Long considered to field the most capable combat inventory in Africa, the Algerian Air Force deploys the continent’s only large fighter fleet comprised entirely of modern fourth generation designs with nine units comprised of Su-30MKA, MiG-29 and Su-24 aircraft. Where Algeria long since retired
A Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 was reported to have been shot down in air to air combat on June 26, with the Russian Defense Ministry confirming that day that an air battle occurred over Ukrainian skies near the city of Zelenodolsk in the Dnepropetrovsk Region during which a MiG was brought down.
On June 25 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country’s sole military ally in Europe, the neighbouring post-Soviet state of Belarus, would receive Iskadner-M ballistic missile systems within month. Addressing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, he stated to this effect: “As
On June 26 Su-30MKI heavyweight fighters from the Indian Air Force were confirmed to have arrived in Egypt to participate in a month long tactical leadership program, with the long range aircraft having flown non stop into Africa while refuelling over the Persian Gulf with support of United Arab
On June 23 the French Air Force retired its final squadron of Mirage 2000C single engine lightweight fighters, a class which fist entered service in 1983 and represented France’s first fourth generation fighter. The last unit to use the aircraft, the Escadron de Chasse 2/5, is expected to re-equip
Entering service from December 2020, the Russian Su-57 next generation fighter has yet to be fielded at squadron level strength but is expected to see three full units in service by the end of the current State Armaments Plan in 2027. A successor to the ambitious MiG 1.42 program which was
The Spanish Air Force is set to acquire 20 new Eurofighter medium weight twin engine aircraft, including 16 single seater and four twin seater jets under a €2.043 billon ($2.15 billion) contract. This comes amid rising tensions with neighbouring Algeria, and as Spain has taken a leading role in
U.S. Air Force plans to begin retirement of F-22 Raptor fifth generation fighters from service in 2023 have been met with strong opposition from both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which have pressed to not only keep the small fleet at full strength but also to invest heavily in
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s most capable destroyer the Lhasa, which was commissioned in March 2021 as the second ship of the Type 055 Class, has been deployed to the East Sea, known in the West as the Sea of Japan, for its first far sea exercises. The ship is one of
Following the launch on June 17 of China’s first flattop carrier, the warship Fujian estimated to displace over 80,000 tons, new images of the country’s carrier based fighter the J-15B have confirmed longstanding speculation that the aircraft is in fact a navalised derivative of a fighter
