Free Republic

"Two fighter aircraft of IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior this morning. The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission," the Indian Air Force (IAF) wrote in a statement on Twitter. "One of the three pilots involved sustained fatal injuries." The crash on Saturday morning involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 carrying two pilots and a French-made Mirage 2000 with one pilot. The planes crashed in an open field near no civilians. Villagers heard a blast-like sound and found parts of an aircraft in the nearby field. While local outlets initially reported no known fatalities, the IAF reported...

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will buy 18 Russian fighter jets for about US$900 million in a major boost to its air power, defense ministers from both nations said Monday. The contract, expected to be finalized later this year, could mark a setback for Boeing, which had been in competition with Russia's largest weapons manufacturer Sukhoi to sell fighter jets to Malaysia. "Russia is ready for serious cooperation with Malaysia, and we are ready to supply Malaysia with the sophistication of cutting-edge technology," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said during a two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur. "The contract will come into...