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With a new Navy plan to retire nearly half its F/A-18A/B/C/D fleet in the near term to help boost the readiness of its youngest so called "legacy Hornets," which the USMC will inherit in the not so distant future, the Corps is now moving to upgrade seven squadrons worth of jets with new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. The move signifies the most substantial capability upgrade in the legacy Hornet's entire history. In a posting on the government's contracting site FBO.gov it states that the USMC is looking to install the systems "in 4th Quarter 2020 and complete in...

Jim Roche, then-Secretary of the Air Force, made an announcement on October 26, 2001, that all aviation enthusiasts had been waiting for: a winner had been picked to design and build the Joint Strike Fighter. The American people were assured the new jet would enter service in 2008 and be a high-performance replacement for the military’s aging airframes while only costing between $40 million and $50 million. The F-35 has now entered an unprecedented seventeenth year of continuing redesign, test deficiencies, fixes, schedule slippages, and cost overruns. And it’s still not at the finish line. Numerous missteps along the way—from...

It's no secret that Taiwan wants the F-35, and especially the F-35B with its ability to operate from dispersed locales that normal fixed-wing fighters cannot. During the Obama administration, even allowing Taiwan to purchase late-block F-16s was deemed unacceptable under a highly controversial policy. Instead the country had to upgrade its old F-16As to a similar configuration. Although the Trump administration is rewriting the book when it comes to Taiwan-U.S. relations, F-35s are still seemingly off the table, but leased second-hand F-15C Eagles may not be. It has been abundantly clear from early on that despite trying to woo the...

Fighter pilots aren't cheap. The U.S. Air Force estimates that training a new pilot to fly a plane like the F-35 costs $11 million. And that doesn't count the priceless experience of a veteran pilot who has been flying for years. That's why the U.S. Air Force is willing to offer half-million-dollar bonuses to retain experienced fighter pilots. So a nation that throws its fighter pilots in jail is not just wasting money, but also an extremely valuable resource. Yet in the name of politics, Turkey's government has purged its air force so badly that it can barely fly its...

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Taiwan's Air Force on Friday (March 9) announced new upgrades are in the works for its Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF, 經國號), including the addition of radar-seeking missiles to enable them to play a role as "Wild Weasels" to destroy enemy anti-aircraft defenses. In a video released on Friday, Taiwan's Air Force announced that it will upgrade all of its IDF A and B models in its Third Wing to IDF C and D models, which will enhance aircraft management as well as strengthen air defense and anti-aircraft warfare capabilities to improve overall operational efficiency of the...

Typhoons from the original Saudi batch have seen action over Yemen. (Photo: Jamie Hunter/Eurofighter) On March 9 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) with the UK government to purchase 48 Eurofighter Typhoon swing-role fighters. Leading the sale on behalf of the Eurofighter partner companies, BAE Systems—along with the UK government—had been pursuing a follow-on Saudi buy for several years, having earlier sold 72 Typhoons to the Kingdom. For the partner companies and their suppliers throughout Europe the deal, if finalized, represents a major boost, coming on top of a Qatari order for 24 Typhoons signed...

According to the Brazilian defense website Poder Aereo, the Argentinian government received a proposal from Paris for the acquisition of between 20 to 24 second-hand Dassault Mirage 2000C fighter jets. Assuming the veracity of the report, the deal will join a long and contrived story, as Buenos Aires has been attempting to find a new fighter jet for its Air Force for several years now. In the early 1980s, the Argentinian Air Force boasted a respectable fighter force, comprised of a mix of French and American models, all of them developed during the 1950s. Defensionem suggests that, at the time,...

Japanese Ministry of Defense executives have outright admitted that despite the Japanese government's past denials that the Izumo class "helicopter destroyers" were not designed to accommodate fixed-wing short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) tactical jets, they actually were designed with exactly that in mind. The Asahi Shimbun quoted Maritime Self Defense Force sources stating the following: “It is only reasonable to design (the Izumo) with the prospect of possible changes of the circumstances in the decades ahead... We viewed that whether the Izumo should be actually refitted could be decided by the government.” When the Izumo first entered service, the...

Saab has unveiled its first GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, revealing the extensively modified Bombardier Global 6000 business jet in the livery of launch customer the United Arab Emirates air force. Conducted at the Swedish company's Linköping site on 23 February, the event came a little over two years after the GlobalEye deal was announced at the Dubai air show in November 2015. The UAE initially signed a two-aircraft order, before also taking an option on a third example last year. Saab Adaptations include adding a Saab Erieye ER airborne early warning and control radar in a "skibox" fairing above the fuselage,...

Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture said targeting of the private aircraft industry both in terms of user fees and fiscal proposals appears to be intentional, and called fiscal policies such as user fees and depreciation schedules “irresponsible.” The perceived attacks have damaged customer confidence, and contributed to some, perhaps the last 25 percent, of all employee layoffs and workforce reductions, Boisture said. “To have singled out our industry is irresponsible,” he said. “It must be intended,” he said in later comments. In other remarks, Boisture said his staff decided long ago to treat the current recession as “the...

A group of five U.S. private rocket companies met with Brazilian officials in December. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Vector are interested in launching from the equatorial Alcantara launch complex. The coastal launch site would offer cost savings by its ability to reach orbits often preferred for satellites. A group representing five U.S. private rocket companies visited Brazil in December to meet with the nation's space agency and analyze the possibility of launching from the equatorial Alcantara launch complex. The U.S. Department of Commerce was informed about the trip, which was organized by members of the private space industry. The group...

The South African built AHRLAC aircraft has been unveiled as a bidding competitor in the race for the United States Air Force’s Bronco II light attack aircraft contract. The aircraft, which was designed and built in South Africa has seen promising development since it’s first flight in 2014, and this latest announcement confirms that the Paramount Group is making good strides towards being a serious competitor on the international stage. The Bronco II (via Bronco Combat Systems) Paramount has formed a United States based subsidiary called Bronco Combat Systems in partnership with Aerospace Development Corp and Fulcrum Concepts, and intends...

Despite having soured relations with the Canadian government with a major trade dispute, Boeing is reportedly still planning to submit a bid on the contract to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18A+ Hornets, almost certainly offering new F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The Chicago-headquartered plane maker could try to make its submission more attractive by including upgrades its already working on for the Super Hornet, such as the range-extending conformal fuel tanks it is developing for the U.S. Navy. On Feb. 15, 2018, Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that Boeing had formally applied to be a part of Canada’s fighter...

In what would be a huge capability jump, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is increasingly interested in procuring the American F-35 Lightning II for its depleting fighter fleet. Business Standard learns the IAF top brass is formally requesting for a classified briefing by the F-35’s prime builder, Lockheed Martin, on the capabilities of the sophisticated, fifth-generation fighter developed under the US Joint Strike Fighter programme. The US government has not formally offered the F-35 to India. A classified briefing would require formal clearance from the US Department of Defence (the Pentagon) and the State Department. The grant of such a...

Known as the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD), this X-plane is scheduled to make its first test flight as early as 2021 and "would open a new market for U.S. companies to build faster commercial airliners, creating jobs and cutting cross-country flight times in half," the White House budget request states.  The goal of supersonic aircraft like LBFD is to make commercial airplanes that can fly faster than the speed of sound without generating a loud and obnoxious sonic boom, an ear-splitting noise associated with shock waves generated by an aircraft as it breaks the sound barrier "Future supersonic aircraft seeking...

The Air Force on Monday revealed its long-range plan to eventually jettison its supersonic B-1 and stealthy B-2 bombers earlier than planned while keeping the venerable B-52, an aging Cold War workhorse that first flew in 1954 and was last built in 1962, flying into the 2050s.The Air Force confirmed that it plans to send its two newer bombers into early retirement, but keep the B-52 in the inventory well past its 100th birthday. “With an adequate sustainment and modernization focus, including new engines, the B-52 has a projected service life through 2050, remaining a key part of the bomber...

The government is considering operating F-35B fighter jets from about fiscal 2026, in an effort to utilize airports on remote islands and thereby improve the nation’s capability to defend the isles, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Considered the most advanced stealth fighters, F-35Bs are currently operated by the U.S. military based in Japan. The Japanese government is also eyeing the operation of the fighters on Izumo, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s largest-class destroyer and which Tokyo is considering remodeling into an aircraft carrier, according to government sources. The government has decided to introduce 42 F-35A fighter jets — which are capable...

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's Air Force sidestepped speculation Tuesday that it is looking to purchase F-15 or F-18 fighter aircraft from the U.S., saying only that plans to bolster defense capabilities will depend on present combat needs and perceived future threats. On Sunday, Taiwanese news website Up Media reported that the Air Force is planning to purchase the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet to strengthen its defense capabilities and counter China's Russia-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft. The report said Taiwan and the U.S. have had preliminary discussions about the purchase, and retired models such...

‘FAB’ hauls his gargantuan Sukhoi Su-30MKM Flanker into a gentle left turn, plugs the ‘burners for some airspeed and levels off before pulling back on the stick and grabbing sky like a moon-bound Saturn V. Outside, vortices stream from the multirole fighter’s canard foreplanes as moisture is literally squeezed from the humid Singapore air. The humidity is a God-send for those looking for some spectacular ‘vapes’. “One thousand… two thousand… three thousand…” The minute the count reaches “Four thousand…”, Lt Col Faisal Abu Bakar, callsign Fab, kicks left rudder and grunts inside his Ulmer Su30 UECT 82VB oxygen mask as...

China’s J-20 stealth fighter has entered combat service, the country’s armed forces confirmed on Friday, expanding the military’s air power options as it presses on with a massive modernisation programme. People’s Liberation Army Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke said the deployment of the J-20 to combat units would “help the air force better shoulder the sacred mission of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”. Shen said the air force was moving towards a modernised military service that could operate in all fronts, and had become an effective force to control, contain and win a war. The fighter jet officially...