The U.S. Air Force has significantly enhanced its forward posture in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of F-35A Lightning IIs from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS) to Kadena Air Base, Japan, on Jan. 13. The move comes as the service begins to retire its ageing fleet of F-15C/D Eagles in Japan, some of which have been in service for more than four decades.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II assigned to the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron taxis past Airman 1st Class Connor Blevins, 158th Fighter Wing crew chief, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Jan. 13, 2025. The 134th FS will be integrating with F-22 Raptors and F-16C Fighting Falcons to continually provide forward fighter capabilities in support of theater deterrence and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command objectives. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tylir Meyer) Continue reading “Vermont F-35As bolster U.S. Indo-Pacific presence at Kadena amidst Eagle retirement”
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is set to conduct a critical evaluation of the Saab Gripen fighter jet, focusing on its ability to operate from makeshift airstrips on public highways, the Nation reports. This test, scheduled for February, is a pivotal moment in the RTAF’s assessment of the Swedish-built Gripen E fighter as a potential replacement for its ageing fleet of F-16 aircraft.
The Hellenic Air Force has officially taken delivery of its 24th Rafale fighter jet, marking the completion of a significant acquisition program with France. The final single-seat aircraft, bearing the serial number 457, touched down at the 114th Combat Wing in Tanagra, after a non-stop flight from Mérignac, near Bordeaux. The aircraft was promptly handed over to the 332nd Squadron, which operates the advanced French-made fighters.
Elbit Systems has secured a significant $60 million contract with a NATO European country to supply its advanced ReDrone counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS). This deal highlights the growing concern amongst NATO members regarding the increasing threat of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and their potential misuse by terrorists and smugglers. Elbit Systems, a leading global defence technology company, is set to deliver the ReDrone system over a three-year period.
The scene was something out of a disaster movie: doors knocked off their hinges, furniture overturned, and bookshelves toppled, leaving a mess of debris and a lingering question: Is this the future? This was January 2024 on Roi-Namur, the second-largest island in the Kwajalein Atoll, a remote chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 kilometers north of the equator. According to a report by Aerospace America, this island, home to around 120 US military personnel and contractors, is crucial for operating rocket launch pads, radars, and telescopes, and it forms a key part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defence Test Site. But this vital location is now facing a very real threat from the rising seas of climate change.
The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, or RTS, tracks an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launch Oct. 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, during Air Force Global Strike Command’s Glory Trip-236 operational test. Sensors at RTS at Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, located 2,300 miles southwest of Hawaii, are controlled at the RTS Operations Center-Huntsville, or ROC-H, located 6,500 miles from Kwajalein in Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army photo) Continue reading “Key U.S. missile test site in Pacific battling rising seas”
