United States Deploy F-22 Raptor to Europe

The United States deploy F-22 fighter jets to Europe as part of a broader effort to support eastern European members of the NATO alliance unnerved by Russia's intervention in Ukraine, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said on Monday. Four US Air Force F-22 Raptors touched down in Germany on Friday, marking the start of the fighter jet’s first-ever training deployment to Europe. Four F-22s and 60 airmen from the 95th Fighter Squadron arrived...

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Kamov Ka-52 "Alligator" Russian Attack Helicopter

The first Ka-52 helicopter was rolled out in December 1996. The helicopter completed its first flight in June 1997. The serial production of Ka-52 began in 2008 at Progress Arsenyev Aviation plant in the Primorye region of Russia. The Ka-52 Alligator is a next-generation reconnaissance and combat helicopter designed to destroy tanks, armoured and non-armoured ground targets, and enemy troops and helicopters both on the front line and in tactical...

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Textron AirLand Scorpion - The Scorpion ISR / Strike Aircraft

The development of the Scorpion aircraft was commenced in January 2012, with the objective of producing the most economical jet-powered light attack aircraft in the world. The first prototype was unveiled during the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in September 2013. The first flight was conducted at the McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas in December 2013. The Scorpion Intelligence, Surveillance...

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Russian Fighter Aircraft Can Easily Defeats The New US F-35's

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, described by US media as “a pure gold plane” for its exorbitant price tag, would find itself helpless in a dogfight with Russia’s fourth-generation Su-27 and MiG-29 jets, Pierre Sprey said. “The Su-27 and even the MiG-29 have bigger wing space, more powerful engines and carry more air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons… That’s why the F-35 will be totally helpless against both because when you confront a...

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Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

The Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) is the targeting system of choice for both the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard and recently became an even more valuable bit of kit when it successfully demonstrated its compatibility with the launch of a Maverick missile from an adjacent A-10C wing pylon. Combat proven on the F-15E and F-16, Sniper’s advanced targeting technology and features are changing the way the armed forces operate in theatre...

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Rockwell Collins F-35 Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System

Developed and built by the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems LLC joint venture that includes Elbit Systems of America (formerly known as Vision Systems International LLC), the Gen 3 helmet features an improved night-vision camera, improved liquid-crystal displays, automated alignment, and software improvements is to be introduced to the fleet in low-rate initial production Lot 7 in 2016. The HMDS, which was handed over during a ceremony at...

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Irbis-E Flanker Family Radar

The Irbis multifunctional radar employs a 900mm passive phased array antenna mounted on a hydraulic actuator. With electronically steering, it can scan sectors of 60 degrees in both azimuth and elevation. Using the hydraulic actuator (mechanical steering), the azimuth coverage boosts to 120 degrees. It can detect and track up to 30 airborne targets with a Radar Cross Section (RCS) of three square meters at ranges of 400 kilometers using track-while-scan...

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Sharp Sword (Li-Jian or Lijian), The New Chinese Stealth UCAV

China has been testing a number of stealth aircraft over the last few years. The Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang "Falcon Hawk" J-31 have both undergone flight tests, with the expectation that they'll become operational towards the end of the decade. However, China is pushing hard to match the United States' drone capabilities. Other countries experimenting with unmanned aerial vehicles include Britain, France, and Israel. Sharp Sword...

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Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon

Initial development of the J-10 began in October 1988. Originally the aircraft was to be an air superiority fighter. The 1980s saw a number of similar aircraft designs featuring a main delta-wing and canards. The delta-wing, a triangular wing platform, offers two important aerodynamic qualities to a combat aircraft. First, the swept leading edge of a delta-wing stays ahead of the shock wave generated by the nose of the aircraft during supersonic...

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Divine Eagle, Chinese Super Drone

The Shen Diao, or Divine Eagle, remotely piloted aircraft is being developed by China’s Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and appears from Chinese Internet photos made public recently to be larger than the U.S Air Force’s Global Hawk long-range surveillance drone. In late June 2015, new photos emerged of the Divine Eagle prototype, allowing a clearer look at its details. The Divine Eagle has a single engine nestled between its tailfins, with a diameter...

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Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System

Air worthiness of the X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator was developed at an estimated cost of $813m. The aircraft performed a successful initial test flight at Patuxent River, Maryland, in July 2012. The X-47B is expected to enter active naval service by 2019. The X-47B is an unmanned combat air system carrier (UCAS) being developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy (USN). The strike fighter size unmanned aircraft is currently...

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