Month: January 2023

Final flight of HAWC program

Posted on January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 by alert5

The recent successful final flight test of the joint DARPA and U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program marks another milestone in the development of hypersonic technology. With the Lockheed Martin missile, powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet, exceeding speeds of Mach 5 and flying higher than 60,000 feet, and farther than 300 nautical miles, the program has achieved its initial objectives and provided critical data to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

Graphic: DARPA
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F-16 supply to Ukraine: Biden says no, Poland may say yes

Posted on January 31, 2023 by alert5

Ukraine’s efforts to obtain F-16 fighter jets have received a boost, as Poland has expressed willingness to supply the combat jets to the country. Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s top advisor, announced that the country has received “positive signals” from Poland. However, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has stressed that any decision on the transfer of fighter jets would be made in full coordination with NATO allies.

A 138th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon from Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma, flies next to a KC-135R Stratotanker April 25, 2019. The Stratotanker, from the 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, refueled four 138th Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcons during flight operations over Kansas. (Courtesy photo by Mike Killian)

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25 years later, former responders remember Air Force One incident

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

It was a day that many people in Central Illinois will never forget. The U.S. Presidential aircraft, Air Force One, had one of its wheels stuck in the mud at Willard Airport in Savoy. President Bill Clinton was on his way to speak at the University of Illinois at the time.

See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Record-breaking deployment of U.S. aircraft to Germany for NATO exercise

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

Exercise Air Defender 23 is set to take place in June. The exercise will see 15 NATO nations deploying around 200 aircraft to Germany for 12 days of training in air warfare operations. The United States, in particular, will be sending a significant number of aircraft, including their F-35, F-16, and F-15 fighter jets. This marks the largest deployment of US air combat forces to Germany since the formation of NATO.

U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the 480th and 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons are parked on the aircraft ramp at the 86th Air Base, Romania, following the 510th EFS’ arrival April 29, 2022. The 480th EFS from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, is being replaced by the 510th EFS from Aviano Air Base, Italy, after being deployed to Romania since February. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maeson L. Elleman)

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China to retire the J-7 fighter this year

Posted on January 30, 2023 by alert5

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is set to decommission its J-7 fighter jets this year, according to a report from Global Times. The J-7, China’s first supersonic fighter jet, has been in use by the PLA Air Force and the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) for many years, but has been gradually retired since 2018 as the country’s production capacity of new aircraft has increased.

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