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☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ The US Air Force is relaxing its restrictions on body fat after struggling to find enough new recruits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US Air Force will raise its body fat limits for new applicants to drive recruitment. The group will now admit male recruits with up to 28% body fat and females with up to 36%. The Air Force last month revealed it would likely fall short of recruiting targets by 10%. Male troops will now be able to have 26% body fat rather than 20%, while female recruits can have 36% body fat, up from 28%, said Air Force Recruitment Service spokesperson Leslie Brown. The reported adjustment comes as the Air Force deals with a shortfall of new recruits.

☆ Here's what went wrong with Virgin Orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The deal, facilitated by a so-called blank check company, gave Virgin Orbit a valuation of nearly $4 billion. That debt gives the flashy British billionaire first priority of Virgin Orbit assets in the event of the now-impending bankruptcy. And Chief Strategy Officer Jim Simpson had also spent more than eight years in Boeing's satellite division before joining Virgin Orbit. That frustration continued after the pause, with employees confused by the lack of specifics about which investors were speaking to Virgin Orbit leadership. Virgin Orbit

☆ A decorated former US F-16 pilot says he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine: 'You can count on me,' he told a VoA interview.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A decorated former US Air Force pilot said he would fly fighter jets for Ukraine if necessary. Retired Lt. Col. Dan "Two Dogs" Hampton discussed the potential of the US F-16 in the war over Ukraine. "I'll even go myself, you can count on me," the retired lieutenant colonel told a VoA interview. The highly decorated pilot, known as "Two Dogs," spent 20 years in the Air Force, fought in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, and Iraq wars, and is a New York Times bestselling author for his memoirs from his time in the military. Meanwhile, a US Air Force official said that fighter jets were "worthless" over Ukraine earlier this week because both sides of the conflict have mastered long-range missile defense, Insider previously reported.

☆ The US military has 6 new air-to-air missiles in the works
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The US military has at least six new air-to-air missiles in active development. The US's current air-to-air missiles are effective, but they aren't designed for the newest US jets. Russia and China are fielding missiles with incredible rangeChinese-made PL-9C, left, and PL-5E air-to-air missiles at the Airshow China exhibition in November 2000. Peregrine Air-to-Air missileRaytheon's Peregine air-to-air missile has actually been around for a few years already. Modular Advanced Missile (MAM)The Modular Advanced Missile (MAM) is among the newest additions to this list.

☆ Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Members of the US Air National Guard have been providing advice for using US-made weaponry. Despite US support, Ukraine's air force is still at a disadvantage against Russia's larger force. Ukraine's air force still faces a tough operating environment. A California Air National Guard officer discusses exercise Safe Skies with his Ukrainian counterparts in July 2011. Ukrainian Air Force via Twitter"We've just got them some precision munitions that have some extended range and go a little bit further than a gravity-dropped bomb," Hecker added.

☆ Elite Israeli reserve fighter pilots and intelligence officers boycott training to protest against Netanyahu's right-wing government
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reserve pilots in a top Israeli air force squadron are boycotting training in an anti-government protest. Thirty-seven of the 40 reserve pilots in Israeli Air Force's 69th Squadron joined the protests by refusing to attend pre-scheduled training this week, the Jerusalem Post reports. The 69th Squadron is one of Israel's most prestigious air force units, according to Haaretz. The Israel reserve is 465,00-strong, and the mandatory service is part of the national ethos. Critics of this plan by Netanyahu's right-wing government say that this will weaken Israel's courts, and reduce civil liberties, per Reuters.

☆ British RAF chief calls it 'unacceptable' for China to recruit western military pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, March 2 (Reuters) - Britain's air force chief says it was "unacceptable" its former pilots were being recruited to train Chinese military, and intelligence agencies in Australia and Britain had shared information to warn pilots against working for Beijing. In October Britain said it would change the law to make it an offence for a former military pilot to continue training a foreign military after being warned by British intelligence agencies to stop. The Royal Air Force's Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston told the ABC in an interview at the Avalon Air Show in Australia the warnings were about China. Australia's spy chief last week hit out in his annual security threat assessment at former military pilots who turn to working for authoritarian regimes, describing them as "lackeys, more 'top tools' than 'top guns'". Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The US Air Force's big plan to spread out and take on China may actually make things easier for Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the Air Force, a key part of the plan is to spread jets and airmen across bases in the Pacific. The problem is that the Air Force would need a logistical system that could sustain numerous bases across a wide area. US, Australian, Japanese, and other militaries' aircraft taxi in formation at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in February 2022. Civil engineer airmen conduct rapid airfield damage repair on Northwest Field at Andersen Air Force Base in October 2019. Air Force officials have acknowledged the complexity of defending dispersed forces.

☆ Boeing says MQ-28 drone could be a fit for U.S. Air Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone is kept on display at the Australian International Airshow, in Avalon, Australia February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jamie FreedAVALON, Australia Feb 28 (Reuters) - Boeing Co's (BA.N) MQ-28 Ghost Bat fighter-like drone developed in Australia could fit the U.S. Air Force's requirements for a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), the company's defence division head said on Tuesday. "We're developing the MQ-28 to fit into a set of requirements that fit into that category of CCA and hopefully there is an intersection there," Boeing Defense, Space and Security Chief Executive Ted Colbert said on the sidelines of the Australia International Airshow. Boeing is developing the MQ-28 in Australia alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, in what is the country's first homegrown combat aircraft to be manufactured in more than 50 years. The MQ-28, which made its first flight in 2021, was on public display at the air show.

☆ The US Air Force is finally getting rid of its A-10s, and its focus may be straying from the Warthog's unique mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Those retirements would shrink the Air Force's A-10 fleet to 260 aircraft, and Air Force leaders plan to continue decommissioning A-10s in the years ahead. Not so closeUS Air Force joint terminal attack controllers during a close air support training with an A-10 in Nevada in September 2011. Michael HolzworthCurrent and former Air Force officials have said that the F-35 would take over the A-10's mission after the Warthog left the fleet. So it will perform the mission very differently," said Kendall, who is now the Air Force's top civilian official. Those skills "are perishable," Boeding added, "and the stakes are too high to not train dedicated crews (ground and air) in purpose build close air support aircraft."

[1/3] A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter lands on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered super carrier, during a joint naval drill between South Korea and the U.S., in the West Sea, South Korea, October 29, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiFeb 23 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Thursday it plans to stop production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet in late 2025 after delivering the last of the fighter jets, as the aerospace giant shifts focus to winning the race for the sixth-generation of combat aircraft. Trade publication Defense News in 2020 reported that at least one prototype was built and flown by the Air Force. It said production of the F/A-18 jet, which debuted in 1983, could be extended until 2027 if the Super Hornet is selected by the Indian Navy for its future fighter. Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru and Valerie Insinna in Washington; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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.

☆ Chinese air force bombers show off their growing reach with a long-range drill over the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kristin Huang | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese H-6K bomber patrolling over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. "Probably, the fighter aircraft [was] deployed from the bases on the artificial islands in the Spratly Islands to support simulated strikes in the South China Sea. "The early warning aircraft can help monitor potential threats in the air, most notably enemy fighter aircraft that may try to shoot down the bomber. The early warning aircraft can also help coordinate activities among the different planes. Although the drill showed the enhanced ability of the Chinese air force, the bomber's capability boosted the threat already posed to US military forces by only a little, Heath said.

☆ The mystery objects shot down by US fighter jets were 'most likely' harmless civilian objects, Biden says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Three mysterious objects were shot down by the US military in North American airspace last weekend. The three unidentified objects are "most likely" just civilian objects, he said on Thursday. Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Biden on Thursday also said he's directed his team to create "sharper rules" for dealing with unidentified objects moving forward, distinguishing between those that pose a security risk and those that don't. In total, four objects — one Chinese surveillance balloon and the three smaller objects that remain unidentified — have been shot down over North American airspace since early February.

☆ The US military let artificial intelligence fly a fighter jet and even battle simulated enemies in air-to-air combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A recent series of US military tests saw AI fly a fighter jet and battle simulated enemies. The modified jet practiced beyond-visual-range engagements and dogfighting, the 412th Test Wing revealed. It can be piloted by autonomous AI programs and mirror the flight characteristics of aircraft like the F-16 jet or MQ-20 drone. One of the two programs tested by the US military was a product of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Autonomous Air Combat Operations, or AACO. This program piloted the VISTA in one-on-one engagements against a simulated enemy beyond visual range, the 412th Test Wing said.

☆ Romania detects suspicious weather balloon in its airspace, ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Romanian Air Force's surveillance system detected an aerial object that looked like a weather balloon flying in the country's airspace, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. Two MiG 21 LanceR jets were scrambled to the area in southeast Romania 10 minutes after the sighting but could not confirm the object's presence, the ministry said, adding the balloon was flying at an altitude of 11,000 metres. The sighting in Romania comes amidst a diplomatic spat between the United States and China after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4. The defence ministry said the crews of the aircraft stayed in the area for 30 minutes before returning to base after not getting visual, or radar confirmation, of the target. The sighting in Romania also occurred on the same day that Moldova, which borders Romania and Ukraine, briefly closed its air space for undisclosed safety reasons, although the Romanian ministry did not link the events in its statement.

☆ Why China's and Russia's 5th-generation stealth jets don't quite live up to the hype, according to a former US Navy pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Peter Suciu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those jets have advanced features but aren't quite as advanced as US stealth jets, a former Navy pilot says. However, a copy of a fifth-generation fighter does not actually make it one. Russia's Sukhoi Su-57Russian Su-57 fighter jets. A Russian Su-57 fighter jet. Associated PressThough the Chinese and Russian aircraft are likely highly capable warbirds, some US aviation experts have suggested they shouldn't rightfully be considered "fifth-generation."

☆ Air Force's aging E-3 Sentry stirs questions of airborne-battle readiness
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Brad Howard | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For decades the U.S. Air Force has relied on the E-3 Sentry, and the most recent version, the E-3G, has been upgraded with more modern electronics and software to keep up with new threats. 'The best way to describe it is kind of like the quarterback in the sky," said Air Force Col. Keven Coyle, commander of the 552nd Air Control Wing. In the most recent budget, Congress appropriated an additional $200 million for the Air Force to develop a prototype to meet that need. A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail takes off during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 10, 2022. A U.S. Air Force E-3G taxies on a runway at Tinker AFB By Brad Howard, CNBC

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInside the U.S. Air Force's E-3G SentryThe E-3 Sentry is nearing the twilight of it's career. The newest version, the E-3G, uses newer electronics and software to keep a watchful eye over friendly and unfriendly skies. But the Air Force is looking towards the future, and the Boeing E-7, a Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft with a modern design, could be what is needed to keep pace with new threats around the world.

☆ U.S., UK and Australia carry out China-focused air drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sandra Stojanovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A F-35B aircraft from the U.S. Air Force refuels during the annual Red Flag military exercise between the United States, Britain and Australia, in Nevada, U.S., February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaNELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The United States, Britain and Australia carried out joint air drills on Wednesday over the Nevada desert and beyond as part of an effort to simulate high-end combat operations against Chinese fighter aircraft and air defenses. U.S. Air Force Colonel Jared J. Hutchinson, commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron that runs Red Flag, said the annual drills were not tied to any recent events. Air Commodore John Lyle, commander of the RAF's Air Mobility Force, told Reuters the mission during the Red Flag drills would simulate bringing the air forces into "an area where there has been an invasion by a hostile country." Australia contributed EA-18G Growler aircraft, according to data provided by Red Flag organizers.

☆ Ukraine has its sights on US-made fighter jets, but those aren't Kyiv's 'most pressing need,' top Democrat says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Having received Western-made tanks, Ukrainians say their next goal is getting Western fighter jets. Ukraine operated roughly 82 MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets at the start of the war, as well as Su-24 and Su-25 ground-attack aircraft. Russia's newer Su-30s and Su-35s still have technical advantages, however, and downed several Ukrainian jets in the first days of the war. Calls to supply Ukraine with fighter jets picked up after the US, Germany, and other countries said they would send tanks. That pattern, seen with long-range rocket artillery and advanced air-defense systems, leads some to believe the US and other countries will ultimately relent on fighter jets.

☆ B-52 crews are getting special brain training to help them fly the US Air Force's oldest bomber
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Hope Seck | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force B-52 crews are going through a special brain- and body-conditioning program. The program is part of an effort to find the best way to enhance the performance of Air Force crews. Other airmen could get access to similar programs in the future, an Air Force official said. Officers on the lower deck of a B-52 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota in August 2006. A B-52 bomber drops cluster bombs over Afghanistan on October 7, 2001.

The United States operates a military base and nuclear missile silos in Montana, a state bordering Idaho. Military officials developed a plan to shoot down the balloon on Wednesday as it flew over Montana. BALLOON MANEUVERSThe U.S. government has declined to say which sites the Chinese balloon surveyed. On Friday, the Pentagon said it expected the balloon to keep flying over the United States for several more days. "That will make it fairly easy, actually," a military official said of the recovery operation in the Atlantic.

☆ 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.

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