Category: MILITARY & DEFENCE

US Grounds Osprey Fleet in Japan After Aircraft Crashes Off Okinawa

Reading Time: 2 minutes The US military has grounded its fleet of Osprey aircraft in Japan after one crash-landed in the sea near Okinawa, in an incident that will fuel further local anger over the US deployment on the island. The Pentagon described the incident on Tuesday night as a “mishap” and said the tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey had landed […]

Boeing Begins Digital Flight Deck Upgrades to NATO Fleet

Reading Time: < 1 minute Boeing delivered to NATO the first of fourteen E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft with cockpit upgrades that improve mission-readiness, decrease customer costs and reaffirm Boeing’s overall commitment to the fleet. The Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) digital flight deck and avionics enhancements ensure compliance with current and future air traffic control […]

Trump Promises Changes to ‘Out of Control’ F-35 Program

Reading Time: 2 minutes After campaigning to reduce wasteful government spending, US President-elect Donald Trump announced that he is poised to modify the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, on the same day that Israel was supposed to receive its first two F-35 fighters. ​The markets quickly responded to Trump’s post-midnight tweet, causing Lockheed Martin’s shares to tumble during morning […]

Chengdu J-20: A Game Changer or A Cheap Copy?

Reading Time: 4 minutes More than a month has already passed since the military aviation community has started speaking about the latest Chinese development – fifth-generation fighter jet Chengdu J-20. Obviously, the government of China strives to take up a better position among the countries that are capable of producing fight jets of such type. Therefore, the Chengdu J-20 […]

Canada Selects Airbus C295W for Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Government of Canada announced that it had selected the Airbus C295W for its Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Program. As part of the FWSAR program, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will purchase 16 C295Ws modified for Search and Rescue (SAR). The contract will also include in service support, provided through a joint venture between […]

American Fighter Jet Goes Down Off Coast of Southern Japan

Reading Time: < 1 minute The F/A-18 Hornet was stationed at the Iwakuni base in the Yamaguchi prefecture and is understood to have gone down at 6pm local time yesterday off the southern Kochi Prefecture. Initial reports from the Japanese Defence Ministry said the lone pilot and ejected from the fighter jet and survived the crash. According to the Kochi […]

No Alternative to Russian Helicopters in Afghanistan

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that Afghanistan has no alternative to Russian arms in the nearest decades. Russia doubts that US plans to substitute Russian helicopters in Afghanistan with its own aircraft will succeed, since there is no alternative to Russian equipment in the nearest decades, Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan […]

Boeing-Saab T-X Trainer Jet Will Soon Soar in First Flight

Reading Time: < 1 minute After completing nearly 1,200 test points, the Boeing-Saab T-X training jet is on pace to make its first flight before the end of the year. The T-X trainer finished up its afterburner engine tests last week, Defense News reports, and just a few substantial tests stand between now and the plane’s inaugural flight. Next, the […]

Russian Navy Gets Advanced Su-30SM Fighters

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russia’s naval aviation has received a batch of advanced Su-30SM (Flanker-C) multirole fighter jets, Navy spokesman Igor Drygalo said. Su-30SM are air superiority jets of the 4++ generation that combine functions of a fighter and a bomber. They are produced in Irkutsk in southern Siberia. “The handover ceremony took place at the airfield of the […]

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 […]