‘a suitable ship’ by as soon as 2023.

Saab Gripen Fighter Jets To Undergo Supersonic Test-Flight With The Brazilian Air Force

03/10/2021

The supersonic test flights are scheduled to take place over the next few months. Developed by Swedish aerospace giants Saab AB, the JAS-39 ‘Gripen’ is a light single-engine multirole combat aircraft that is highly agile and versatile. The Gripen fighters boast the best electronic warfare (EW) equipment and have already been exported to Brazil, Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

China's military is keeping a close eye on the US's development of a new, advanced fighter jet

03/10/2021

The US Air Force's desire to radically reshape and accelerate the way it develops future fighter planes could propel China to ramp up its plans for next-generation aircraft, Chinese experts said. A military insider familiar with China's next-generation aircraft project said Chinese aircraft designers were keeping a close eye on anything disclosed by their American counterparts about NGAD, or the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.

Nellis Air Force Base begins noisy Red Flag exercises

03/09/2021

Southern Nevada and Southern Utah residents may notice increased noise from military aircraft as the Air Force conducts Red Flag 21-2 from Monday to March 19. More than 80 aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis twice a day and may remain in the air for up to five hours during Red Flag, according to a press release issued by the Nellis Air Force Base. There will be night launches as well to allow air crews to train for nighttime combat operations.

Case Closed: The F-35 Is the Stealth Fighter the U.S. Military Needs

03/09/2021

The F-35 stealth fighter jet has had quite a trajectory over a period of many years, including substantial ups and downs marked by some breakthrough successes such as new weapons integration, performance enhancing software upgrades, wargame performance, favorable pilot reviews, growing global demand and some measure of initial combat success.

F-21 Vs F-15EX: Will Indian Air Force Opt For Boeing F-15EX Over Lockheed F-21 Fighter Jets?

03/09/2021

To augment its fighter fleet, India has purchased 36 Dassault Rafales from France. Eleven of them have already been inducted into the IAF. Six more are scheduled to arrive this month. The country has also moved forward with the development of its indigenous fourth-generation LCA Tejas fighters, which are expected to support the Rafales in carrying out future missions.

Navy asks industry to develop enabling technologies for hypersonic weapons for carrier-based F/A-18E/F jet

03/09/2021

U.S. Navy aviation experts are asking industry to develop a prototype hypersonic missile to enable the carrier-based F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jet fighter bomber to attack high-priority targets while giving the enemy little time to deploy countermeasures. Officials of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., issued a special notice (N00014-21-S-SN06) on Tuesday for the Screaming Arrow project to arm the Navy Super Hornet with hypersonic weapons.

Contract notice hints US could field a new fighter by 2029

03/09/2021

A US Department of Defense (DoD) contract notification has offered a hint that the US could field a new fighter aircraft by FY 2029. The $74m contract notice with Raytheon for the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) aircraft integration mentions a number of existing airframes but leaves the option open for future integration on to current or next-generation fighters before the close of fiscal year 2029.

French MP and billionaire Olivier Dassault dies in helicopter crash

03/08/2021

The accident occurred on Sunday evening in Normandy where he had a holiday home, according to police sources. In his tribute, President Emanuel Macron said Dassault, 69, loved France and his death would be "a great loss". Dassault was the son of industrialist Serge Dassault, whose group builds Rafale war planes and owns Le Figaro newspaper.

First NATO alert mission over Black Sea for Spanish Eurofighters to intercept Russian fighters flying in international airspace

03/07/2021

Showcasing Alliance vigilance and readiness, Spanish NATO Air Policing assets scrambled on March 4 to intercept Russian fighters flying in international airspace in the vicinity of Alliance territory .

After US’ F-15EX Offer To India, Is Russia Re-Pitching Su-57 Stealth Fighters To The Indian Air Force?

03/07/2021

The Indian military has been on a shopping spree since the border standoff with China began last year. After almost nine months, the two counties finally agreed to disengage their troops from Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh last month. During the standoff, India started receiving French Rafale jets. Out of 36 aircraft ordered, it has received 11 so far. Six more will be delivered this month.