Military Aviation

The Marine Corps flew its first XQ-58A Valkyrie combat drone earlier this week and it flew “as expected,” according to a spokesman. The “highly autonomous” Valkyrie is controlled by artificial intelligence and needs little input from humans. It’s also relatively inexpensive ($6.5 million), making it “attritable” or expendable on the battlefield. “This low-maintenance, reusable vehicle […]

It’s not clear how the Israeli Air Force’s readiness in the face of Saturday’s attack by Hamas was affected by a months-long boycott of flying by some of its most experienced pilots. It’s also not clear if any of the more than 400 reserve pilots, including 300 fighter pilots, are still refusing to fly in […]

The Russian Air Force has dusted off a 60-year-old relic to meet a thoroughly modern threat. A Beriev BE-12 amphibious patrol aircraft has been spotted over the Black Sea and it’s apparently looking for Ukrainian boat drones. The uncrewed boats have had some success in carrying loads of explosives to damage Russian warships. The drones […]

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) announced it has received its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Joby Aviation. The eVTOL was unveiled in a ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base in California Monday (Sept. 25)—some six months ahead of schedule. The delivery comes after the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a contract extension […]

China is updating its military pilot recruitment by extending eligibility to science and engineering graduate students. Reuters is reporting those selected (male only) will train to fly fighters from carriers as the country rapidly expands its naval aviation capability. In contrast with other major powers, which mostly require a university degree for pilot candidates, China […]

CNN has obtained the 911 audio of the aftermath of the loss of a Marine Corps F-35B that flew on for 60 miles after the pilot ejected over Charleston, South Carolina, last week. The audio reveals a few more details of the incident and illustrates a knowledge gap with emergency response personnel on dealing with […]

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday. He succeeds Army General Mark Milley, who has held the position since October 2019. An F-16 pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, Brown has logged 130 combat hours […]

The BBC is reporting that a reckless Russian fighter pilot did his best to shoot down a British Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft in 2022, but bad luck and bad equipment prevented a major international incident. The Rivet Joint, which gathers and analyzes electromagnetic signals intelligence, was patrolling the Black Sea last October when two Su-27s […]

The Marine Corps has taken to social media looking for help to find one of its F-35s after the pilot ejected over South Carolina on a training flight Sunday. The pilot landed in a residential area in North Charleston and is recovering in a local hospital. He was reported in stable condition, and an F-35 […]

Boeing and Red 6 have completed their first flight tests of an augmented reality (AR) system integrated into a TA-4J military trainer. The project, which was announced in September 2022, is aiming to develop AR technology for aerial dogfighting and training in advanced tactical aircraft. Following testing with the TA-4J, the AR system will be […]