
The radar wake of a Japanese F-35A stealth fighter disappeared over the Pacific Ocean about 73nm (135km) east of Misawa air base on 9 April at 19:27 local time. The Japanese military has commenced a search mission for the aircraft and its single pilot, though the country’s air force offered no details on suspected causes of the disappearance. The Lockheed Martin F-35A was engaging in night-time training with three other F-35A jets, ...
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Category: F-35 Lightning II

The US Navy has announced that the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is ready for operational use after meeting all requirements. The F-35C achieved initial operational capability (IOC) after the Navy’s first F-35C squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completed aircraft carrier qualifications aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter programme, which is regarded as the country’s most ...
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Category: F-35 Lightning II

Moscow has touted the capabilities of its new Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft as being far superior to domestic and international rivals. The Russian defense ministry made the claim in a recent release about the type’s launch of preliminary flight tests pending acceptance by the country’s military. “The A-100 was developed in connection with the advent of new classes of targets and the creation of new ...
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Category: Russian Aviation

“On 18 January, at 8:07 (Moscow time), while performing a planned training flight over the Sea of Japan, 35 kilometers from the coast, two Su-34 planes of the Far Eastern Air Defence Forces made contact in the air while manoeuvring,” reported the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defence of Russia. According to the ministry, the search-and-rescue operation involves Tu-142, An-12, An-30 aircraft, Mi-8 helicopters. Another ...
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Category: Russian Aviation

Russian pilots have tested the weapons and on-board equipment of the advanced MiG-35 fighter, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday. “Pilots of the aviation center, together with experts from the MiG Corporation, have evaluated the performance of a number of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapon systems,” the statement said. They have also tested the performance of the on-board electronic equipment, integrated avionics control system and the aerodynamic stability ...
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Category: MiG News

China has rolled out its huge stealth drones and smaller unmanned aircraft, which it says can be armed with AK-47s or any other weapon the client wants, as the country gets ready to vie for a share of the US-dominated UAV market. The drones were unveiled earlier this week among other exhibits at the China Airshow, the country’s main aerospace industry exhibition, held in the southern city of Zhuhai. Grabbing ...
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Category: Military Aviation

The most expensive weapons system around, the F-35 has been plagued by a flurry of problems which have sent the costs spiraling upward. The UK grounded its fleet of £120 million per plane ($158.5 million) F-35 stealth fighters following the crash of a US jet in September. Britain’s current fleet of 15 F-35 fighter jets that arrived in the country in June, is being examined to determine if last month’s ...
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Category: F-35 Lightning II