Military Aviation

The U.S. Special operations command has chosen an armed-to-the-teeth version of the venerable Air Tractor agricultural application aircraft as its new counter-terrorism platform in its Armed Overwatch mission. The AT-802U Sky Warden was chosen over two other finalists, the Textron AT-6 Wolverine, based on the Texan trainer, and Sierra Nevada Corp’s MC-145B Coyote, a high-wing […]

The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds have canceled at least two shows after a takeoff mishap involving one of their CT-114 Tutor jets at an airport in northern British Columbia. The aircraft had a hard landing at Fort St. John Airport and was damaged. The pilot and lone person on board was not injured. Circumstances […]

The U.S. military grounded all its F-35s on Friday to speed up the inspection of ejection seats for faulty explosive cartridges. The Israeli air force has also stopped flying the fifth-generation fighter. The Air Force, Navy and Marines have a combined total of more than 500 of the aircraft in three variants. The planes were […]

It might be the most powerful in the world but the U.S. Navy seems to have trouble battling the weather. A month after losing a $30 million to $60 million F/A-18 overboard from a carrier, at least nine helicopters were seriously damaged at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on July 26 when a powerful thunderstorm blew […]

Ukraine is saying thanks but no thanks to a suggestion the U.S. Air Force donate its unwanted A-10 Warthogs on the war-torn country. Air Force Magazine is reporting Ukraine would much rather have F-16s. “We have been requesting combat aircraft from our partners for a long time now,” Yuriy Sak, adviser to Ukraine’s minister of […]

Boeing has begun modifying the first two U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles with the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS). Designed to provide “fully integrated radar warning, situational awareness, geolocation, and self-protection capabilities,” the electronic warfare system is also equipped on the new F-15EX Eagle II. A total of 43 F-15Es are […]

The Air Force is considering cutting potential crew casualties by eliminating copilots on KC-46 Pegasus tankers on high-risk missions during war. The Air Force Times is reporting top brass are concerned the big tankers will be sitting ducks for Chinese anti-aircraft missiles in an Indo-Pacific conflict. “Shrinking the number of airmen onboard a tanker could […]

Someone on the Navy carrier USS Harry S. Truman has some explaining to do after one of its F/A-18s was blown off the deck. The Navy confirmed the mishap occurred July 8 in the Mediterranean while the ship was undergoing a replenishment-at-sea. The Navy didn’t release any details but said it happened during “unexpected” heavy […]

Boeing announced on Thursday that it has delivered the 150th P-8 Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. Of the 150 delivered, 112 went to the U.S. Navy, 12 to Australia, 12 to India, nine to the United Kingdom and five to Norway. The 150th P-8 will be based at Maryland’s Naval Air Station Patuxent River […]

Parent and child pilots on airliners are relatively common but the Indian air force may have scored a first with a father-daughter formation flight. Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma and his 24-year-old daughter Ananya achieved the distinction on May 30. “The father-daughter duo created history on 30 May 2022, when they flew in the same formation […]