Free Republic

Several prominent leaders in the national defense community are calling upon the Pentagon to re-start production of the high-speed F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet which began air attacks against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Citing Russian and Chinese stealthy fighter jet advances, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., and former Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne wrote an OPED in the Wall Street Journal describing the current fleet of F-22s as massively insufficient to address today’s fast-changing global threat environment. (article continues, please see link)

An F-35. U.S. Air Force photo Israel is practically a launch customer for the American-designed F-35 stealth fighter. The Jewish state plans on declaring its first squadron of the radar-evading jet combat-ready by the end of 2017. That’s just two years after the U.S. Marine Corps’ declaration of war-readiness for its F-35s — and one year later than the U.S. Air Force’s own planned introduction of the new plane. And Israel’s F-35s will be unique. While most foreign customers of the stealth fighter plan to operate fairly standard F-35s, Tel Aviv is heaping its own special tech onto the airframe. And that’s...

America’s F-117 stealth fighter has been in a state of limbo. In 2008, the U.S. Air Force officially retired the black, angular warplanes but they never entirely went away. For eight years, the radar-evading aircraft have rested in climate-controlled hangars at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. Here’s why — when the F-117s retired, Congress required the Air Force to maintain some of the planes in case they were ever needed in a future war. The flying branch even kept flying a handful, most likely as guinea pigs for stealth-penetrating sensors … or some other mysterious hardware. Well, that shouldn’t continue for...

Software glitches continue to dog the nation’s newest fighter jet. Five of six Air Force F-35 fighter jets were unable to take off during a recent exercise due to software bugs that continue to hamstring the world’s most sophisticated—and most expensive—warplane. During a mock deployment at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, just one of the $100 million Lockheed Martin F-35s was able to boot its software successfully and get itself airborne during an exercise designed to test the readiness of the F-35, FlightGlobal reports. Nonetheless, the Air Force plans to declare its F-35s combat-ready later this year. Details...

Congress to Air Force: You Can't Retire the A-10 Until the F-35 Proves It's Better Legislators want proof the F-35 can take over the aging tank-killer's job Congress threw down the gauntlet at the Air Force on Monday, introducing legislation to mandate keeping the A-10 Thunderbolt II—affectionately known as the Warthog—in service until the service can prove the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can take over its job. As reported by DefenseNews, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mack Thornberry has introduced legislation to forbid the Air Force from retiring the plane. Thornberry's proposed law would prohibit the Air...

Boeing's 1933 247D Airliner is retiring to the Museum of Flight The 1933 Boeing 247D Airliner arrived at the Museum of Flight after its final flight, Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The plane is the oldest flyable Boeing, all-metal airliner. The plane will be on display in front of the museum throughout the summer, before it is placed in the new Aviation Pavilion.

A family and employees inside a Foley towing business got the shock of their lives when a twin-engine plane went down in flames just outside their office Tuesday afternoon. The sole person inside escaped with just minor injuries. Foley Municipal Airport officials confirm the twin-engine Cessna was taking off when it immediately went down near Sunset Circle and Hickory Street. The plane was on fire, but the pilot got out through the back and jumped almost 10 feet to the ground to get away. Police and airport officials said the pilot walked away with only a few burns and cuts...

<p>The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering fixes on General Electric engines used on some Boeing 787 Dreamliners after it found that an icing problem can cause the engines to shut down mid-flight.</p>

The Mi-28 attack helicopter was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War as an answer to America's AH-64 Apache. Nicknamed "Havoc" by NATO, it was designed to kill NATO tanks and armored vehicles. As such, the Havoc needed to be able to take hits—even to the cockpit—and keep flying. Despite the similarity between the Havoc and the Apache, we're pretty sure that American helicopter designers didn't test the Apache's armored cockpit by shooting machine guns at it—with people inside. Yes, as the video shows, Soviet designers actually put a person inside a mock Mi-28 Havoc, then fired a...

(CNN)Almost 2,500 of the world's most advanced warplanes, with a total price tag of $400 billion, and they may not have a "brain" in the bunch? That's the fear of federal watchdogs who say problems with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's complex logistics software system could lead to a grounding of the entire fleet, not to mention future cost increases and schedule delays. Documenting risks to the F-35's Autonomic Logistics Information System, which Department of Defense officials have described as the "brains" of the fifth-generation fighter, an April 14 Government Accountability Office report says a failure "could take the entire...

Over the past several months, Donald J. Trump has crisscrossed the country making dozens of campaign stops in places like Sioux City, Iowa, and Jackson, Miss., often in his sleek Cessna jet. There is just one hitch: The plane’s registration is expired. Records kept with the Federal Aviation Administration show the aircraft’s registration lapsed on Jan. 31. Laura J. Brown, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, confirmed that the plane’s registration was not in good standing and said the owner had not renewed it.

NYT, Examiner, Washington Post, others. Several stories at link. This one is unusual. Didn't know how to post.

A collision between a British Airways passenger jet and a drone over London has left the plane undamaged but the aviation industry deeply shaken. British police and air accident authorities were investigating Sunday's incident, in which an Airbus A320 carrying 137 people struck an object believed to be a drone at a height of about 1,700 feet (518 meters) while it was approaching Heathrow Airport. The plane landed safely and was cleared to fly again after an inspection by engineers. But the incident has focused attention on the growing number of unregulated drones in the sky and the potential for...

A World War Two seaplane has been left abandoned and stranded for a while on a beach off the north Gulf Coast of the US. It the subsequent “recovery operation” the Catalina broke apart and has been destroyed. The plane is a PBY-6A seaplane that was built and used during the war. The plane was being used in a new Hollywood movie starring Nicholas Cage, but during filming a minor flying complication occurred and the pilot had to do an emergency landing off the Florida shore line. The plane landed close to the shore near the Alabama and Florida state...

The first Air France flight between Paris and Tehran for eight years landed in the Islamic republic’s capital on Sunday, bearing a government minister and a business delegation. The airline’s route had been suspended since 2008 because of international sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. However, sanctions have been lifted under an accord with world powers that has now been in force for three months. […] Frederic Gagey, the airline’s chief executive, spoke of its “great pride in returning to Iran”. However, resumption of the service caused controversy in France after unions said the airline sent an internal...

Almost 100 years' worth of rare British Airways maps, adverts and pilot charts have been compiled into a fascinating new book. Created by the curator of the British Airways' Heritage Centre, Paul Jarvis, Mapping The Airways reveals the intriguing charts that guided aviators and adverts that showed passengers where they could jet off to. From early advertisements for routes from London to Paris to state-of-the-art on-board moving maps, the 160-page book reveals 92-years' worth of intriguing aviation history.

Rayani Air is Malaysia’s first sharia-compliant airline – there is no alcohol on the plane, female Muslim cabin crew have to wear the hijab while non-Muslims have to be decently dressed, and prayers are recited before the aircraft takes off. The airline scored another first when it issued handwritten boarding passes to its passengers in March. Lau Weng San’s handwritten boarding pass. Rayani Air’s handwritten boarding passes came to the public’s attention when passenger Lau Weng San uploaded a photo of his pass dated March 18, 2016 on his Facebook account. The post subsequently went viral. “Guaranteed to be a...

    Hannes Arch takes flight in his aerobatic plane above the Tauern Wind Park in Oberzeiring, Austria, weaving his way through the turbines during an incredible sunset flight!

American B-52 Stratofortress bombers have been sent for their first Middle East operational deployment since the 1991 Gulf War 26 years ago. The aircraft are flying from Qatar to bomb Islamic State targets. An undisclosed number of B-52s have arrived at the Al Udeid Air Base on Sunday, the US Air Force said. “The B-52 will provide the coalition continued precision and deliver desired airpower effects,” Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander, US Air Forces Central Command said in the statement. The B-52 is a long-range multi-purpose heavy bomber. The Central Command last used them during Operation Desert Storm...

The F-35 program that emerged proposed to build a dual-role tactical aircraft capable of both air-to-ground (strike) and air-to-air (fighter) combat operations. It is a fifth-generation aircraft designed to incorporate the most modern technology such as thrust vectoring, composite materials, stealth technology, advanced radar and sensors, and integrated avionics to greatly improve pilot situational awareness. The operational requirements of the F-35 program required 70% to 90% commonality between three versions of the aircraft—one for each of the air force (F-35A), marine corps (F-35B), and navy (F-35C). As a result, many of the high-cost parts—including the basic engine design, avionics, and...