Air Archives - Page 49 of 211 - Fighter Jets World

Tom Cruise’s Top Gun Fighter Pilot Helmet Is Up For Auction

July 16, 2020 Air

A screenshot of one of the scenes of Top Gun showing Maverick original helmet. (Paramount Pictures) A virtual auction of genuine Top Gun movie props will be held next month and one of the items up for grabs is Tom Cruise’s iconic “Maverick” flying helmet used in the 1986 Top …

U.S. Outraged With India For Acquiring Russian Mig-29 and Su-30MKI Over American F-21s

July 16, 2020 Air

Recently, amid escalating border tensions between India and China, New Delhi approved to spend billions to purchase Russian fighter jets. Moscow will sell New Delhi 33 new fighter aircraft including 12 Su-30MKIs and 21 MiG-29s along with up-gradation of 59 MiG-29s. See Details: The MiG 29 procurement and up-gradation from …

U.S. Air Force Future Skyborg AI Fleet To Replace F-16 Fighter Jet

July 15, 2020 Air

U.S. Air Force Selects BAE Systems As A Vendors For Skyborg program On Sept. 28, the U.S. Air Force has added nine vendors to the list of companies that will compete to build the service’s autonomous Skyborg drone wingman. The service awarded each firm an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $400 million. The nine companies were AeroVironment Inc., Autodyne LLC, BAE System Controls Inc., Blue Force Technologies Inc., Fregata Systems Inc., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, NextGen Aeronautics Inc., Sierra Technical Services, and Wichita State University. Now BAE Systems, a global leader in electronic warfare, was selected to develop attritable air vehicle systems under the U.S. Air Force Skyborg program. The details were given in a Thursday media release, to announce under Skyborg program, which has a contract ceiling of up to $400 million, the BAE Systems will compete to develop a digital design for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of autonomous functions. The Skyborg program is intended to create a low-cost autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle that will partner with manned aircraft to increase air combat power. Teamed with a manned aircraft, the UAVs will leverage autonomy to disrupt and defeat adversaries in contested environments. “The need to generate combat power faster than our adversaries is critical to address near-peer threats,” said Ehtisham Siddiqui, vice president and general manager of Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems. “This award will accelerate the development and deployment of manned-unmanned teaming technologies to give the U.S. Air Force a decisive edge in the battlespace.” The UAVs will be designed with BAE Systems’ autonomous systems, which include sensors and payloads that communicate across a shared network with manned aircraft. This modular and common system approach provides the foundation for rapid updates and integration to ensure the fleet is fielding the latest capabilities to defend against emerging threats. The shared network enables manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), which allows UAVs and manned aircraft to work together and complete missions more effectively. The network extends the reach of the fleet, while keeping the manned aircraft and personnel out of harm’s way. It will allow the UAVs to serve as the eyes and ears for pilots, collecting and sending data from the battlespace to a manned fighter. In addition, earlier in Jul 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has awarded multiple indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts to The Boeing Co., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, Inc., and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.

A Skyborg conceptual design for a low cost attritable Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. (Air Force Research Laboratory artwork) The US Air Force is flying at supersonic speeds towards an AI-enabled fleet. The U.S. Air Force plans to have an operational combat drone by 2023. The service plans to build out …

U.S. Air Force Released First Image Of New F-15EX Eagle Fighter Jets

July 15, 2020 Air

(U.S. Air Force courtesy photo) U.S. Air Force has released the first picture of one of its new Boeing F-15EX Eagle fighter jets now under construction. There is conflicting information about whether the photo at the top of this story is actually of an F-15EX. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has …

China’s J-20B Stealth Fighter Jet Reportedly Goes Into Mass Production After Thrust Upgrade

July 15, 2020 Air

A number of Chinese and Hong Kong media outlets have reported that a new variant of the country’s first fifth generation fighter jet, the Chengdu J-20, has entered mass production. The moment was marked at a ceremonial unveiling of the modified J-20B stealth fighter jet on Wednesday attended by many …

Chinese JY-27A Anti-Stealth Radar Spotted At Pakistan Air Force Base

July 15, 2020 Air

Satellite images show the presence of the radar at the airbase. Photo: Weibo An Open source satellite imagery spotted Chinese JY-27A anti-stealth Radar in Pakistan at the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) M.M. Alam Air Base. According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, satellite imagery revealed a China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) JY-27A counter-very-low-observable (CVLO) …

Russian Su-27 Pilot Share Details Of Mock-Dogfight He Had-Against Nato F-16s at 32,810 ft

July 14, 2020 Air

Image credit: BAF Western aircraft usually probed Soviet air defenses during the Cold War. Those aircraft were often intercepted by Su-27s. As told by Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov in their book Sukhoi Su-27 & 30/33/34/35, for example, in just three months of 1997 alone, the Russian PVO’s 10th Air …

Russia Continues To Develop New MiG-41 or PAK DP Stealth Interceptor Aircraft

July 13, 2020 Air

Russia’s Confirms The Development Of Next-Generation Long-range Interceptor To Replace An Aging Fleet Of MiG-31 Fighter Jets

After starting the production of its first stealth fighter Sukhoi SU-57 fighter jets, Russia is in the final stage of developing another Stealth aircraft, the Mikoyan MiG-41 or PAK DP is a stealth interceptor aircraft/heavy fighter. In August 2018, the Head of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG Ilya Tarasenko announced that …

Here’s The First Female Fighter Pilot To Bomb ISIS

July 13, 2020 Air

Photo Credits: Via jetgirlusa.com Caroline Johnson a Colorado-born aviatrix was one of the first women to fly a combat mission over Iraq following the military withdraw in 2011, dropping bombs on ISIS from an F/A-18 Super Hornet. Caroline Johnson was an unlikely aviation candidate. A tall blonde debutante from Colorado, …

Russia Developing New RD-93MA Engines For Pakistani JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets

July 13, 2020 Air

A Russian state-owned United Engine Corporation is developing new RD-93MA engines for pakistani JF-17 thunder fighter jets. UEC controls the development and manufacturing of all engines for military, civilian, and space use in Russia and for Russian exports. The RD-93MA has been specially developed to power single-engine fighter jets. It …