July 2015
Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor that plans to acquire Sikorsky Aircraft, finds itself in the unusual position of buying the same company it has been striving to beat out in a design “fly off” – a high-stakes contest that could set up the winner for an extended run not unlike that enjoyed by Sikorsky after the Pentagon picked the Black Hawk in 1972 as its all-purpose helicopter. On July 20, ...
Category: General Aviation
Six Russian military aircraft of different designs have crashed since the start of June as the country's air force buckles under the strain of the Kremlin's efforts to show off its military power. The latest accident came on Tuesday, when a Tu-95 strategic bomber went down in Russia's Far East. All four of its engines had failed ...
Category: Russian Aviation
A supersonic F-16 fighter collided Tuesday with a small Cessna trainer over South Carolina killing both people in the Cessna and spreading debris over a wide area, US officials said. The mid-air collision occurred late in the morning about 11 miles (20 kilometers) north of Charleston, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. The US Air Force identified the F-16 pilot as Major Aaron Johnson, based at Shaw Air Force Base ...
Category: Military Aviation
The F-35, touted as the jet of the future, has just run into perhaps its single most damning issue yet — the jet cannot effectively dogfight against the older jets it is meant to replace. According to a brief written by an F-35 pilot and obtained by David Axe at War is Boring, the new jet was “at a distinct energy disadvantage” compared to a rival F-16 during a mock ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
