Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

US warship sails through Taiwan Strait

12/20/2020

The USS Mustin, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, sailed through the Taiwan Strait yesterday, the 12th time this year that a US warship transited the waterway. The US 7th Fleet said in a statement that the Mustin conducted a routine transit in accordance with international law. “The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Top Gun 2: Why Tom Cruise Wasn't Allowed To Fly An F-18 Fighter Jet

12/20/2020

Although Tom Cruise pilots multiple aircraft in Top Gun: Maverick, the US Navy forbade him from piloting the F-18 Super Hornet. Set for release in July 2021, Joseph Kosinski's sequel to Tony Scott's 1986 hit Top Gun promises unmatched and unforgettable aerial combat scenes that emphasize practical effects over CGI. Although Cruise is known for performing the vast majority of his own cinematic stunts, some of his proposed tricks for Top Gun: Maverick proved overly ambitious even by his standards.

WW3 Fears: Sweden unveils HUGE military spending amid fears of ‘Russian attack’

12/20/2020

Sweden's Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told the newspaper Dagens Nyheter that Sweden could not dismiss potential military threats to the country’s territory. He said: “We are acting based on the presumption that the state of affairs in terms of security policies continues to worsen.”

Myanmar’s Purchase of Planes From Jordan a Sign of Things to Come

12/19/2020

News reports have emerged that Myanmar’s air force is buying two Airbus CASA C295 aircraft worth US$38.6 million (52.29 billion kyats) from the Royal Jordanian Air Force. While Airbus, based in the EU, would be prevented from entering such a deal directly by the bloc’s arms embargo against Myanmar, the Middle Eastern kingdom has no such sanctions preventing the sale.

Contracted Adversary Air Training comes to Tyndall

12/18/2020

Tyndall AFB made history December 14 as a unit of F-1 Mirage aircraft arrived at the base in support of an Air Combat Command mass training effort in partnership with the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company. For the next year or two, Tyndall AFB will house and support the contracted unit of about six aircraft, five pilots and 30 maintenance personnel.

Russia’s new sixth-generation ‘MiG-41’ stealth interceptor set to take first flight by 2025

12/18/2020

Russia’s new sixth-generation stealth interceptor, the Mikoyan MiG-41 or PAK DP, will take to the skies by 2025, according to reports. The Moscow-headquartered aerospace giant, Mikoyan (MiG), has been working on the design of the new stealth aircraft since 2013. Some reports claim the PAK DP will possess the ability to reach earth-shattering speeds of Mach 4.

Why is the F-22 Raptor fighter jet an absolute beast?

12/18/2020

Fighter jet F-22 Raptor leaves nothing to be desired. This fourth generation stealth fighter jet is built to dominate the skies. And it does. So what makes the F-22 the best and baddest out there? Well, for starters it has sensor fusion and super manueverability. That means that it’s easy to control and easy to operate.

Boeing moves into production on electronic warfare (EW) avionics for Air Force F-15 jet fighter fleet

12/18/2020

EPAWSS also will be part of the avionics suite of the next-generation F-15EX, which is based on the F-15 Advanced Eagle that Boeing is building for the air forces of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which has a fly-by-wire flight control system, digital electronic warfare (EW) suite, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, and the Raytheon APG-63(v)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

Gulf Countries, US Must Boost 4th & 5th Fifth Gen Fighter Data Sharing

12/17/2020

The fact that the United Arab Emirates looks likely to receive F-35 fighter jets does not mean its Arab allies will be able to share the advanced data the fifth generation fighter can gather. For example, It would take Bahrain up to 10 years before it can integrate its fourth generation aircraft with the F-35 fleet, Brig. Gen. Munther Majed Nasser Al-Khalifa, acting fighter wing Commander of the Royal Bahrain Air Force said.

The F-35's interoperability tech strengthens US alliances

12/17/2020

The U.S. State Department recently gave the green light to Finland and Switzerland to purchase the F-35 aircraft. It’s not a fait accompli — the F-35 still needs to win each country’s competitions — but it’s telling that two friendly, but non-NATO, European countries are seriously considering the adoption of America’s fifth-generation, front-line fighter as their own.

US Navy F/A-18 fighter aircraft ski jump trial tests were conducted in August 2020

12/17/2020

According to a picture published to the Livefist Twitter account on December 16, 2020, ski jump trial tests were conducted on August 2020 with U.S. Navy F/A-18, to prove the capability of the naval fighter aircraft to be used onboard INS Vikramaditya and new local-made IAC-1 Vikrant Indian Navy aircraft carrier.

Turkish Air Force capability threatened by US sanctions

12/17/2020

After the dispute between Turkey and the United States about the procurement of the Russian S-400 missile system, Ankara’s participation in the F-35 program was canceled on July 18, 2019. But faced with the determination of its NATO ally to acquire the Russian weapon, Washington did not stop there.

Artificial intelligence co-pilots US military aircraft for the first time

12/17/2020

Artificial intelligence helped co-pilot a U-2 "Dragon Lady" spy plane during a test flight Tuesday, the first time artificial intelligence has been used in such a way aboard a US military aircraft. Mastering artificial intelligence or "AI" is increasingly seen as critical to the future of warfare and Air Force officials said Tuesday's training flight represented a major milestone.

Equipped With Microwave Weapons, This Fighter Jet Could Pose The Biggest Threat To Chinese Air Force

12/17/2020

Japan’s forthcoming next-generation ‘F-X’ fighter jet which is being built along with US aerospace giants Lockheed Martin will feature advanced technology like microwave weapons. The Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, which currently stands as the leading fighter jet maker in the world, having produced the stealthy duo of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and F-22 Raptors, will aid the country in producing the newest fighters.

Saab proposes to build Gripen in Canada and strengthen aerospace innovation

12/16/2020

Saab will build its Gripen E in Canada if the aircraft is selected as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) next-generation fighter jet. The Gripen E is one of three options currently being considered by the Canadian government to replace the RCAF’s fleet of legacy CF-188 Hornets. Saab, supported by the Swedish government, submitted its offer of 88 aircraft, sustainment and training services in late July.

Spain Is Now Officially The Third Nation Of The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) Programme

12/16/2020

The Spanish industry has signed the initial framework contract for the Future Combat Air System’s (FCAS) Phase 1A Technology Demonstrators activities, completing the onboarding process, started in February, as an equal nation in the originally Franco-German programme. Airbus announced during its annual Trade Media Briefing that they will have the lead in the Spanish industrial effort for the New Generation Fighter (NGF) demonstrator.

Japan Plans To Spend $48 Billion To Field F-X Stealth Fighters By 2035 That Would Outperform F-35 And Chinese Fighters

12/16/2020

Last week, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper revealed new details of Tokyo’s ambitious plans to domestically develop a sixth-generation F-X stealth fighter that can keep China’s increasingly capable air force at bay—at an estimated program cost of over 5 trillion yen ($48 billion).

USAF awards F-16 depot sustainment programme contract to Lockheed Martin

12/15/2020

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has won a $900m contract to provide depot sustainment support for the US Air Force (USAF) F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. The F-16 Continental United States (CONUS) Depot contract was awarded by USAF’s F-16 System Program Office within the Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate.

U-2 Spy Plane Taps Into Computers On The Ground To Expand Data Processing Ability Mid-Mission

12/15/2020

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works advanced projects division recently demonstrated the ability of a U-2S Dragon Lady spy plane to remotely use computers on the ground to help process data from onboard sensors and other systems in flight. The U-2S did this by leveraging a system that Skunk Works and the U.S. Air Force recently used to show how these aircraft, as well as others, will be able to receive updates for their mission computers.

Let’s Talk About The Su-57 And The Radar Blockers Allegedly Sighted For The First Time Inside The Felon’s Air Intake

12/14/2020

The V.P. Chkalov State Flight Test Center in Akhtubinsk (Russia), the largest test center of the Russian Aerospace Force, celebrated in October its 100th anniversary. For the occasion, the Russian TV Channel One was allowed to visit the airport and showcase its activities. Towards the end of the video, the focus moved to the new Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon”, showing some details of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft’s air intake.

F-35: 5 Reasons this Stealth Fighter Is Among the World’s Best Aircraft

12/13/2020

It has now been just over five years since the introduction of the F-35 Lightning II. Despite its rocky start, Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation stealth fighter jet has weathered no shortage of setbacks and pointed criticisms to carve out a niche for itself in the U.S. military.

AFLCMC delivers final F-15SA to Royal Saudi Air Force

12/12/2020

The final F-15SA advanced fighter aircraft were delivered Dec. 10 to the Royal Saudi Air Force – a key milestone supporting the National Defense Strategy imperative to strengthen alliances and attract new partners.

European 6th-Gen Fighter Jet: After Germany & France, Spain Awards Contract To Airbus To Develop FCAS Aircraft

12/12/2020

After Germany and France, Spain has signed an initial framework contract with European aerospace giant Airbus for the development of a new generation fighter (NGF) under the sixth-generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS) jet program.

Mitsubishi Heavy to lead Japan's fighter project with Lockheed

12/12/2020

The Japanese government has outlined the country's next-generation fighter jet project, selecting Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the main contractor to lead Japanese and U.S. companies, with American defense contractor Lockheed Martin providing technological support, Nikkei has learned.

First in AETC: KC-46s refuel F-16 fighters

12/12/2020

In a first for Air Education and Training Command and the 56th Air Refueling Squadron, two KC-46 Pegasus aircraft from the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, along with 10 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 49th Wing at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, teamed up in the skies over New Mexico to train and practice air refueling operations.