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MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The United Arab Emirates wants to buy over a squadron of Sukhoi Su-35 advanced fighter jets from Russia and the contract may be signed by the yearend, a source in the system of military and technical cooperation told TASS on Tuesday. "They want a lot, over a squadron but the exact number will be specified in the course of negotiations that may be held in November during an air show in Dubai," the source said. The relevant contract may be signed by the yearend, if the negotiations are successful, the source said. TASS does not yet...

In response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Octopus has created an army of top-secret intelligence agencies, analysts, specialists, and building complexes—phalanxes, really—devoted to identifying, spying on and rooting out terrorists both domestically and around the world. A large majority of this homeland security and intelligence apparatus actually comprises individuals who do not work for the US government directly. They are employees of private sector companies who are hired by the government to do these jobs, and are known as “contractors.” Many of these individuals and organisations claim that they are not officially...

The tiny Gulf nation of Qatar has launched a massive buildup of air power for an unclear purpose. The latest development in this saga came in September, when British Defense Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon and Qatari Defense Secretary Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah signed a Letter of Intent for Doha to purchase twenty-four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from London. That came on the heels of Qatar announcing a deal to purchase thirty-six Boeing F-15 Qatar Advanced-variant Eagles from the United States for a reported $12 billion. And in 2015, Qatar signed a $7.5 billion deal with France to purchase twenty-four...

BERLIN • Germany has asked the U.S. military for classified data on two Boeing fighter jets as it looks to replace its aging Tornado warplanes, giving a potential boost to the U.S. company locked in a trade dispute with Canada and Britain. A letter sent by the German defense ministry's planning division, reviewed by Reuters, said it had identified Boeing's F-15 and F/A-18E/F fighters as potential candidates to replace the Tornado jets, which entered service in 1981. Both fighters are made in St. Louis. A classified briefing is expected to take place in mid-November, following a similar briefing provided by...

China today announced commissioning the radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, giving its air force an edge in the region. The flight tests of J-20 jets are being conducted as scheduled, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence Col Wu Qian told a media briefing here. The J-20 is China's fourth-generation medium and a long-range fighter jet. It made its maiden flight in 2011 and was first shown to the public at the 11th Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, in November last year. Its introduction could add a new dimension to the India- China air force balance....

The auto industry is going electric. Is aviation next? Major European carrier EasyJet announced Wednesday that it is teaming up with U.S. startup Wright Electric to build an all-electric airliner. The aircraft they have in mind would handle short routes of 335 miles or less -- think New York to Boston or London to Paris. EasyJet, a budget airline that specializes in shorter flights, said the new aircraft would cover 20% of its passenger journeys. The airline said it has been working closely with Wright Electric this year and it hopes to have an electric commercial aircraft flying in the...

The U.S. Army is the biggest operator of military helicopters in the world. However, all of its combat rotorcraft were developed during the Cold War, and despite upgrades are beginning to show their age. In fact, the Army's main reconnaissance ("scout") helicopter, the Kiowa Warrior, grew so decrepit after 16 years of fighting in Southwest Asia that they were retired despite the absence of a dedicated successor. Apache, the Army's preeminent tank-killer, will do double duty as an armed recon helicopter for the time being, but Army leaders admit lack of a next-generation recon helicopter is the gap in aviation...

A South Korean F-15K Slam Eagle launched the Taurus KEPD missile on September 12. (Photo: Republic of Korea Air Force) Amidst nuclear tensions with neighboring North Korea, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) conducted its first live test of the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile on September 12. A ROKAF Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle released the missile, which struck a target near the Korean city of Gunsan after traveling 400 km (248 miles). South Korea signed an order for 177 KEPD 350Ks from Taurus Systems, an MBDA Deutschland-Saab Dynamics joint venture, in November 2013, after the U.S. denied...

An Air Force Sergeant in America has proposed to 'the love of his life' on the wing of an F-15 fighter jet. Video captured the moment at the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, US, when Sgt. Charles Fairchild got down on one knee on top of the tactical combat aircraft. It happened seconds after his girlfriend of two years, Amber Neeb, took a taxi like ride in the jet with a pilot, moving at an approximate 93 km/h - F-15's can fly up to speeds of 3000 km/h. Sgt. Fairchild has been serving in the Air Force...

Thirty years ago 26 government ministers had to decide the fate of the Lavi fighter – the world’s best fighter aircraft at the time and Israel’s crowning technological achievement. Most of the ministers had no idea of what made an aircraft fly or of the level of engineering expertise required to design and produce a modern fighter plane, probably the most complex engineering system produced by man.  There was a lot of behind-the-scenes political manipulation that contributed to the result: a vote of 13-12 for cancelling the program, and one abstention. But three arguments presented to the government made an...

Air Force KC-135 tankers lined up on the runway in Kadena, Japan. AFA: The Air Force needs more tankers and transports because a sophisticated enemy like Russia or China can shoot them down, the chief of Air Mobility Command said here. The current fleet size is based on war plans that only considered how much fuel, supplies, equipment, and troops the air fleet needed to move from A to B, Gen. Carlton Everhart told reporters. The assumption was that no enemy could challenge our control of the skies, which made sense against the Taliban or the Islamic State. But now,...

On Sunday Sept. 24, 2017, an Italian Air Force Eurofighter F-2000A Typhoon (most probably MM7278/RS-23) belonging to the Reparto Sperimentale Volo (Test Wing) has crashed into the sea at Terracina, 76 kilometres south of Rome. Based on the several videos that have already emerged on social media, the pilot Capt. Gabriele Orlandi was unable to /did not recover the aircraft at the end of a looping and didn’t attempt to eject from the jet. Here below you can find a few clips that have been posted on Youtube so far. Many more are being uploaded on Twitter and Instagram as...

At AFA, Boeing displayed this full-scale model of its T-X contender as backdrop to an announcement by Saab that its part of the jet would be built in the U.S. (Photo: Chris Pocock) With the U.S. Air Force nearing a selection decision for its 350-airplane T-X advanced jet trainer requirement, partners Boeing and Saab used this week’s AFA Air Space and Cyber Conference to boost the American credentials of its contender. Boeing displayed a full-scale model on its stand and a large banner in the foyer that proclaimed “American Jets for American Pilots.” Saab announced that it would invest in...

As India’s LCA Tejas, which entered tentative service with the Indian Air Force last year, works to prove itself as the combat platform it was intended to be, there’s trouble brewing on a crucial capability that planners won’t be softening on: a close combat air-to-air missile. While the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) had chosen the Rafael Defence Python-5 for integration tests, it is now clear that things have run into, well, rough weather. Livefist can confirm that the Indian Air Force has now advanced discussions with MBDA to explore the possibility of the ASRAAM arming the LCA. The selection of...

The Sierras can deliver combat power, just as did multimission World War II patrol torpedo boats. They have no idea what we actually do,” Lieutenant Drew Kollmann lamented while walking out of a typical meeting. “We’re basically a flying PT boat.” This is a perfect analogy—the MH-60S is a modern incarnation of the famed patrol torpedo (PT) boat, and the Navy will be better for using it as such. Like PT crews, those in Navy helicopters can perform the basic functions of maritime logistics, but it is the combat power that sets them apart. Surface warfare, personnel recovery, and support...

Following Israel’s lightning Six-Day War victory over the Arabs, Israel’s military leaders determined that the time was ripe for the acquisition of a new tank to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield. The Soviets had begun supplying the Arabs with more modern T-62 tanks and Israel needed to maintain its qualitative edge. After conducting extensive tests and trials and examining alternatives, the Israelis determined that the British Chieftain tank, Britain’s own successor to the venerable Centurion, would be best suited for Israel’s needs. In 1968 Britain’s Ministry of Defense agreed to the sale but the following year, the British...

The first two of 12 Sukhoi Su-30K fighters Angola ordered nearly four years for $1 billion have arrived in the country, giving a country with one of the most formidable air forces in the region some of the best military hardware Russia has to offer. Angola enters the club of African states possessing Su-30s along with Uganda and Algeria. The planes bounced around a lot before they got there. In 2013, Angola inked the purchase with Russia for the fighters, which served with the Indian Air Force from 1998-2005 before returning to Russia in exchange for more modern Su-30MKIs. Via...

A KC-46 tanker refuels a C-17 transport in mid-air. Sometimes the refueling boom impacts the receiving aircraft, damaging it. AFA: The four-star chief of Air Mobility Command wants his new KC-46 Pegasus tankers “yesterday,” but the tanker’s boom has a nasty tendency to scrape up planes it’s trying to refuel, as well as two other category one deficiencies, and contractor Boeing has to fix those. The paint scraping problem — formally known as “undetected contact” — by itself could “possibly” delay the new planes’ arrival at AMC, Gen. Carlton Everhart said. That date was already pushed back to “late spring”...

As Textron Airborne Solutions pursues the US Air Force’s lucrative adversary air (ADAIR) contract, the company earlier this month acquired 63 Dassault Mirage F1s, ATAC chief executive Jeffrey Parker tells FlightGlobal. ATAC, which Textron acquired last year, took ownership of the legacy fleet, plus support equipment and 150 engines, on 5 September. Textron plans to use the Mirages towards the USAF’s upcoming award, which requires almost 150 aircraft to fulfil the service’s "red air" training needs. Textron is retrofitting the F1s with digital radio frequency memory jamming capabilities and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, Parker says, adding: “The requirements...

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) Legion Pod® has been selected as the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system for the U.S. Air Force's F-15C fleet. Lockheed Martin will produce more than 130 systems, which will be delivered for aircraft integration. Lockheed Martin’s Legion Pod® has been selected as the Infrared Search and Track system for the U.S. Air Force’s F-15C fleet. Equipped with the company's IRST21® infrared sensor and advanced data processing capabilities, Legion Pod provides long-range detection and tracking of airborne threats in radar-denied environments. The Boeing Company, serving as the U.S. Air...