International Military News

04/03/2022

Breaking News :
In the Pak-Afghan region, the famous founding leader of ISIS, Nangarhar, has surrendered to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

29/03/2021

Indian Rustom-1 drone made by India’s DRDO suffered a malfunction and crashed while attempting to land.
https://youtu.be/sENKIDu9Ym0?t=339

17/03/2021

MiG-21 CRASHED
GWALIOR AIR BASE
Indian Airforce Mig21 Crashed as a Result the pilot died

01/02/2021

Breaking ⚔️
Myanmar Military took Control of Myanmar and arrested Politicians after a Military Coup.

31/01/2021

Pakistan is developing its Stealth UAV ZF 1 Viper. This will have both Air to air and Air to Ground Capabilities.

Capabilities ⚔️⚔️

(1) Suppression of enemy airdefences.⚔️
(2) Deep enemy penitration strike.⚔️
(3) Stealth low radar signature.⚔️
(4) Rapid Reconnaissance.⚔️
(5) Electronic warfare.⚔️
Weapons
(1) Laser guided.⚔️

(2) Precision bombs.⚔️

(3) BVRs ⚔️

(4) WVRs
SPECIFICATIONS:

(1) MTOW: 16 Tons.
(2) Wingspan: 18 M.
(3) Payload: 300 Kg.
(4) Altitude: 30,000 Ft.
(5) Speed : 0.8 Mach.
(6) Range: 500 Km.

The First Prototype is Expected To be seen In 2022

31/01/2021

The United States military has long been a leading pioneer of fifth generation technologies, developing the world’s first modern stealth aircraft in the 1980s and inducting the world’s first fifth generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor, into service in 2005. Since 2015 the U.S. military has fielded two fifth generation fighter aircraft in complementary roles, the heavy F-22 air superiority fighter and the lighter and unspecialised F-35 multirole platform. While the two aircraft were until 2017 the world’s first and only fifth generation fighters, there are significant differences between the two platforms in the roles they were designed to fulfil and in their capabilities. An understanding of these differences is key to understanding the roles of the two platforms in the U.S. military today and the strengths and shortcomings of each.

Much like in previous generations, two U.S. fighters were designed with complementary roles to best fulfil the country’s needs in the fifth generation. The F-22, much like the F-15 Eagle and F-4 Phantom before it, was designed as an elite heavy fighter to engage the most advanced enemy combat aircraft and ensure a continuing U.S. advantage in the air. These air superiority platforms are more costly both to acquire and to operate, make use of more sensitive technologies, and are far more restricted in their exports compared to their lighter counterparts - with the F-15C exported to just three leading American allies and the F-22 banned from export entirely. The F-35 on the other hand follows on from the F-16 Falcon and the F-5 Freedom Fighter in fulfilling the role of a low cost and versatile light fighter capable of fulfilling any number of roles on the battlefield - but specialised in none of them. These fighters were designed to minimise costs, and were widely exported to all manner of U.S. allies and non aligned states. They lacked both the cutting edge capabilities and the sensitive technologies of their heavier counterparts and their export thus had far less risks associated should the fighters be compromised by an unreliable foreign operator - as occurred with both the F-16 and the F-5 in several cases.

The F-22 was originally intended as a replacement for the F-15 as the Air Force's elite air to air combat platform, with an FB-22 strike fighter variant having also been designed to replace the F-15E Strike Eagle. The fighter’s elite combat role relative to the F-35 is strongly reflected in its air to air combat capabilities, with a number of leading figures in the U.S. military leadership having repeatedly stressed that the F-35 was never designed for and would struggle in an air superiority role. Former Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh stated to this effect that the F-35 "was never designed to be the next dog fighting machine. It was designed to be the multipurpose, data-integration platform that could do all kinds of things in the air-to-ground arena.. it had an air-to-air capability, but it was not intended to be an air-superiority fighter. That was the F-22." Air Combat Command chief General Mike Hostage stated to much the same effect: "If I do not keep that F-22 fleet viable, the F-35 fleet frankly will be irrelevant. The F-35 is not built as an air superiority platform. It needs the F-22.” The F-22 can fly far faster and far higher, reaching speeds of Mach 2.25 and altitudes of 20km compared to the F-35’s below average speeds of Mach 1.6 and 15.3km altitude. This makes the F-35 by far the slowest modern fighter jet in the world, with among the lowest operational altitudes. Despite being 30% heavier, the F-22 remains far more manoeuvrable with its two F119 engines giving a respectable thrust/weight ratio of 1.08. The F-35’s single F135 engine on the other hand gives it a thrust/weight ratio of just 0.87. The F-22’s wing loading stands at just 377kg per square meter compared to the F-35’s 525, again demonstrating the F-22’s far superior manoeuvrability making it better suited to combatting the elite of an enemy Air Force in air to air combat.

As a heavy air superiority fighter the F-22 was designed to pe*****te deep into enemy airspace, and this is reflected in its formidable range of almost 3000km. The F-35, as a light short ranged platform, can in a range extending configuration reach ranges of just over 1,400km. Other significant advantages the F-22 retains over its lighter counterpart include a superior AN/APG-77 radar and an larger armament, with the Raptor able to carry eight air to air missiles where the F-35 carries a tiny payload of just four. The Raptor is designed to deploy advanced AIM-120D long range air to air missiles, the most advanced ever produced by the Air Force with a 180km strike range, whereas the F-35’s most formidable missile remains a low manoeuvrability variant of the AIM-120C, a missile restricted to just 105km. Not only does the Raptor have more and better missiles, but due to its higher speed and altitude it can impart more energy onto its AIM-120 missiles when firing than the F-35 can. Despite using a significantly older airframe designed in the 1980s, the F-22’s radar cross section remains over ten times smaller than that of its successor the F-35 making it far more survivable in beyond visual range combat - and leading some Western analysts to term the Lighting II a ‘pseudo stealthy’ fighter.

The F-35’s advantages over the Raptor remain its lower cost, lower maintenance requirements and higher potential for export to U.S. partners across the world. Another key advantage stems from greater investments in the platform’s long term production, which allows the military to regularly apply software upgrades where they today struggle to do so for the F-22. As the F-22 is a specialised air superiority platform, it also lacks the ability to carry high payload air to ground munitions internally, and while some bombs such as the B61 can be deployed by the Raptor other such as the AGM-154 cannot.

Considering the F-35’s significant shortcomings in air to air combat relative to its heavier and more specialised counterpart, special considerations will need to be taken by both the U.S. military and their allies deploying the fighter against elite enemy air superiority platforms. The F-35 was never built to go head to head with elite fighters such as the fourth generation Russian Su-35 or Chinese J-11, and it is likely to struggle against these platforms without the support of the F-22. With U.S. allies such as South Korea, Japan and Israel unable to deploy the F-22, and with the U.S. Air Force itself having just 25% of its requirements for the Raptor met due to the premature termination of the program (and 0% for the Navy), this has serious implications for all these parties when facing capable adversaries with near peer aerial warfare capabilities. The situation is particularly dire when considering China’s induction of the Chengdu J-20 in 2017 and Russia’s induction of the Su-57 the following year, both highly capable heavy fifth generation fighters. While these platforms have at times been compared to the F-35, the only similarity shared with the lighter U.S. fighters is that they are currently in production where the F-22 is not. Both are heavy air superiority platforms with analogous roles and similar capabilities to the Raptor. Given the vast superiority of specialised heavy fighters when performing an air to air combat role, reliance on the F-35 for air superiority against such next generation is set to have dire consequences for the U.S. and its allies if facing the latest Russian or Chinese air superiority fighters systems

Credits/

: Military Watch ( https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/f-22-raptor-vs-f-35-lightning-ii-comparing-the-roles-and-capabilities-of-the-united-states-fifth-generation-fighters )

21/01/2021

Pakistan conducted 🇵🇰 successful flight test of -3 surface 2 surface ballistic missile,having range of 2750 Kms. Flight test aimed to revalidating various design & technological parameters of weapon system. It Can Carry Nuclear Warheads.

15/01/2021

The Indian Government officially orders 83 Tejas Mk 1A 4-generation jets for the Indian Air Force, a jet the IAF has twice rejected before.

“Make in India” Tejas has French airframe, Israeli avionics, American engine, Russian weapons and most importantly for the IAF, a British ejection seat.

Oh and, Indian pilots. Such a colourful combination.
⚔️⚔️

Credits:
Credits:

07/01/2021

Update on Pakistan Army: Fatah-1 🇵🇰 ⚔ 🔥 🚀

Pakistan today conducted a successful test flight of indigenously developed Fatah-1, Guided Multi Launch Rocket System, capable of delivering a conventional Warhead upto a range of 140 km.

The weapon system will give Pakistan Army capability of precision target engagement deep in enemy territory.

The President, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and COAS have also congratulated the participating troops and scientists on successful conduct of flight test.

Credits::

31/12/2020

PAKISTAN AERONAUTICAL COMPLEX
KAMRA
PUNJAB
0900 Hours

JF-17A THUNDER BLOCK III PRODUCTION CEREMONY

The Chief of Air Staff of The Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan has announced that Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has officially started production of the 4++ Generation JF-17A Thunder Block III advanced fighter aircraft, in a ceremony here today. The Chief of Air Staff also inaugurated the JF-17A Block III’s production and integration facility at PAC Kamra.
The Pakistan Air Force was also handed over a squadron of 14 JF-17B Block II aircraft, by the PAC. The induction ceremony was attended by Chief of Air Staff, the Chinese ambassador and the Nigerian ambassador.
Last year, PAC officially closed down production of the JF-17A Block II variant and started work on the JF-17B Block II variant, producing 8 of them in 2019 in just 5 months. Now JF-17A Block III production has started with the first Block III variant to be inducted in early to mid 2021.
The JF-17A Thunder Block III is an advanced 4+ generation fighter, armed with the latest radars, sensors, electronic warfare equipment, cockpit ergonomics, HUD, MAWS, HMD and a strengthened structure using more advanced composites. The fighter will feature an advanced variant of the RD-93 engine previously used, the RD-93MA. The fighter will also feature the most capable and longest-range air-to-air missile in the world, the PL-15 BVR missile which only China currently uses. The PL-15 outranges the Indian Rafale’s upcoming Meteor BVR missiles by over 100 kilometres and America’s latest BVR missile the AIM-120D by over 120 kilometres. The fighter will also feature a new high off-boresight IR missile, the PL-10.

Credits
Credits

06/12/2020

The Argentine Air Force is looking to update its fleet of fighter aircraft and seems keen on acquiring JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan, after being refused FA-50 jets from South Korean manufacturer KAI.

Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) previously had an agreement to supply the Argentine Air Force with FA-50 aircraft but has since withdrawn due to pressure from London. The UK and Argentina have long been at odds over the Falkland Islands and other territories since 1980, with the former trying to use its influence overseas to prevent Argentina from updating its air force.

According to Xavier Isaac, chief of staff of the Argentine Air Force, aircraft manufacturers are easily giving in to pressure from the UK due to Argentina’s questionable financial situations and doubts over whether the country would be able to pay for the new fighter jets.

“The British veto reaction did not take us by surprise. Because we have long expected this not only from KAI, but also from everyone who offers us products [meaning combat aircraft]”, said Brigadier Isaac.

The Argentine Air Force doesn’t have the funds to consider more expensive fighter aircraft systems such as the United States’ F-16 or Sweden’s Gripen program. Therefore, the JF-17 Thunder, specifically the Block 3 version, is now a possible contender to fulfill the air force’s tactical needs. The general explained that acquiring the JF-17 Thunder would be a ‘real breakthrough’ for the Argentine Air Force, as they haven’t had a fourth generation fighter jet in their fleet before.

Credits

12/11/2020

The IndianNavy’s 5th attack submarine VAGIR launched today at Mumbai. Two of the class (Kalvari, Khanderi) already inducted, two more (Karanj, Vela) in trials.

11/11/2020

Nigeria has received a pair of Wing Loong II medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from China, a senior Nigerian Air Force (NAF) official...

Nigeria has received a pair of Wing Loong II medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from China, a senior Nigerian Air Force (NAF) official announced on 10 November.

“Nigeria has joined China and the United Arab Emirates as the only countries operating the Wing Loong II unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The two Nigerian Air Force Wing Loong IIs, which can remain airborne for 31 hours in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mode and 26 hours in offensive role[s], will add significant value to counterinsurgency and anti-banditry [operations],” Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said

: janes.com ( https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.janes.com/amp/nigeria-receives-wing-loong-ii-uavs-from-china/ZnlJK3dHVU9mZ28xajRJVkc5dVI5VFp1cVMwPQ2 )

Credits=

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11/11/2020

Boeing Wins $9.8 Billion to Upgrade Saudi Arabian F-15 Jets

Boeing has been awarded a $9.8 billion contract to modernize F-15 fighter jet fleet of Saudi Arabia.

This contract provides for modernization of the F-15 Saudi fleet to include hardware, software, and interface design, development, integration, test, subsystem and structural component production. It also includes installation of future modifications and enhancements to the F-15 Saudi weapon system as well as product support, a Pentagon announcement said.
Work will be performed in St. Louis and as separately specified in individual task and delivery orders and is expected to be completed by November 2025. The ordering period for this contract is five years from the date of contract award plus an option for an additional five year ordering period.

This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Initial delivery order will be awarded concurrently in the amount of $1,032,649 using FMS modification and development type 4F funds.
Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest operators of F-15 jets outside the US. Saudi Arabia had ordered 84 F-15SA fighters along with kits to upgrade existing Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) fleet of 70 F-15S multi-role fighters to the SA configuration in 2010.

The new upgrade is expected to bring the Saudi F-15s on par with the F-15QT ordered by Qatar.

: Defenseworld.net ( https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28290/Boeing_Wins__9_8_Billion_to_Upgrade_Saudi_Arabian_F_15_Jets #.X6voBB5sY0M )

Copied from/

10/11/2020

Armenia Surrenders To Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has Won The war

10/11/2020

Azerbaijan Confirms Shooting Of Russian Mi-24 Helicopter

07/11/2020

04/10/2020

The command staff of the Azerbaijan Army decided to launch a counter-offensive operation of Azerbaijani troops along the entire front to suppress the combat activity of the armed forces of Armenia and ensure the safety of the civilian population, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

"The military personnel and tank units, with the support of units of the Rocket and Artillery Troops, frontline aviation, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), determining a large number of manpower (military personnel), military facilities, and military equipment of the Armenian armed forces located in the forward line and in the depths of the enemy's defense, have destroyed them," the ministry said.

"According to the information received, 12 OSA anti-aircraft missile systems of the Armenian air defense units were destroyed in various directions. A combat helicopter of the Air Force of Azerbaijan was shot down in the Terter direction, the crew members are alive. The blitz counter-offensive operation of our troops continues," the ministry said.

31/08/2020

HAVA SOJ .
Turkish Electronic Warfare Aircraft.
Turkey bought Global 6000 AWACS and converted it into ECM. It will be operational in 2023. TAI and Aselsan working on it. It will be based on Koral land based Electronic Warfare system

Pakistan is first potential customer mentioned by many sources. Pakistan currently operates French DA 20 Falcon.

27/07/2020

Afghan Forces' Black Hawk heli downed in Kajaki area Helmand province . Pilot is reportedly dead while two soldiers wounded. has claimed shooting down the heli, whereas Kabul officials claim it has crashed.

Two Blackhawk helicopters blacked by MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters were dispatched to Kajaki district for airlifting Army soldiers wounded in Taliban attack.
One of the Helis was hit by rocket, burnt down completely. Five ANDSF personnel wounded

01/07/2020

F16Cof United states air force crashed at shaw air base.
Pilot dead.
Its sixth fighter jet crashed in 2 months of US Airforce.

27/06/2020

In wake of Chinese air activity near LAC,

India is deploying Akash surface to air missile defence system in laddakh

24/06/2020

2 Turkish Companies Partner for Biggest Defense Contract for ’s Stealth Ships

’s has signed an agreement with the state-owned defense contractor for the supply of the main drive system of Ada Class being developed by Turkey for Pakistan.

According to the agreement, STM will deliver and will be responsible for the integration of the main propulsion systems of the MILGEM Corvettes, an indispensable component that powers the movement of a vessel.

In July 2018, the Pakistan Navy had signed an agreement with ASFAT to acquire 4 MILGEM-class ships to further consolidate its defensive capabilities. The deal is Turkey’s largest-ever single defense export deal with any country.

Under the deal, it was decided that 2 MILGEM-class ships will be constructed in Pakistan while 2 will be built in Turkey.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Navy had formally started the construction of the 2 MILGEM Corvettes at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW), Pakistan Navy’s specialized shipbuilding division.

Turkish Navy had initiated the construction of 2 MILGEM Corvettes last month after a formal ceremony held in Istanbul.

2 MILGEM Corvettes will join the inventory of the Pakistan Navy in 2023 and the remaining 2 will join a year later

© ProPakistani

24/06/2020

Modi was all set to start a new front against Pakistan in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan but he was Caught and humiliated by China in totally surprised move. Many of you might be wondering why China is that much inclined toward pakistan !! Answer is given in this story of Al jazera where they said when American diplomat confronted Chinese diplomat about pakistan Chinese diplomatic answered him , “Pakistan is our Israel”

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2010/10/20101028135728235512.html

Americans could have attacked Pakistan for its anti America role in Afghanistan (infact It was Pakistan who defeated Americans in Afghanistan) but its said pakistan do poses Mysterious Taimoor missiles that are Pakistani version of China’s Dongfeng 41 (world’s longest range missiles 15000 KM)
Make Sure not to Take it Offensive. It's a News Regarding Tension's Between Three Nuclear Armed Countries.
will also post about india's Statement towards the situation.

The world's most populous country is showing more international assertiveness, which bothers the US.

23/06/2020

Yemen Houthis Fired Missies at Saudi Intelligence agency HQ and Patriot Failed to Intercept them.

19/06/2020

A US FA-18 Crashed near philliphine Sea.

16/06/2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53061476

Three Indian soldiers are killed in a rare clash in Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region.

15/06/2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-53051055

A search is under way for the F-15C Eagle from RAF Lakenheath which crashed shortly after 09:40 BST.

15/06/2020

Two of AH-1Z Helicopters delivered to Pakistan.

10/06/2020

Never heard about this.... the Dassault Balzac V

The advantages of a fighter plane with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities are clear, but it’s easier said than done. Back in the ’60s, France was attempting to develop a VTOL version of its Mirage III fighter jet, which was one of the most popular planes Dassault ever produced.Named the Balzac V, the first and only prototype was a modified Mirage III and seemed to exceed expectations in the beginning, yet it killed two pilots, one French and one American. After the second crash, the project was shelved.

10/06/2020

The Bell X-14 first flew. The aircraft was an open cockpit twin-engine jet whose objective was to demonstrate Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts with engine thrust deflectors and to demonstrate a transition from vertical takeoff to horizontal flight. The plane operated successfully in various configurations and test programs until it was damaged in a landing accident in 1981 and was flown by over 25 different test pilots (including Neil Armstrong). The flight control system used by the X-14 was similar to the one proposed for the Lunar Landing Module; in fact, Armstrong's flights in the aircraft were done as part of the Lunar Landing training program.

Initially following its landing accident damage in 1981, the plane was scrapped, but it has been rescued and is being renovated for display at the Ropkey Armor Museum in Indiana.

10/06/2020

Bell Model 65 ATV (Air Test Vehicle). In 1954, Bell Aircraft Corporation expanded its Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) research program with an examination of tilt-jets as an alternative to its tilt-rotor system, pioneered on the company's XV-3. Although this privately funded project explored a new avenue of VTOL technology that ultimately proved unsuccessful, it provided essential data on the challenges inherent to this type of aircraft.
Lawrence Bell's company survived the post-World War Two slump in the aircraft industry by embracing new technology, including helicopters and research aircraft such as the record-breaking X-1. By the early 1950s, the military had become interested in VTOL aircraft that combined the vertical flight characteristics of a helicopter with airplane-like speeds. In 1952, a Bell feasibility study established that VTOL jet fighter designs were possible. The company decided that the potential benefits of the new technology were worth pursuing, even without the government support that was usually necessary for such projects.
Bell's Niagara Frontier Division managed the construction of an Air Test Vehicle (ATV), designated as the Model 65, to investigate the use of tilting jet pods to provide lift in vertical flight and forward thrust in horizontal flight. During cruise flight, a conventional wing provided all of the lift. To complete the aircraft at minimum cost, the design team relied on off-the-shelf components, including a T-tail Schweizer sailplane fuselage and a Cessna 170 wing. A set of Model 47 helicopter skids supported the ATV on the ground, which gave the aircraft an ungainly grasshopper-like appearance. The ATV used two Fairchild J44 turbojets, borrowed from the Air Force, for vertical lift and forward propulsion. These attached to either side of a swivel-mount positioned behind the open cockpit. A separate Continental-Turbomeca Palouste gas turbine provided 1.1 kg/sec. (2.5 lb/sec.) of thrust for the reaction-control system used in the vertical flight mode.
As in other VTOL aircraft, the ATV required two sets of control mechanisms - one for flight in the helicopter-like vertical mode, and the other for conventional horizontal cruise flight, which relied on standard airplane controls. When the aircraft was hovering or in slow flight, exhaust ducts on the wingtips provided roll control, while an assembly of valves and exhaust pipes mounted on the tail provided pitch and yaw control.
Bell completed the ATV in December 1953. In January 1954, test pilot David Howe made the first flight while tethered to the ground to prevent an inadvertent loss of control while testing the highly experimental control system. During a flight in February, a compressor disc failed while the ATV was hovering, resulting in a fire and significant damage to the aircraft. Fortunately, Howe escaped injury. Bell engineers quickly made repairs, and the test flights resumed. The first free flight occurred on November 16, 1954. By early 1955, the performance limitations of the aircraft led to the termination of the program after only 4.5 hours of operation with the ATV.
The slow response of the early gas turbine engines was one of the greatest inherent flaws in the ATV and other VTOL designs of the time. These engines were necessary for their power-to-weight ratio, but they were unsuited for the numerous power adjustments required for hovering. The ATV's J44s also produced a meager 998 kg (2,200 lb) total thrust, which was nearly equivalent to the aircraft's gross weight. The lack of thrust prevented a full transition from the vertical to horizontal flight modes, which resulted in the temporary installation of conventional wheeled landing gear to allow tests of the horizontal flight characteristics of the aircraft.
The ATV project's greatest contribution was the generation of data, which formed the basis of Bell's next jet VTOL project, the X-14 (known inside Bell as the Model 68). The design for this aircraft emerged several months after the termination of the ATV program. The X-14 differed greatly from the ATV as it used moveable exhaust ducts to vector thrust from powerful fuselage-mounted engines, but the vertical reaction-control system was similar.
The X-14's vectored thrust approach to vertical flight eventually found widespread acceptance when it was adopted for use in the Hawker-Siddeley Kestrel and its later developments. The X-14 provided a vast amount of VTOL data for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) before incurring damage in a 1981 crash. Neil Armstrong once flew it as a Lunar-lander trainer.
The ATV was not a successful test aircraft, but it provided considerable insight to the challenges of producing jet VTOL designs. With the data it provided, Bell was able to improve upon the concept and make a substantial contribution to the VTOL field.

10/06/2020

For some of Page members who claimed it real and asked me to post.

https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1562612?__twitter_impression=true

The fake screenshot suggests that a PAF F-16 fighter jet has gone missing during a "panic situation" in Karachi.

10/06/2020

The X-44 MANTA, or multi-axis, no-tail aircraft, was a planned experimental aircraft based on the F-22 with enhanced thrust vectoring controls and no aerodynamic surface backup.[240] The aircraft was to be solely controlled by thrust vectoring, without featuring any rudders, ailerons, or elevators. Funding for this program was halted in 2000.[241]
Operators
F-22A Raptor from Tyndall AFB, Florida cruising over the Florida Panhandle
An F-22 landing at Holloman AFB, New Mexico
An F-22, based at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, over mountain terrain
F-22 Raptor at Houston's Ellington Field from Tyndall AFB

The United States Air Force is the only operator of the F-22. It ordered 187 aircraft with the last received by early Q2 2012.[80][242] By November 2012, crashes had reduced the total to 182.[243] It is operated by the following commands:----Budget squeeze

Due to the Budget sequestration in 2013, the USAF was forced to ground many of its squadrons. Air Combat Commander Hostage has indicated that the USAF must reduce its F-15 and F-16 fleets and eliminate platforms like the A-10 in order to focus on a fifth-generation jet fighter future.[34] Air Force pilots have responded by switching to commercial airlines where they can find flight hours on more modern aircraft.