Military Aviation

Congress May Block Air Force F-22 Retirement Plan

The Drive says Congress may block the Air Force’s plan to scrap 33 F-22s to save money and begin the process of retiring the entire fleet of 186 sometime in the 2030s. The Air Force says the planes in question are early models and used mostly for training and other non-combat roles. They cost a […]

Read More »

Dutch Pick Embraer C-390 Over C-130J

The Netherlands has picked Embraer’s C-390 tactical airlift aircraft over Lockheed Martin’s C-130J. The Dutch will buy five C-390s to replace four second-generation C-130H Hercules transports. Lockheed Martin had entered its current C-130J in the two-aircraft competition. The country was looking for an off-the-shelf replacement for the 30-year-old Hercs, and it set some performance parameters […]

Read More »

Saab Delivers Final T-7A Red Hawk Development Jet Fuselage

Saab has delivered the last of five T-7A Red Hawk aft fuselages to be used for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft from its facility in Linköping, Sweden, to Boeing’s production site in St. Louis, Missouri. The aircraft are part of a $9.2 billion contract for 351 T-7A advanced trainers, 46 simulators and support awarded […]

Read More »

Air Force Tries New Tactics To Retire A-10

The Air Force has gone strategic on its seemingly hopeless quest to retire the elderly A-10. Instead of year after year giving well-reasoned arguments to Congress on how the slow and boxy airplane is like a big metal billboard to enemy attack radars and of no use in a contested environment, it’s taking a piecemeal […]

Read More »

Twin Riles Military In Seven-Country Tour Of Eastern Europe

Investigators in eastern Europe are looking for those who took a light twin, possibly a Piper Aztec, on a seven-nation tour of the region without letting anyone know they were coming. The sudden appearance of the aircraft, which apparently did not contact any air traffic control authorities, took off Thursday from Lithuania and went through […]

Read More »

Osprey Down In California (UPDATED)

An MV-22 Osprey with five Marines aboard crashed in the Southern California desert just after noon on Wednesday. The Marines have confirmed the crash and reported that all five of the people onboard were killed. Authorities also denied initial reports that there was “nuclear material” on the aircraft. “We ask for the public’s patience as we […]

Read More »

Chinese Fighter Chaffs Australian P-8

China has responded with threats of “serious consequences” for continued “aggression” after Australia complained that a Chinese fighter released chaff in the path of a P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft in May. The Australians say the Poseidon’s engines ingested some of the aluminum fragments but it landed safely. It was reportedly out of service for about […]

Read More »

German Heavy-Lift Helicopter Program Selects Chinook

The German government has chosen Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook for its Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) heavy-lift helicopter program. Germany is expected to purchase up to 60 Chinooks to replace its aging Sikorsky CH-53G helicopter fleet in a deal valued at around €4 billion ($4.3 billion). While the agreement has not yet been finalized, delivery of the new […]

Read More »

Doomed A-10 Gets Life Extension

Despite repeated attempts by Air Force brass to retire it, the A-10 Warthog is getting a billion-dollar lease on life. Boeing announced last week it had started delivering the first 50 of 112 sets of new wings for the close air support platform. The new wings will extend the life of the aircraft by 10,000 […]

Read More »

Ukraine Admits The Ghost Of Kyiv Is A Myth

As stories go, the one about the Ghost of Kyiv was a good one, too good to be true as most of us likely knew in our gut. On Sunday, the Ukrainian government admitted the ace pilot was a myth but it also said that doesn’t mean he was fake. “The #GhostOfKyiv is alive, it […]

Read More »
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE