Since the 1980s as the world’s first fifth generation fighter programs began to materialise in the United States and the Soviet Union, the ability to fly supersonically for sustained periods without using engine afterburners was seen as a defining capability for the new generation of aircraft – a
In February 2011 NATO member states initiated military operations against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, an African republic founded in 1969 which had long aligned its foreign policy against Western interests. The assault saw militias and mercenary forces armed and supplied by Western powers and allies
Following reports that a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 fighter and accompanying Su-24 strike fighter were shot down by Russian forces following a strike on Russia’s Belgorod region, conflicting reports from a number of Russian and Indian news outlets have indicated that a Russian Su-57 fighter was
The Russia Military is reportedly expected to soon receive Iranian Fateh-110 short ranged ballistic missiles and the class’ extended range derivative the Zolfaghar, which provide lighter and less costly complements to Russia’s own limited arsenal of Iskander-M missile systems that have been used
On October 20 a Russian Air Force Su-27 Flanker fighter intercepted a British Royal Air Force RC-135W electronic surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea, and fire a missile in what appeared to be a warning shot. The fighter has been shadowing the British jet for 90 minutes. RC-135s and other
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War in February Iran and the United States have emerged as the principal external arms suppliers of the two respective sides, with American arms transfers to Ukrainian government forces having begun in the mid 2010s while Iranian weapons began to appear
In response to air strikes by Ukrainian Air Force fighters on targets in Russia’s Belgorod region, air defence systems deployed to defend the area have reportedly broken a world record for the longest ranged surface to air kills. A Ukrainian Su-27 and Su-24 aircraft, which are thought to be some of
Months after the Ukrainian Air Force’s fleet of Su-27 Flanker fighters were first presumed grounded, one of the aircraft integrating newly supplied American AGM-88 rockets reportedly led strikes on Russia’s Belgorod region where it was engaged by local air defence systems. The Su-27 is the most
Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-20 fifth generation fighters encountered, intercepted and drove away unknown fighter jets during combat patrols over the East China Sea, according to reports released on October 13. Although the class of foreign aircraft encountered was not
Although the world’s first ballistic missiles developed by Nazi Germany were employed largely for strategic bombardments of enemy cities, during the Cold War as precision improved drastically the use of such weapons for tactical purposes became increasingly viable. Following the end of the conflict
