
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, ...
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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 ...
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Category: F-35 Lightning II

Poland said Monday it would buy Black Hawk helicopters from US defence giant Lockheed Martin, days after it blamed French aeronautics giant Airbus for the breakdown in talks over a multi-billion euro contract for military choppers. “This week we will open talks… Before the end of the year, the first machines of this kind will be delivered to our special forces for exercises,” Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz told reporters. He ...
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Category: Military Aviation

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 ...
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Category: Russian Aviation

Less than two months after declaring the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ready for combat, the Air Force on Friday announced that it was temporarily grounding 15 of the jets after it discovered that insulation was “peeling and crumbling” inside the fuel tanks. The setback is the latest for the $400 billion system, the most expensive in the history of the Pentagon. The problem comes as the program, which for years faced ...
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Category: F-35 Lightning II

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 ...
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Category: Military Aviation

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 ...
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Category: MiG News