Special Purpose

Military Aviation News Archive

ARGENTINA WILL TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE JF-17 THUNDER

12/07/2020

In an interview with Pucará Defense, the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier Xavier Isaac, revealed that the country will reconsider the JF-17 Thunder.[1] The disclosure follows Buenos Aires’ inability to secure the F/A-50 from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The F/A-50 uses six key British components which required the United Kingdom’s approval for third-party transfers. KAI could not get those approvals for Argentina due to the country’s marred relationship with

Watch: Neither US Nor Israel, This Tiny Country Is Set To Acquire The Most Powerful, Heavy-Duty Jets From Boeing

12/07/2020

Boeing’s F-15EX has been offered to India that will be based on the most advanced variant of the F-15 Eagle — the F-15QA — featuring an advanced cockpit and other new improvements for the first time.

Britain to send aircraft carrier strike group to waters near Japan

12/06/2020

The British navy will dispatch an aircraft carrier strike group to waters near Japan as soon as early next year, Japanese government sources said Saturday, in a rare development that comes amid the growing maritime assertiveness of China in the region.

Belgian companies circumvent arms embargo to Turkey

12/06/2020

In October last year, Turkey took sides in the conflict in Syria, backing Islamist jihad forces against the Kurdish minority. Flemish minister-president Jan Jambon reacted by freezing all Flemish government licences for export of military equipment to Turkey. At the time, that concerned four shipments of dual-use equipment – products which normally have civil applications, but which can be used for military ends.

Rafale Jets: After India, Another Asian Country To Acquire Dassault Rafale Fighters – French Minister

12/06/2020

With this, Indonesia’s hunt for a new fighter aircraft, for which its Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has been traveling around the world, would come to an end. Among the various options, Indonesia has explored so far are Austria’s retiring Eurofighter Typhoons, the American F-16 Vipers, and Russian Su-35s. These jets are intended to be a replacement for the retiring F-5 Tigers of the Indonesian Air Force.

General Atomics Avenger Drone Flew An Autonomous Air-To-Air Mission Using An AI Brain

12/05/2020

General Atomics has revealed that it conducted a semi-autonomous flight test in October involving one of its stealthy Avenger drones equipped with an "autonomy engine" originally developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and now managed by the U.S. Navy. The unmanned aircraft worked together with five other simulated Avengers to conduct a mock search for aerial threats in a designated area.

The Air Force wanted to mothball over 100 planes. Here’s what Congress says it will permit.

12/05/2020

Congress is seeking to block the Air Force from retiring any of its A-10 Warthog attack planes, KC-135 refueling tankers and RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones this fiscal year. On Dec. 3, the House and Senate Armed Services committees put forward the conference report of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act — a final version of the defense bill that includes input from both chambers.

France Confirms That Indonesia Wants To Buy Rafale Fighter Jets

12/05/2020

Indonesia’s protracted search for a new fighter aircraft has taken another, surprising, twist, with confirmation that the Southeast Asian country is in negotiations with France to purchase Dassault Rafale multirole jets. The latest development comes after Indonesia showed interest in Austria’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, and with plans to acquire Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 Flankers apparently still stalled.

India Planning Swarm Drone System to Counter China: Source

12/04/2020

India is reportedly planning to develop an air-launched swarm drone system to overwhelm Chinese air defenses, giving their fighter jets an edge in any potential conflict. Indian defense planners reportedly feel the necessity for such a system as thousands of Indian soldiers are currently locked in a border standoff with China in the northern Ladakh region of the Himalayas.

18 F-16A/B jet fighter upgrades completed

12/04/2020

Eighteen 16A/B jet fighters belonging to Taiwan's Air Force had been upgraded in the first 11 months of the year, under a joint Taiwan-United States program to help Taiwan boost its air defense capabilities and meet the needs of advanced warfare, the military said on Thursday.

Did Russian Missiles ‘Hit’ F-35 ‘Stealth’ Fighter Jet Operated By The Israeli Air Force Over Syria?

12/04/2020

In 2017, several media outlets published reports saying one of the Israeli Air Force’s F-35s was hit by the Soviet-made S-200 missile in Syria. On the contrary, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that an anti-aircraft missile was launched from Syria towards its aircraft but no hit was confirmed. It didn’t mention which aircraft was used for “routine flight” in Lebanon.

Chinese anti-submarine aircraft enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

12/04/2020

A Chinese military aircraft intruded into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday morning (Dec. 2), according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft entered the southwest corner of the ADIZ. In response, Taiwan dispatched fighter jets, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the Chinese plane.

Lack of training time, budget cuts among top contributors to 224 military aviation deaths since 2013, report says

12/04/2020

Military pilots and troops who maintain aircraft are overworked and undertrained, contributing to more than 6,000 aviation accidents since 2013 that have killed 224 service members, according to a new congressionally mandated report.

Defense firm delivers final batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to Russia’s Aerospace Force

12/03/2020

The Sukhoi Company (part of the United Aircraft Corporation, UAC) has manufactured the last batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers under a long-term contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry, the UAC press office announced on Wednesday.

First Marine Corps Carrier-Capable F-35C Squadron Now Ready to Deploy

12/03/2020

The Marine Corps’ first carrier-capable squadron of F-35C Lightning II jets reached initial operational capability on Tuesday, a key certification ahead of its first deployment on an aircraft carrier, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing officials announced.

Indian Rafales ‘Far Superior’ To Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder — Chinese Military Experts Make Rare Admission

12/03/2020

In what seems to be a rare admission, Chinese experts have said that the French-built Rafale fighter jets, procured by India, are far superior to Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) frontline fighters, the JF-17 Thunder.

Production Begins on Simulators for Air Force's New T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Jets

12/02/2020

Boeing Co. has begun production on simulators that will help train the U.S. Air Force's next generation of pilots. In a step forward for the Air Force's transition to the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer, the aerospace company announced Dec. 1 it had begun assembling the first two weapons systems trainers and an operational flight trainer at its St. Louis, Missouri facility.

British Army Modernizes with First Apache AH-64E Helicopter Deliveries

12/02/2020

The British Army received its first two Boeing Apache AH-64E helicopters from the U.S. government on Nov. 26. The delivery is the result of a $2.3 billion deal that was first announced by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Ministry of Defense in July 2016, and includes a total of 50 Apache attack helicopters which will be replacing their Apache AH Mark 1 fleet retiring in 2024.

Chinese military aircraft enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

12/02/2020

A Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday morning (Dec. 1), according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft intruded into the southwest corner of the ADIZ. In response, Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the Chinese plane.

With Airbus SMART MRTT air to air refuelling goes automatic

12/02/2020

The SMART MRTT programme is developing, certifying and implementing Automatic Air-to-Air refuelling (A3R) capability as well as enhanced maintenance solutions for the A330 MRTT. The A3R system requires no additional equipment on the receiver and is intended to reduce air refuelling operator (ARO) workload, improve safety and optimise the rate of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) transfer in operational conditions to maximise aerial superiority.

Proposed UAE Arms Sale Raises National Security Concerns

12/02/2020

The Trump administration has formally notified Congress that it plans to move forward with the sale of up to 50 F-35A Joint Strike fighters to the United Arab Emirates. The sale is significant both in terms of its size and its potential implications for U.S. national security interests in the Middle East. Including related sales of armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and munitions, the sale could be worth up to about $23 billion — by contrast, the U.S. notified a total of $19 billion in sales

Will Indian Air Force Become The 2nd Operator Of Russian Stealth, Fifth-Gen Fighter Jet – The Su-57s?

12/01/2020

Algeria has signed a contract to purchase 14 Su-57 next-generation heavyweight fighters from Russia? for about $2 billion?, according to various media reports. This will make Algeria the first foreign customer of the high-end Russian fighter ?jet ?after it entered mass production in July 2019.

Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine – a next-generation light-attack aircraft

12/01/2020

The AT-6 Wolverine aircraft is developed by Beechcraft, a Textron Aviation brand. It is tailored to meet the light attack requirements of the armed forces worldwide. With its flexible weapons and external fuel tank configurations, the AT-6 Wolverine light attack/armed reconnaissance aircraft offers warfighters an ideal solution to engage targets in low-intensity combat missions.

Fighter Aircraft Purchase: Nigeria Air Force admits runway needs repairs

12/01/2020

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has denied media reports saying the contractual agreement for the supply of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft by the U.S., for which payment had been made, was in jeopardy due to bad runway at the 407 Air Combat Training Group (407 ACTG), Kainji, Niger. The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF headquarters, Ibikunle Daramola, made the denial in a statement on Monday in Abuja

Air Force gunship training leaving Panhandle, in part because of crowded airspace

11/30/2020

The Air Force will move training for one of its gunships from Hurlburt Field Special Operations Base east of Pensacola to a base in New Mexico. Officials say Kirtland Air Force Base is their preferred site for the relocation of the Ghostrider Formal Training Unit, flying AC-130J aircraft, because of factors including the increasingly crowded airspace around Hurlburt.