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☆ Russia's adapting air defenses means Ukraine's new F-16s are an example of weapons that are 'no longer relevant:' senior Ukrainian officer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An unnamed Ukrainian officer told Politico of his doubts about the usefulness of incoming F-16s. It's an example of how Ukraine often receives weapons systems too late, he told Politico. AdvertisementUkraine's long-awaited F-16s are an example of weapons systems that are "no longer relevant" once they end up in Kyiv's hands, a senior Ukrainian officer told Politico. Dettmer wrote that the officer cited the F-16s as an example of how "we just don't get the weapons systems at the time we need them." AdvertisementOne pilot told Ukrainian media they're a massive step up from the Soviet MiGs he usually flies, comparing the upgrade to going from "a Nokia, straight to an iPhone."

Persons: —, Valery Zaluzhny, Jamie Dettmer, Dettmer Organizations: NATO, Politico, Service, US, Kyiv, Soviet, Nokia, America, Ukrainian Air Force, Air Force Command, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Denmark, Netherlands, Kyiv

☆ China's air force is far from ready for a crucial mission it needs to seize Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A key component will be close air support , or CAS, which the US Air Force defines as "air action by aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces." But air support became more responsive "as the ground forces became more motorized and mechanized, and PLAAF capabilities improved." But the biggest limitation for Chinese close air support remains command and control. AdvertisementWhile China is beginning to make strides here, the PLA's approach to close air support has key differences with America's. Chinese CAS also "appears to have a simpler and streamlined command and coordination system compared to U.S. close air support," wrote McCauley.

Persons: Kevin McCauley, McCauley, Ethan R, Jones, Brendan Mulvaney, Mulvaney Organizations: Service, Business, US Air Force, Air, Marine Corps, People's Liberation Army, People's Liberation Army Air Force, US, Foreign Military Studies, CAFS, US Army, US 9th Air Force, CAS, US Marine Corps, PLA, US Air, China Aerospace Studies Institute Locations: China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Normandy, Britain, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ Republican blockade of Ukraine aid and Slovakia’s election play into Putin’s hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Fico anchored his campaign on his anti-US rhetoric, vows to stop sending weapons to Ukraine and a pledge to thwart Kyiv’s NATO ambitions. The GOP tide against Ukraine gathers strengthZelensky’s visit to Washington to shore up Ukraine aid last month looks prescient. At Republican campaign events, voters often voice antipathy to sending billions of dollars to Ukraine, and polls show rising public skepticism. Still, for now, there is a bipartisan Washington majority in favor of Ukraine aid, although the chaos in the GOP raises questions about how it will be delivered. So we’ve got to find a way that we can do this together.”But if McCarthy is toppled and replaced by a more radical speaker, Ukraine could run out of luck.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy didn’t, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, McCarthy, Robert Fico’s, Fico, –, Putin, Donald Trump, Fico’s, Trump, embolden Putin, “ Putin, Mike Quigley, “, ”, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “ Joe Biden, Dmytro Kuleba, ” Kuleba, “ They’re, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Russia, Ukraine, Republican, NATO, Ukraine –, Kyiv, Brexit, “, Soviet MiG, European Union, GOP, Democratic, Illinois, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Democrat, Rep, Trump Georgia Rep, Foreign, CBS, Trump Locations: Ukraine, Slovakia, US, Poland, Warsaw, Western, Kyiv, France, Germany, “ Slovakia, Slovakian, Russia, Soviet, United States, Turkey, Sweden, Moscow, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Bratislava, Washington, Biden’s, Florida, ” Ukraine

☆ A missing F-35 stealth fighter may have kept flying after its pilot ejected. A pilotless Soviet jet once flew 500 miles before crashing in NATO territory.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An F-35 stealth fighter went missing after a pilot ejected during a "mishap" on Sunday afternoon. If it kept flying, as reports indicate it may have, it could echo a Cold War incident involving a Soviet aircraft. Toward the end of the Cold War, for example, one Soviet pilot witnessed his jet fly off without him after he ejected from it and continue flying for over 500 miles. On Sunday afternoon, Joint Base Charleston confirmed a "mishap involving an F-35B Lightning II jet" in which the pilot had to eject. The F-35 is considered to be a highly advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft known for its high-end capabilities and stealth.

Persons: haven't, Jeremy Huggins, Huggins, Lockheed Martin Organizations: Soviet, Service, Base Charleston, Charleston didn't, Facebook, Charleston, Federal Aviation Administration, Joint Base, NBC News, US Marine Corps, Joint, The New York Times, Belgian, NATO, Convair, Dart, Washington Post, Marine Corps, Lockheed Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Carolina, Lake Moultrie, Lake Marion, Soviet, Belgium, Kortrijk, Poland, East, West Germany, Netherlands, Montana

☆ Debris from missing F-35 jet found 2 hours north of Joint Base Charleston, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II jet was lost yesterday after a training mishap. "The debris was discovered two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston," officials from the base said in a statement emailed to Insider. A single F-35B jet costs about $80 million, depending on its weapons configuration, The Washington Post reported. On August 24, an F/A-18 fighter jet crashed in San Diego, California, killing its pilot. The F-35B is not the first fighter jet to fly pilotless after its crew ejected, Insider previously reported.

Organizations: US Marine Corps, Service, USMC, Washington Post, Marine Corps Locations: North Charleston, Wall, Silicon, Joint Base, Bartells, Indiantown , South Carolina, San Diego , California, Australia, Soviet, Belgian

☆ A US interceptor fighter nicknamed the 'Cornfield Bomber' once miraculously landed in one piece in a farm field after its pilot bailed out
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An F-35 that went missing in South Carolina may have flown on autopilot for a time after its pilot ejected, though it's still unclear. In 1970, an aircraft nicknamed the "Cornfield Bomber" pulled off a surprising unmanned landing with only minor damage after it's pilot bailed out. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile it's currently unclear what happened to the missing jet, it wouldn't be the first time a plane has carried on without its pilot. On February 2, 1970, pilot Maj. Gary Foust ejected from a Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptor aircraft during a training exercise when the jet had entered a flat spin. After Foust ejected, the aircraft nose-dived before stabilizing, then remained airborne for a time, while Foust drifted around 8,000 feet above the ground in his parachute.

Persons: it's, haven't, Jeremy Huggins, Gary Foust, Foust Organizations: Service, South Carolina, Facebook, Base, NBC News, US Marine Corps, Joint, Charleston, NATO, Convair, Dart, National Museum of, US Air Force, McClellan Air Force Base Locations: South Carolina, Wall, Silicon, South, Soviet, Montana

☆ 4 major fighter-jet deals could reshape the Middle East's biggest militaries for decades to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Middle Eastern countries have for decades been major buyers of advanced fighter jets. Four potential deals involving Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that the trend will continue. Four looming acquisitions by Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt show that this trend will not change any time soon. Egypt's EaglesEgyptian Air Force MiG-29s during an exercise in Sudan in May 2021. While the Russian jets couldn't exchange data with Egypt's US-made aircraft, Cairo hoped they could operate as an "air force within an air force" and partially redress its limited air-to-air capabilities.

Persons: Cuneyt, MURAD, Erdogan, Mehmet Kaman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's, Biden, Sen, Bob Menendez, hasn't, Iran's, Vladimir Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, ALEXANDR DEMYANCHUK, it's, —, Iran hasn't, ATTA KENARE, Mohammed Reza Ashtiani, Iraq's, KARIM SAHIB, Saddam Hussein's, Ali Mohammed, KARI, ASHRAF SHAZLY, Derek Seifert, Frank McKenzie, Israel, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, Dassault Rafales, Dassault, Vipers, NATO Air Policing, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Getty Images, NATO, Senate Foreign Relations, SPUTNIK, Army Day, Iranian Parliament's National Security, Foreign, Iranian Defense, Rafale, ISIS, Getty Images Iraq, Thales Ground, AIM, Meteor, Egypt's Eagles Egyptian Air Force, Eagles, US Air Force, US Central Command Locations: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Poland, Ankara, Syria, Greece, Samarkand, Getty Images Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, US, Tehran, AFP, Iranian, Persian, Baghdad, France, South Korea, Czech, Iraqi, Balad, Sudan, Qatar, Cairo, Derek Seifert Egypt

☆ China has a reputation for exporting shoddy weapons, but its sales may get a boost from Russia's blunders in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If Russia's arms exports falter because of the war in Ukraine, China's appeal may only grow. Despite the drawbacks, Chinese arms exports may get a boost from the war in Ukraine. Mazhar ABID/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesQuality concerns could be one reason for a pre-Ukraine decline in Chinese arms sales. On the other hand, SIPRI also found that German and British arms sales declined 35% and Israeli sales fell 15% during the same period. "As Russia's weapons availability may change as the war continues, China is prepared for when that time arrives."

Persons: Cindy Zheng, AAMIR QURESHI, Zheng, —, Mazhar ABID, SIPRI, NOEL CELIS Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Kamra, Getty, Nigerian Air Force, Pakistan —, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany's Puma, Getty Images Arms Locations: China, Beijing, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Islamabad, Africa, South Asia, Nigeria, Soviet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Aslat, Karachi, Stockholm, Russia, AFP, Venezuela, Iran

☆ China's wayward spy balloon is a sign of a new class of 'pseudo-satellites' crowding the sky far above earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The recent flight of Chinese spy balloon over the US highlighted a new kind of overhead snooper. These "pseudo-satellites" fly lower than satellites but higher than most planes and are hard to spot. Camera-equipped reconnaissance planes proved crucial in World Wars I and II, followed by the ever-watchful spy satellites of the Cold War. A Chinese spy balloon after being shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. High-altitude platforms fly above bad weather but have a limited payload, while lower-altitude platforms can carry more sensors but are hampered by weather effects.

Persons: —, Andrew Payne, Payne, Foxbats, Lockheed Martin, HALE, Christian Otto, Randall Hill, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, US Air Force, AIM, North America, Pentagon, US Army, Lockheed, Airbus Zephyr, Airbus, Nations, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Soviet, Israel, North, China, America, South Carolina, Forbes

☆ China is getting rid of its 'grandpa' fighter jets, but they may make a comeback for a one-way mission against Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's last J-7 fighter jets may leave active service this year, according to Chinese state media. China's air force may convert some J-7s into drones, which could be used in an attack on Taiwan. (Between its air force and navy, China now has the world's third-largest aviation force, according to the Pentagon.) A J-7 fighter at the People's Liberation Army Aviation Museum in Beijing in December 2013. UCAVs make it possible for China's air force "to use relatively cheap, capable, low-risk airframes as a first-in asset to either strike or soften Taiwan's air defense systems," Rice added.

☆ Factbox: Will Ukraine get Western fighter jets and what are the challenges?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday several Western countries were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft to defeat Russia's invasion. Ukraine has been asking allies to provide modern fighter jets - dubbed "wings for freedom" in Zelenskiy's speech to British lawmakers this week - to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet MiG and Sukhoi planes. WILL UKRAINE GET THE FIGHTER JETS? Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not rule out sending fighter jets but played down expectations, saying the issue was not on Stockholm's agenda at the moment. The Kremlin has said that Western countries would be moving towards direct conflict with Russia if they send jets.

☆ Decades after winning the world's first jet-powered dogfights, US fighter pilots are still flexing their muscles over Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

That November, US Air Force and Navy pilots notched the first victories between jet-powered aircraft. The first, involving an Air Force Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star piloted by Lt. Russel Brown, occurred on November 8, 1950. Air superiorityUS Air Force F-80C fighters return from a mission in August 1952. The Air Force's 'first'A US Air Force F-80C armed with napalm bombs takes off from a Korean airfield in February 1951. The exercise, called Vigilant Storm, involved roughly 100 US aircraft and some 140 South Korean aircraft flying more than 1,600 sorties.

☆ Here's how a wildly outgunned US Navy pilot outfoxed one of the Soviet Union's best jets, scoring a string of kills in a legendary dogfight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

An outgunned US Navy pilot downed four Soviet MiG-15 jets in a legendary dogfight over 70 years ago. This swept-wing Soviet aircraft was considered to be superior to the straight-wing American Panther in terms of overall performance. A Grumman F9F Panther fighter jet fires its guns during an attack on the North Korean port of Hungnam. "In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job," Williams said in an account of the fight, according to Pacific Fleet. Williams' dogfight isn't the only example of US planes battling enemy aircraft that are superior on paper.

☆ These are 10 most popular fighter planes in service around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Miguel Ortiz | We Are The Mighty | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Using data from Cirium, FlightGlobal published their 2023 World Air Forces directory detailing military aircraft fleets around the world, including the most popular fighter planes. These are the 10 most popular fighter planes in service around the world:Northrop F-5An F-5 Tiger II takes off at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. Despite its age, the J-7 remains extremely popular with 444 in active service. 522 Typhoons are in active service, including with all of the original collaborating countries except France. 545 F-35s are in active service, with more on the way as existing orders are filled and additional orders are placed.

☆ Ukraine's 'cat and mouse' battle to keep Russian missiles at bay
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

It is ground-based air defence units that shoot down the vast majority of missiles and drones, not ageing warplanes, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said. "Air defences don't remain in one place: we can't cover the whole country..." Ihnat said. "So we usually know what objects are under attack, we can build around those objects some kind of air defence," he said. "Our Soviet air defence system is being depleted - that is the S-300 and the BUK, which are the foundation. Western air defence systems supplied to Ukraine have performed well, but supplies are far short of what is needed, according to both air force officials.

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