Tag: Air Force

Switzerland to Procure New Fighter Aircraft

Reading Time: < 1 minute Switzerland has requested CHF10 million to support replacement of its fighter aircraft and keep some of its current combat inventory active for longer than previously intended, the country said. Swiss voters rejected a proposed acquisition of 22 Saab Gripens in 2014, but in February 2016, Bern indicated that it would initiate a second attempt to […]

The Helmet That Gives Air Force Pilots X-Ray Vision

Reading Time: 2 minutes When Major Will Andreotta began flying for the Air Force in 2006, he had to do a lot of work. He was training on the F-16, a fighter jet first deployed in 1978, and almost everything was analog. “I would tell my wingman to target something, then call over: ‘Confirm your this, because I’m seeing […]

F-35 Fighter Bursts Into Flames During Mid-Air Training Flight

Reading Time: 2 minutes The United States military is investigating a fire that erupted during a mid-air training flight of one of its latest generation fighter jets. The Marine Corps is trying to figure out what caused the fire to ignite on an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft that took off from a base in Beaufort, South Carolina, last […]

Russia to Test PAK FA Fighters With Operational Engines in Late 2017

Reading Time: < 1 minute The tests of the Russian Sukhoi T-50 (PAK FA) fifth-generation fighters using operational engines should begin in late 2017, the head of the United Engine Corporation said Thursday. PAK FA, equipped with advanced avionics and all-digital flight systems, is set to become the first operational stealth aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. “The [operational engine] […]

Boeing Awarded $2.8B for KC-46A Tanker Initial Production

Reading Time: < 1 minute The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing $2.8 billion on Aug. 18 for KC-46A tanker low-rate initial production. The award includes the first two “production lots” of 7 and 12 planes respectively, as well as spare parts. Including future options, Boeing plans to build a total of 179 of the 767-based refueling aircraft for the Air […]

The RAAF’s Major Multinational Large-Force Employment Exercise Begins

Reading Time: < 1 minute The RAAF’s major multinational large-force employment exercise, Pitch Black, is under way. Up to 115 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the US are participating in the three-week long Exercise Pitch Black 2016, which officially began on July 29 and continues through to August 19. […]

Boeing’s KC-46 Tanker to Receive Production Green Light

Reading Time: 4 minutes Boeing’s KC-46 tanker successfully refueled an A-10 combat aircraft, clearing the final hurdle before the Air Force approves the first production order. The “milestone C” testing was completed July 15 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. During a four-hour flight, the KC-46 offloaded 1,500 pounds of fuel to the A-10, at 15,000 feet. “This completed […]

Japan’s Fighter Jets Intercepted Chinese Aircraft 571 Times in 2015

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Japan Air-Self Defense Force (JASDF) had to dispatch its fighter jets 571 times during fiscal year 2015 to intercept Chinese military aircraft approaching or intruding Japanese airspace, Japan’s Defense Ministry revealed, according to The Japan Times. This number constitutes an all-time high since the defense ministry’s Joint Staff Office began to keep records in […]

Norwegian Fighter Jet Helps Save Dying Patient

Reading Time: < 1 minute Quick-thinking medical staff in Norway saved a patient’s life by calling in a fighter jet to whisk live-saving medical equipment from another hospital. The dying patient urgently needed a special lung and heart procedure called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, but the hospital in the town of Bodø in central Norway had neither the equipment nor the […]

Decision to Delay F-35 Buy Is “Incredibly Difficult”

Reading Time: 2 minutes Delaying the purchase of five F-35 joint strike fighters was “an incredibly difficult decision,” but one the Air Force had to make due to budget constraints, a top general said Thursday. “When we looked at readiness and our ability to win today’s fight, and then our ability to continue to procure F-35s at the current […]