Military Aviation

A planespotter is being credited with potentially preventing the loss of an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle and its pilot when he reported a malfunction with the aircraft as it left a base in the U.K. Ian Simpson was indulging his passion at the business end of the Royal Air Force base at Lakenheath in […]

Bell Textron has announced plans to open a new systems integration lab (SIL) at the Bell Flight Research Center in Arlington, Texas. The facility is intended to support Bell’s participation in the U.S Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) and Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programs. According to the company, the SIL will be used […]

The Israeli air force has successfully tested an airborne laser system that quickly dispatched drones in flight. The system, built by the air force with Elbit Systems, is mounted on a Cessna Caravan and easily blasted all the drones it encountered on the test. Israel tweeted it is “among the first countries in the world […]

At least 50 people, including 42 combat soldiers, were killed in the crash of a Philippine Air Force C-130 in the southern part of the country on Sunday. Three of the dead were civilians on the ground. Initial reports suggest the aircraft, an ex-USAF Herc that was recently transferred to the Philippine military, overran the […]

The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with a program to create a full-scale 3D model of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Once completed, the F-16 “digital twin” is expected to serve as a virtual test bed for “future modifications and other sustainment actions prior to physical implementation.” The project is being conducted via a new […]

The Swiss Federal Council announced on Wednesday that it has selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II to replace its aging F-5 Tiger and F/A-18 Hornet fleets. Other aircraft models considered for the role were the Airbus Eurofighter, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale. According to the Council, the F-35 was the least expensive […]

The Canadian military is reportedly asking Sikorsky Aircraft to revise the flight director software in its CH-148 Cyclone, a military version of the S-92, after a crash off Greece last year. It’s the same platform being developed as the next generation Marine One for presidential and VIP service. The Canadian Press is reporting that the […]

A Beechcraft King Air 300 twin-engine turboprop currently being flown by the U.S. Army has passed its 50,000th flight hour, according to an announcement from Textron Aviation on Thursday. The aircraft was delivered in 1987 and has been part of the Army’s fleet since 2009. It operates as a Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System […]

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has announced the recipients of the 2020 Mackay Trophy. USAF Lieutenant Colonel Joel Bier and Lieutenant Colonel Leif Nordhagen, the aircrew of Hawg 53 flight, will share the honor for a combat mission flown on Jan. 5, 2020. Hawg 53 was deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a […]

The death of a new Air Force F-16 pilot in a 2020 landing accident at Shaw Air Force Base has prompted major changes in operational flight training. Lt. David Schmitz died when his ejection seat malfunctioned as his Viper slid along the runway on partially collapsed landing gear after he hit the localizer antenna while […]