5/20/2024 A NATO Warbird: Belgium is Now Operating the F-35 Fighter  Belgium's third F-35A, designated AY-03, has completed its first flight, advancing the country's transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II for its air force. The aircraft, featuring subdued Belgian national markings, will join Belgium's fleet of F-35s, replacing the aging F-16 Fighting Falcons. |
5/18/2024 Pakistan Eyes More J-10C Fighters; Continues To “Lead” Indian Air Force In Combat Jet Acquisition Since 1954  After JF-17 and J-10C fighters, cash-strapped Pakistan turns to China for the Light Combat Aircraft JL-15 and has been eyeing to have the Chinese J-31 stealth fifth-generation aircraft by 2029. Pakistan earlier ordered 36 Chengdu J-10CE ‘Vigorous Dragon’ multi-role fighters (20 delivered, 16 to come). There are reports that they will order 14 more to make it 50. |
5/18/2024 Egypt goes shopping for pick and mix...  Egypt is in the market for new fighters, but budgetary constraints mean that they may have to settle for a mixture of new and second-hand aircraft. Before 1979, when then President Anwar Sadat signed a historic peace agreement with Israel, the Egyptian Air Force was primarily equipped with aircraft of Soviet design, some of them supplied by China after the loosening of ties with Russia in 1976. |
5/18/2024 Another Dead End for Airborne Lasers: Air Force Scraps Effort to Mount Directed-Energy Weapon on Fighter Jet  After years in development, the U.S. military's latest attempt at an airborne laser weapon to protect troops on the ground from incoming ballistic missiles appears to be headed for the scrapyard. |
5/17/2024 F-22s Practice Dogfights over the Korean Peninsula with ROK F-35s .jpg) A pair of U.S. F-22s practiced dogfighting with South Korean F-35As on May 16, making a rare appearance over the peninsula’s inland airspace. The training saw the four stealthy fighters engaging in close-range air combat maneuver, taking turns in offensive and defensive posture in simulated confrontation scenarios, the Republic of Korea Air Force said in a release. |
5/17/2024 Belbek Airfield Attack Destroyed Fighter Aircraft, Missile Systems and Fuel Dump  Further to a Kyiv Post report posted on Wednesday, the Russian Telegram channel Astra said that on the night of May 14 / 15, Ukrainian missile attacks against a Russian air base and nearby military locations in occupied Crimea destroyed an S-400 “Triumf” air defense system, two MiG-31 fighters, and a fuel and lubricant depot. The ASTRA account said that two Russian soldiers were killed, and 14 others were injured. |
5/16/2024 Due to successive delays, Congress is considering reducing the number of F-35s destined for the U.S. Armed Forces for Fiscal Year 2025  The U.S. Congress’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025 originally included the purchase of 68 stealth fighter jets F-35, but this acquisition could be reduced to as few as 48 aircraft. Problems with upgrades and failure to meet promised deadlines by Lockheed Martin would significantly reduce the number of aircraft intended to equip the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. |
5/16/2024 U.S. Air Force deploys F-22 fighters to South Korea The U.S. Air Force has deployed several F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea, according to an announcement on the Pentagon’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) website on Tuesday. The arrival of these advanced jets at Kunsan Air Base, located 178 kilometers south of Seoul, underscores the U.S. commitment to maintaining a robust defense posture in the Indo-Pacific region. |
5/16/2024 45 Chinese Aircraft Detected Around Taiwan  Taipei said Wednesday it had detected 45 Chinese military aircraft around Taiwan, the highest single-day number this year and coming less than a week before the self-ruled island inaugurates its new president, whom China regards as a “dangerous separatist.” China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control. |
5/16/2024 Kunsan welcomes F-22 Raptors for integration training  The 8th Fighter Wing welcomed four F-22 Raptors assigned to 19th and 199th Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii, May 13. The F-22s, currently operating out of Kadena Air Base, Japan, arrived to Kunsan AB, to provide the opportunity for dissimilar training and test agile combat employment (ACE) capabilities within the Indo-Pacific region. |