February 2012
Marine Corps aviation introduced the F-35B Lightning II aircraft into its fleet. The short takeoff vertical landing variant combined with fifth generation capabilities is a breakthrough in itself, matching the importance of the first Marine aviator and starting a new chapter in Marine Corps aviation history. 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 hosted the ceremony inducting the F-35B Lightning II multirole, joint strike fighter, into the ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Lockheed Martin has announced today that the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A Lightning II has conducted its first external weapons test mission. On missions where stealth isn’t such a high priority, F-35 is able to carry external weapons loads like fourth-generation fighters of today. The first external weapons test was conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and is a further expansion of the flight test envelope for the ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Lockheed Martin unveiled a new version of the F-16 today at the Singapore Airshow. The F-16V will feature enhancements including an active electronically scanned array radar, an upgraded mission computer and architecture, and improvements to the cockpit all capabilities identified by the U.S. Air Force and several international customers for future improvements. With nearly 4,500 F-16s delivered, this is a natural step in the evolution of the world’s most successful ...
Category: Military Aviation
Italy will reduce its planned order of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets and trim the size of the military as part of defense-spending cuts, Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said. Italy will purchase 90 F-35s rather than the originally planned 131, Di Paola said in Rome in testimony before a joint defense committee of both houses of Parliament today. The nation needs to cut the military’s size by about ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Russia has signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria. Russian newspaper reported Monday, in apparent support for President Bashar al-Assad and open defiance of international condemnation of his regime's bloody crackdown. The respected business daily Kommersant, citing an unidentified source close ...
Category: Russian Aviation
The Russian Air Force will receive more than 10 modernized Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers by 2020, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. According to official data, Russia has at least 16 Tu-160 aircraft in service. There are plans to increase their number to 30. “The Tu-160 in service with the Air Force are already undergoing modernization,” Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said. “We are planning to receive more than ...
Category: Russian Aviation
India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from French firm Dassault in a $11 billion deal that is one of the world’s largest arms contracts. Indian government officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told reporters Tuesday that Dassault was the lowest bidder and beat out the Eurofighter consortium to clinch the contract. Further negotiations were expected to take place before India finalizes the agreement to buy Dassault’s Rafale fighter ...
Category: Military Aviation
About thirty Tupolev-22M3 strategic bombers from Russia's Long Range Aviation fleet will be modernized by 2020, Russian Air Force spokesman Colonel Vladimir Drik said on Tuesday. "We plan to upgrade about thirty strategic bombers to the M3M standard,” Drik said. Tu-22M3 (NATO reporting name Backfire-C) is a supersonic, swing-wing, ...
Category: Russian Aviation
