5/2/2024 Kadena Adds More Stealth Fighters Amid ‘Increasingly Challenging Strategic Environment’  F-22A Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., recently arrived at Kadena Air Base in Japan, bolstering the fifth-generation airpower at the closest U.S. military installation to Taiwan. “Amid an increasingly challenging strategic environment, it is vital that we continue to retain modern capabilities to ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region,” a base spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine on May 1. |
5/2/2024 National Guard Boss Warns of Potential ‘Critical’ Fighter Shortage  “We’ve got a 60 fighter squadron requirement,” across the Air Force, Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, said April 30 at a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. “We have 25 of those in the National Guard, and our ability to retain that capability when we’re already short fighter pilots and maintainers will be critically important in the next coming years as we start to modernize our fleet.” |
5/1/2024 US Trains F-35 Pilots In ‘IPOP’ Operations; Air Force Looks To ACE Global Readiness & Interoperability  On April 1, pilots of the 422nd and 59th Test and Evaluation Squadrons (TES) participated in this initiative, designed to elevate aircrew capabilities in aircraft maintenance and refueling. The core objective of the IPOP is to equip pilots with the skills necessary to independently inspect and deploy their aircraft, a crucial element to foster self-sufficiency during prolonged flight missions. |
5/1/2024 China Copied Russia's Su-33 Fighter and Made the J-15 to Challenge the F/A-18 Hornet  The Shenyang J-15 "Flying Shark," known as Flanker-X2 by NATO, is a cornerstone of China's carrier-based air power, introduced in 2013 to operate from the People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carriers. Originating from failed negotiations to acquire the Russian Sukhoi Su-33, China initiated the J-15 program by reverse-engineering a Su-33 prototype obtained from Ukraine. |
5/1/2024 Pilot Ejects from F-16 Crash at Holloman Air Force Base  An Air Force pilot ejected from an F-16 fighter jet assigned to the 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., when it crashed April 30, the base announced. The crash happened at about 11:50 a.m. local time, west of the base near White Sands National Park. The only person on board the jet, the pilot “was transported by ambulance for medical care,” the base said in a Facebook post. Later that evening, officials said in a release that the pilot was in good condition. |
4/30/2024 Busy Skies in NATO’s East – A New US Spy Plane, A Rare Ukrainian Flight Into Europe, and British Fighters  Unique and at times peculiar NATO aircraft activity spiked around the Atlantic Alliance’s eastern borders on Monday, April 29 with at least three British Typhoon fighters sharing air space and appearing to closely escort an Iranian airliner, a first-ever sortie in theater by the Pentagon’s best maritime spy drone, and a Ukrainian government plane defying the Russian Air Force and scooting to safety in the Balkans. |
4/29/2024 Russia's Su-35 Flanker Fighter Nightmare Keep Getting Worse  The Russian Air Force is facing significant setbacks in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with substantial losses including several Su-35 fighter jets. As Moscow intensifies its aerial assaults, the strain on its military arsenal grows, with more than 150 sorties involving Su-34 and Su-35 airframes reported over just 13 days earlier this year. |
4/29/2024 Entire F-16 Fleet Disbanded! How This EU Country Is Taking Fight To Russia & China Without Firing A Missile  In a bid to arm its aging air force, Argentina signed a $300 million contract with Denmark earlier this month to purchase 24 F-16 aircraft. Commenting on the sale, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said, “In close cooperation with our allies, we have donated 19 F-16s to Ukraine’s fight for freedom, and now we have sold 24 aircraft to Argentina in a good process that has created valuable ties between our two countries.” |
4/29/2024 Why Did US Buy Old Soviet Aircraft from Kazakhstan?  For several years Kazakhstan has been gradually replacing its outdated fleet of Soviet-made combat aircraft with modern versions, such as the Russian Su-30SM multi-role aircraft and has been in discussion with Western manufacturers to source suitable combat platforms. As part of this process, it was announced in October that the Kazakh government was offering 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft for sale by auction. |
4/29/2024 How A Pakistani Pilot “Shot Down” An Israeli Fighter Jet With His Russian-Origin MiG-21 Aircraft In 1974?  In the annals of military history, some stories stand out for their unexpected twists and turns. One such event occurred half a century ago, on April 26, 1974, when Flight Lieutenant Sattar Alvi, a Pakistani pilot, accomplished a rare feat by shooting down an Israeli fighter jet while flying a MiG aircraft for the Syrian Air Force. |