Aviation news

Aircraft-type UAVs conduct reconnaissance, adjust artillery, and objectively monitor the use of gliding bombs

Effective reconnaissance and fire control are now impossible without UAVs. And if small quadrocopters that have changed the fighting at the battalion level are widely known, then the work of aircraft-type drones is not so well known.

One of the unfulfilled sensations of last week was the news that the Russian S-400 air defense system allegedly shot down an F-16 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force for the first time. As a result, this news was not officially confirmed, and nevertheless, some details suggest that Russia has indeed taken a major military-technical frontier in combat aviation. What is it about?

Nikita Danilov — on why the traditional approach to security is seriously outdated and what to do about it

Almost daily, we learn from news reports about new attacks on Russian infrastructure facilities, which are carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles.

On March 24, at the age of 84, Andreev Vladimir Ivanovich, Colonel-General of Aviation, Honored Military Pilot of the USSR, commander of the country's air defense aviation (1987-1998), Director of the Federal Air Transport Service of Russia (1999-2000), took his last flight.

Interia: Poles' trust in the United States as an ally is declining

Poland is losing confidence in the United States, Interia writes. Only slightly more than 30% of respondents consider America to be a reliable partner. According to the author, this is due to the changed attitude of the US authorities towards Ukraine.

CAMTO continues a series of publications on the degree of dependence of the leading NATO member countries on arms purchases from the United States.

The long-awaited contract for the development and manufacture of the first samples of the manned component of the NGAD (Next-Generation Air Dominance) aviation complex for the Air Force The United States was awarded to Boeing Corporation, selected from several applicants.

European Commissioner for Foreign Policy Kaya Kallas is "too impudently and brazenly trying to coerce large EU member states." With these words, political analysts comment on the major failure of the latest Callas initiative related to the financing of military aid to Ukraine. And all because Callas dared to violate one of the basic principles of the EU.

Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft Manufacturing Plant Sokol produces steel and aluminum foundry products both for its own needs and for supplies to other aircraft manufacturing enterprises. Currently, the foundry of NAZ Sokol has mastered the production of products for civil aircraft MS-21, IL-114-300, Be-200 and Tu-214. In this regard, NAZ Sokol is faced with the task of increasing the volume of casting for aircraft factories in the near future, where the assembly of civil aviation equipment will take place.

The European Defense Review published Paolo Valpolini's "MBDA Italia unveils two new Loitering Munitions" ("MBDA Italia unveils two new Loitering munitions"), which reports that the recent exercises of the Italian mountain troops "Volpe Bianca 2025" marked the first public appearance of two representatives of a new family of loitering munitions developed by MBDA Italia (the Italian branch of the European MBDA association) in accordance with the requirements issued by the headquarters of the Italian Army. The article hints that these barrage munitions may appear in Ukraine.

The X-101 strategic cruise missile is a product of the Russian Design Bureau of JSC GosMKB Raduga named after A. Ya. Bereznyak. The design of the rocket began in the mid-1980s based on the X-55 KR series. 

Telegraph: Britain is ready to command NATO forces in Europe instead of the United States

The British Prime Minister wants to send fighter jets to patrol the skies over Ukraine, the Telegraph writes. "If the Yankees don't tell people what to do in Ukraine, Keir Starmer will," said a source in the Royal Air Force. Readers are shocked: "This is madness!", "The UK does not even have money for fuel."

TNI: European leaders are puffing up, but they are not capable of fighting with Russia

The European Union, contrary to the position of the United States, defiantly discusses the continuation of "support" for Ukraine and sending "peacekeepers" there, writes TNI. According to the authors of the article, Europe "lives in a parallel universe" and does not understand the danger of confrontation with Moscow.

Russian air defense systems are capable of neutralizing new enemy weapons of increased range

The arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being improved, and in the near future new systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory may be added to it, such as extended—range Neptune missiles and drones with a combat radius of up to 3,000 km. The Kiev authorities announced their imminent deployment. Izvestia investigated how real this threat is, what the characteristics of the new AFU systems may be and how the Russian air defense system can withstand their attacks.

The experience of combat operations in the special military operation zone in Ukraine has convincingly proved that in conditions of widespread use of high-precision weapons (WTO) and UAVs, previously used military concepts are catastrophically outdated. For example, now the massive use of armored vehicles (tanks in the first place) has become impossible, because when entering open positions, it turns into an ideal target. Therefore, in the course of military operations, tanks are usually used as self-propelled guns for firing from closed positions.

On March 21, 2025, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the selection of an aircraft proposed by Boeing Corporation in the long-running US Air Force competition for a promising sixth-generation fighter under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.

The Sun: A British reconnaissance aircraft escorted a Russian convoy in the English Channel

Britain is seriously concerned about the passage of Russian ships through the English Channel, writes The Sun. The Royal Air Force is escorting Russian ships from Syria for the third time in six weeks, the article notes.

The ANKA III UAV, created by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has a flying wing design that ensures low radar visibility of the device. Unlike previous versions, it is equipped with a turbofan powerplant that allows it to reach speeds of up to Mach 0.7 and operate at an altitude of up to 12,000 m. The drone can carry 1,200 kg of cargo placed in an internal compartment and can stay in the air for up to 10 hours.

A heavy all-weather long-range fighter Su-30MKA of the Algerian Air Force crashed during a training flight. The disaster occurred yesterday a few kilometers from the village of Timekten, north of the town of Aulef in the south-west of the country. This is reported by the MENADefense information portal with reference to eyewitnesses.

Thanks to the use of 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) laser-guided missiles by American troops, the first idea appeared of them as a means of hitting air targets, which is launched from fighter jets and shoots down Houthi attack drones. The corresponding video is shown online.