Free Republic

The invasion of Ukraine has not gone as planned for the Russians. Despite enjoying superior force strength, the Russians have failed to hold Ukrainian territory – in large part, because Russia has failed to gain air superiority over the country. Russia was supposed to breeze over Ukraine, taking Kyiv “within days, perhaps forcing a Ukrainian capitulation in less than a week.” That didn’t happen of course; the conflict has been ebbing and flowing for several months with no resolution in sight. Ukrainian forces, effective at conducting asymmetrical warfare, have thwarted Russian forces from achieving their objectives, one after another. “Russia...

This is something I have been perplexed about or at least had questions about. I understand Poland has offered the Ukraine their MiG-29's hoping to replace them with American F-16's. I understand that the Biden administration put a stop for that. 43 Republican Senators want to push the deal, which won't happen. However my question is this; of what use would aircraft do in this particular situation without AWACS or airborne command and control? Most air to air combat seems to be over the horizon as opposed to dogfighting. Would they not have to turn on their radars to look...

The near certainty the United States would be drawn into WW II prompted creation of an autonomous Army Air Force. Until the war in Europe began, dominate Army doctrine gave the air corps no mission beyond supporting the ground forces. In opposition to this entrenched position, Giulio Douhet, an Italian general, and air power theorist, maintained air power could shatter civilian moral and elicit demands to surrender by destroying a country’s vital centers. Now air power advocates fought and won the Pentagon battle for the authority to prove the theory that bombers could win wars.The instruments for this initiative were...

USAF chief of staff General David Goldfein, reflecting on the success of the F-35 at a recent USAF "Red Flag" exercise, gave both the People's Liberation Air Force and the Russians what we fighter pilots call a "face shot." Red Flag is a brilliant exercise in which many combat aircraft flying from Nellis AFB engage to simulate real combat scenarios within a well designed and instrumented extremely stressful air combat environment.  A "face shot" is slamming a missile right into the face, head on, of your enemy. The U.S. Air Force put the F-35 up against "the most advanced weapons systems...

Boeing's defense arm is set to unveil a mysterious new plane - and says it will 'change future air power' The aerospace giant's defense arm teased the new craft, covered in a black cloth. It is believed to be a radical new craft using electric 'hairdryer' to allow it to land and take off vertically. Boeing will unveil their mystery aircraft on December 19th.

In case anyone is interested: 1 Airpower Classics - January -- Jaguar 2 Airpower Classics - February -- Predator 3 Airpower Classics - March -- B2 Spirit 4 Airpower Classics - April -- V22 Osprey 5 Airpower Classics - May -- C17 Globemaster III 6 Airpower Classics - June -- E8 Joint STARS 7 Airpower Classics - July -- F-35

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...

Even as the Pentagon plans for warfare on distant battlefields, it is engaged in a budget battle to retire the Air Force’s venerable A-10 Thunderbolt. But the “Warthog” has many supporters in the military and on Capitol Hill, and the fight to keep the aircraft flying continues. Here's a look.

Applying air power has some utility but the real work of fighting them is not going to be so distant… or clean. The illusion of action is not a substitute for effective action The Royal Canadian Air Force, (RCAF) is back in action again, dropping bombs on the slave-taking, throat-cutting rapists of ISIS. The morality of the situation is unequivocal, the effect of our contribution to the war on the new Caliphate is – alas – doubtful. We are fighting an ideology, an idea that keeps attracting new adherents and captures their hearts and seduces their minds. This means dropping...

Ever since I was a kid I’ve been fascinated with WWII warbirds, my favorite being the P-51 Mustang. The North American P-51 Mustangs were armed with six .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns, a good amount of firepower for the day. If you’ve been to airshows around the US I’m sure you’ve seen a P-51 at least once, but there’s something different about Ron Fagen’s P-51 Mustang named Twilight Tear. His actually has six functioning M2 Browning machine guns, kind of, read on.

The Islamic State has claimed on social media that it is utilizing captured Syrian pilots to learn how to fly stolen jets, according to a CNN Arabic report over the weekend. The Syrian pilots, which are part of the Syrian Armed Forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad, had been captured after the Islamic State seized Tabqa airbase in Raqqa, Syria. The Islamic State took Tabqa airbase after a four-day battle with the Syrian military. Tabqa is home to a plethora of fighter jets, helicopters, artillery, and large caches of ammunition. It still remains unclear how much quantity of the munitions...

Faced with China’s increasingly assertive military posture, as well as a continuing ballistic missile threat from North Korea, Japan plans to spend more on defense, boosting its air and maritime forces. The plan commits to buying 28 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft, 17 Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, and three Northrop Grumman Global Hawk UAVs over the next five years. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) will also upgrade existing fleets of F-2 and F-15 fighters. The National Security Strategy that was published last December adjusts the Japanese force structure to create an amphibious brigade–promoting the plan to buy...

Rising from a dry dock, this is America's latest and possibly costliest piece of military machinery ever constructed. The world's only superpower has released details of its new generation of aircraft carriers - the first of which costs a staggering $13billion - which it hopes will enable it to dominate any battlefield for decades to come. But that sort of money buys an incredible amount of firepower, with the ship stuffed with cutting-edge and top secret technology. When finished, the giant 1,106-foot USS Gerald R. Ford will be able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold...

Images have emerged on Chinese defence sites that appear to show a new Chinese fighter aircraft in flight. The flight was said to be the first conducted by the aircraft that is now being commonly referred to as the Shenyang J-31. Previous reports have variously given the aircraft's designation as the J-21, J-31 or F-60. Images for the aircraft first appeared in mid-September 2012 and were said to be taken at the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation airfield.

A Changed Way of War in Afghanistan’s Skies By C. J. CHIVERS INSIDE STRIKE FIGHTER VENGEANCE 13, over Kandahar Province, Afghanistan — Cmdr. Layne McDowell glanced over his left shoulder, through the canopy of a Navy F/A-18, to an Afghan canyon 9,000 feet below. An American infantry company was down there. The soldiers had been inserted by helicopter. Now a ground controller wanted the three strike fighters circling overhead to send a sign — both to the grunts and to any Taliban fighters shadowing them as they walked. Commander McDowell banked and aligned his jet’s nose with the canyon’s northeastern...

Up in the AirWill America lose its dominance of the skies? There were a number of reasons last week to look up to the sky and wonder about the future of airpower. In a world in which the United States will have smaller ground and naval forces, we will likely become more dependent on land- and sea-based airpower to deter or defeat enemies. The proper employment of air assets as part of a joint force allows for nearly instantaneous response to crises, saves American lives, and can bring pinpoint devastation to an enemy’s forces and command-and-control systems. Yet along with...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- F-15E Strike Eagles from the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 121st EFS dropped more than 9,000 pounds of munitions through severe weather on enemy forces trying to overrun a combat outpost in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Nov. 8. According to reports, up to 70 Taliban were killed while attacking COP Margah in a large scale coordinated attack. Coalition forces were first alerted to the attack when rocket-propelled grenades began to hit the camp. Shortly thereafter, the insurgents attacked the camp from multiple positions using small arms and RPG fire. Staff Sgt....

Defense: While America has stopped production of its stealth fighter, China prepares to challenge U.S. air supremacy in the Western Pacific with its own. China is on another Long March, one it hopes will lead to military supremacy over the U.S. at least in the Western Pacific. It is deploying a carrier-killing mobile missile, the Dong Feng 21D, and is expected to launch its first aircraft carrier this year, the refurbished ex-Soviet carrier Varyag. China is also conducting preflight tests on a fifth-generation stealth fighter expected to challenge the best the U.S. has to offer. Photographs reportedly showing China's J-20...

USAF Video

Last year, the U.S. Army received the first production models of its Sky Warrior MQ-1C UAVs. Two years ago, two of the prototypes were sent to Iraq for testing. That was a success, and four MQ-1Cs are now operating in Iraq, supplanting the smaller Shadow 200s. Four MQ-1Cs will go to Afghanistan in a few months. Currently, the MQ-1Cs cost $8 million each, but this will go down to $6 million as more are manufactured. The MQ-1Cs are slightly larger Predators, and are being used for missions formerly performed by Shadow 200, and other large army UAVs. The big difference...