In October, pilots of the 56th Fighter Wing began flying integrated direct support practice sorties in the F-35A Lightning II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon for the first time as a regular component of the training curriculum at Luke Air Force Base. The integrated training comes as part of the next step in the development of F-35 training and tactics, and helps pilots become efficient in conducting futuristic mission sets ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
SOFIA (Bulgaria), November 23 (SeeNews) – Bulgaria’s government said on Wednesday it approved an additional expenditure of up to 54.6 million levs ($29.6 million/27.9 million euro) under the defence ministry budget to ensure the airworthiness of the country’s Air Force fleet of ageing Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets. The implementation of the project will create the necessary conditions for the Bulgarian Air Force to maintain and develop capabilities for air policing, ...
Category: MiG News
A Russian fighter jet crashed into the sea shortly into a training flight off the coast of Syria, Russia’s Ministry of Defense has announced. “As a result of a technical malfunction during a training flight an incident occurred to a carrier-based MiG-29,” read an official statement. “The pilot catapulted was delivered to the air carrier Admiral Kuznetsov by a rescue crew. The pilot was not hurt, and is ready for ...
Category: MiG News
Aboard the USS America – The surf was high where the amphibious assault ship America sailed off the coast of San Diego — high enough to make the flight deck pitch and roll and set the conditions for a few minutes of crisis when an unfortunate sailor fell overboard and had to be rescued by helicopter. But with sea states between three and four, indicating swells from three to eight ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
The ninth prototype of the fifth-generation T-50 PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation) fighter jet will start undergoing trials in the imminent future, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said. Borisov made this statement during a working trip to the Saturn Scientific and Production Association in Rybinsk in central Russia. “The ninth prototype will start undergoing trials today. We have switched to its comprehensive trials. We are testing ...
Category: Russian Aviation
Oct
16
Poland to buy Black Hawks
Category: Military Aviation
Senior Japanese and U.S. government officials joined Lockheed Martin to celebrate the roll out of the first Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A Lightning II, marking a major milestone in Japan’s enhanced national defense and strengthening the future of the U.S-Japan security alliance. The ceremony was attended by more than 400 guests from both governments, militaries and defense industries. Kenji Wakamiya, Japan’s State Minister of Defense spoke at the ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Russian military officials have announced that the Tu-160M2, a thoroughly modernized upgrade of the well-known Tupolev Tu-160 supersonic heavy strategic bomber, will make its first flight in 2018. Commenting on the prospects for the new plane, National Interest magazine defense editor Dave Majumdar explained what it was that makes it so special. Russian Tu-160M2 Bomber May Make First Flight by End of 2018 On Thursday, Russian Aerospace Defense Forces Commander-in-Chief ...
Category: Russian Aviation
The final primary batch of PAK-FA fighter jets is almost complete and tests will be finished in 2016, top military officials told the media. The Russian Air Force hopes to start regular production of the new 5G jets soon, with the first planes coming in 2017. The PAK-FA (Perspective Air Complex of Frontline Aviation) fighter jets are being manufactured by the KnAAPO (Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association) in the Russian Far ...
Category: Russian Aviation
Sep
17
Air Force grounds 15 F-35
Category: F-35 Lightning II
The advanced Russian-made Ilyushin Il-112V military transport plane is planned to perform the first flight in the summer of 2017, the Voronezh Region administration said. The Voronezh Aircraft Plant (VASO) is the main producer of the Il-112V military transport plane, the administration added. “VASO has already started building the first prototype. The prototype is expected to perform the first flight in mid-2017,” the administration said. “As VASO CEO Dmitry Prishvin ...
Category: Russian Aviation
According to Ma, the Chinese air force’s strike capabilities have significantly increased over time. “We are currently developing a new generation of strategic bombers, soon you will be able to see it,” Ma told the Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) newspaper. Ma gave no additional details on the new bomber. Last year, China unveiled its Xian H-6K strategic bomber, a licensed copy of the Soviet Tu-16 aircraft. The H-6K is equipped with the DH-20 cruise missile, which gives ...
Category: Military Aviation
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been hailed as the ‘most expensive weapon in history,’ and with a price tag of $400 billion for 2,457 planes, the fifth-generation fighter has been plagued with issues. But it appeared the tide had finally turned earlier this month when the U.S. Air Force has declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat. Now, the Pentagon’s director of ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) fighter jets to be exported to Egypt will be fitted out with advanced infrared search-and-track (IRST) stations and electronic warfare (EW) pods, according to the Izvestia daily. According to representatives of the defense contractors taking part in executing the contract, Egypt’s MiG-29s will feature the latest OLS-UE IRST capable of not only detecting enemy aircraft by their infrared signature, but also acquiring surface ...
Category: MiG News