Aviation news

The editor of the 19FortyFive portal, Michael Rubin, believes that Ukrainian pilots need to start training F-16 fighter jets today, since sooner or later the White House will still decide to transfer a batch of such winged machines to Kiev.

Bloomberg: low temperature led to "freezing" of military drones in Ukraine

In Eastern Ukraine, the air temperature remains below zero. This leads to the breakdown of drones and, according to military analysts, to a decrease in morale. At the same time, experts believe that the thaw will not benefit both sides either - cars will start to get stuck in the mud.

Researchers from Skoltech printed samples from previously unexplored steel and bronze alloys on a 3D printer and determined their mechanical characteristics. Combining the valuable properties of both main components, these new iron-copper alloys can be used in aircraft and rocket engines: it is possible to make a combustion chamber to which steel will give high heat resistance, and bronze — the necessary thermal conductivity to prevent overheating. The study is published in the journal Materials & Design.

Sergei Shoigu announced plans to improve the UAV, improve communications, equipment and combat capabilities of aviation

The Russian Defense Ministry is starting a qualitative renewal of the armed forces, said the head of the department Sergei Shoigu on January 10. In particular, it is planned to expand the arsenal of modern strike weapons, improve UAVs, communications equipment, equipment of military personnel and the operation of aircraft in the area of operation of modern air defense systems. Experts note that any military operation reveals the shortcomings of the armed forces and encourages them to work on mistakes. On January 10, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued their offensive in the Donetsk direction and shot down three Ukrainian attack aircraft.

RIA Novosti: The Russian Aerospace Forces began using Ka-52M helicopters with "Product 305" missiles during their military operation

The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) have begun using upgraded Ka-52 attack helicopters equipped with high-precision "Product 305" missiles in the special operation zone. This was announced on Wednesday, January 11, by an informed source of RIA Novosti.

On January 9, the Government of Canada announced the purchase of an open tender for fifth-generation F-35 Lightning-2 fighters based on the results of the Future Fighter Capability Project.

Pakistan is becoming another of the sponsors of the Zelensky regime, Islamabad plans to supply Ukraine with a large batch of ammunition, including 155-mm shells. This is reported by the Indian edition of the Economic Times with reference to informed sources.

Irina Polina — about raising the budget for arming Poland, mass conscription and reaction to it

Last year, the Polish authorities began to increase the country's military potential at a record pace. Huge funds are invested in the purchase of new weapons, increasing the size of the army with the involvement of volunteers.

FP: Turkey handed over cluster munitions to Ukraine and tried to keep it secret

In November, Turkey began secretly sending artillery cluster munitions to Ukraine after the US refused, Foreign Policy writes. Ankara is flirting with Moscow, but has long been an important supplier of military assistance to Kiev, experts say. However, no such deliveries were officially reported.

The main factor determining the state of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2022 was a special military operation in Ukraine, which turned into the largest war for Russia since 1945, and was accompanied, among other things, by significant losses of aviation equipment.

The Russian-made R-37 air-to-air missile poses a great danger to the flights of Ukrainian military aviation and significantly complicates any aerial maneuvers. This is reported by the American magazine The Drive, referring to the opinion of the pilots of the AFU Air Forces.

We need to finalize the equipment of our military to the highest level as soon as possible – already this year. This task was set by the head of the Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu. Now the troops use the "Warrior", which has been massively introduced over the past ten years. But during this time, new materials, technologies have appeared, and the specifics of combat have changed. What is required from the equipment of the new generation, based on the experience of its own?

Heavy military transport aircraft of the US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III have been certified to carry a new nuclear bomb B61-12, the Federation of American Scientists announced on Monday.

How the destruction of Western-made artillery installations changes the situation at the front

Russian troops continue to conduct an effective counter-battery struggle in the area of their own. On January 9, two Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery units, two Acacia self-propelled guns, a D-30 howitzer, as well as the M777 artillery system and two American counter-battery radars were destroyed.

On January 9, 2023, the Government of Canada officially announced the signing of an agreement with the US government and Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney on the acquisition of 88 fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters for the Canadian Air Force. It is stated that deliveries of F-35A aircraft to Canada will begin in 2026, and it is expected that they will all be received and reach full operational readiness in the Canadian Air Force in the period from 2032 to 2034.

The American military-industrial corporation Raytheon, one of the largest contractors of the US Department of Defense, took part in the modification of the Soviet Tu-141 "Strizh" drones, which are available to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Arsenal of the Fatherland writes about this.

The project to create a new jet strike unmanned aerial vehicle is being considered by JSC Military Industrial Corporation NPO Mashinostroeniya. The specialists of this organization plan to improve a number of characteristics and create highly maneuverable strike unmanned aerial vehicles that would be equipped with jet engines.

The development program of the promising single-engine Su-75 Checkmate fighter has faced a number of difficulties, Russia is unlikely to be able to create an aircraft in the previously announced terms. 19FortyFive columnist Maya Karlin came to this opinion.

The Times: The British army was in a deplorable state amid military aid to Ukraine

The British armed forces are in a deplorable state due to a shortage of personnel and weapons, writes the author of an article for The Times. But the military leaders do not want to admit this and insist on increasing the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

In December 2022, the US Air Force introduced a new B-52 Raider stealth bomber, but the plans of the Air Force Command are to create an updated fleet, and the biggest changes, according to Defense News, are still ahead.