Latest news with #BambooEagle
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
F-15EX Production Heats Up
TWZ's Jamie Hunter recently caught up with Robert Novotny, Boeing's executive director for F-15EX business development, who provided the latest on the U.S. Air Force's newest fighter, the Eagle II, which was recently the subject of high praise in the latest annual report from the Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). Right now, Boeing is preparing to start to deliver Lot 2 of the Air Force's F-15EX order, and the first aircraft in this batch — tail number 9 — flew earlier this month. Meanwhile, delivery of the eight Lot 1A and 1B jets was completed in June 2024, with six of those aircraft going to developmental testing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and two for the type's first operational unit, the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard in Portland, Oregon. As Novotny discusses in the video, some of those Eglin F-15EXs recently took part in the latest edition of the Bamboo Eagle exercise off the California coast, which you can read about here. The large-force exercise series has quickly become one of the most important for the U.S. military, as well as key allies, and has a clear eye on preparing for a future coalition fight in the Pacific with China — a potential conflict in which the F-15EX would very likely play an important role. Novotny also alludes to teaming with unmanned aircraft and the F-15EX's ability to carry outsized weapons, which is something else that TWZ has looked at in detail in the past, as well as its current installation of the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS, which you can read more about here. Finally, there are some very interesting items on Novotny's 'wish list' for future F-15EX capabilities, namely smart expendables, a towed decoy, and enhancements to the infrared search and track sensor available to it. The video below, shot at the Air Force Association's 2025 Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, last week, gives us the full view on where the F-15EX program is at right now. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilots Eject As Navy Jet Crashes Off San Diego Coast
A fifth plane has crashed in America in less than two weeks after a Navy jet smashed into the water off the coast of San Diego Wednesday morning. The two pilots in the U.S. Navy Growler aircraft ejected before the plane hit the water and were rescued by a passing fishing boat. The Navy jet crashed just two days after a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil crashed on a runway in Arizona. In the past two weeks, a plane also crashed off the coast of Alaska, a medical jet crashed in Pennsylvania and a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter in the skies above Washington DC. A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft was taking part in a training exercise in San Diego this week, reports AP News. The jet had reportedly just landed and was just taking off again as part of a go-around maneuver. The maneuver went awry, however, and the jet crashed into the San Diego Harbor. Two pilots were inside the $80 million plane during the incident, but were able to safely eject from the craft before it crashed. The two pilots were then picked up by the Premier fishing boat, which was in the vicinity at the time of the crash, as AP News adds: Brandon Viets, captain of the Premier, said he had taken a dozen passengers out by Point Loma on a fishing trip when he heard a jet taking off from the naval base that 'seemed a little louder than normal.' He turned and saw two people falling with parachutes. Viets immediately headed toward them in his boat. The jet remained in the air for several minutes before diving into the water, he said. 'All I could see was a plume of water and mud and muck, 70 to 80 feet tall,' Viets said. As with the four other airplane crashes that have hit America in recent weeks, an investigation into the downed Navy jet has now been launched, reports ABC News. Clearly it's a busy time to be an air crash investigator here in the U.S., thank goodness we have a stable government in place to oversee all the investigations. Prior to the crash, the jet had been operating out of the North Island air base and was taking part in a joint training exercise called Bamboo Eagle. So far, the wreckage of the jet has not yet been recovered from the harbor floor, ABC News adds: The crash site has been identified and secured. Any debris spotted by the public can be reported to the Navy so it can be recovered. The airfield closed following the crash but is expected to re-open to allow for more flights as part of the exercise. The incident is the fifth plane crash in America in less than two weeks. While no people were killed in the San Diego incident, the death toll from the crashes in Arizona, Alaska, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. has hit 82 making this one of the deadliest periods in American aviation in more than two decades. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
EA-18G Growler Crashes Into San Diego Bay
Details remain very limited, but an EA-18G Growler electronic attack jet has crashed off Point Loma, which marks the entrance to San Diego Bay, on Wednesday morning. The sprawling Naval Air Station North Island sits across from Point Loma, with MCAS Miramar located inland roughly 15 miles to the north. A major exercise, the latest iteration of Bamboo Eagle, which you can read all about here, is ongoing off the Southern California coast. It's not clear if the crash is connected to this large-scale training event. San Diego Webcam on X, which has cameras up around the bay, was first to report of the crash. Local ABC affiliate Channel 10 News reports two crew were rescued shortly after the crash. Their crews saw the aircraft crash into the bay. BREAKING: Report of pilot ejection over the bay. We are looking for them on cam.#LIVE: — San Diego Web Cam (@SanDiegoWebCam) February 12, 2025 We have reached out to the Navy on multiple fronts and will report back when we have more information. UPDATE: From the Navy: -From a Navy official: An EA-18 G crashed and the crew has been safely recovered by the Coast Guard-Cause will come out in an investigation.-The aircraft is still in the water off the coast of San Diego It's also worth noting that the crew has been sent to a hospital. San Diego Webcam posted the section of video along with radio calls pertaining to the crash and the response to it. As you can see, there was fog in the area at the time. According to radio communications, the Growler was taking off when the mishap occurred. Listen and watch below: This is our footage of the U.S. Navy jet crash into San Diego Bay. We have radio comms, and visibility is poor. Both pilots are safe. Turn up your would likely have clearer footage if not for the censorship imposed on us by the previous administration. Had this been a… — San Diego Web Cam (@SanDiegoWebCam) February 12, 2025 Contact the author: Tyler@
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tankers Flood Airspace Off The California Coast For China-Focused Air Combat Exercise
At least 20 U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft, 10 KC-46s and an equal number of KC-135s, supported the first day of the latest Bamboo Eagle exercise off the California Coast, according to online flight tracking data. The first Bamboo Eagle occurred last year, as you can learn more about in this past TWZ feature. The large force exercise series has quickly become one of the most important for the U.S. military, as well as key allies, and has a clear eye on preparing for a future coalition fight in the Pacific with China. The U.S. Air Force announced the start of Bamboo Eagle 25-1 yesterday. Like all previous iterations, the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada has been leading the exercise, but units spread across many other bases, predominantly in California, are also participating. U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy units are known to be taking part, but other branches have also been included in past iterations of Bamboo Eagle. Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have also returned and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has joined the exercise for the first time. As already noted, online flight tracking data showed a large force of KC-46 and KC-135 tankers supporting day one of Bamboo Eagle 25-1. At least one RAF Voyager, the British name for the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTT), was also tracked in the area. Another "Wow" moment. We have a significant capability being demonstrated tonight with a 2nd round of sorties launched in support of Bamboo Eagle 25-1. First round participants launched earlier today from Travis AFB in California and included at least 20 tankers. A number of… — MeNMyRC (@MeNMyRC1) February 11, 2025 Exercise BAMBOO EAGLE 25-1 has kicked off in earnest off the coast of Southern California. Several aircraft are taking part, including a UK Royal Air Force MRTT as COPPER57. Not shown are the multitude of fighter aircraft. — TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) February 10, 2025 I was able to capture some tankers for Bamboo Eagle 25-1 early in the morning before it got cloudy.1. Silver15 57-1468 KC-135R2. Silver10 63-8019 KC-135R3. Brass74 16-46022 KC-46A4. Brass 71 21-46092 KC-46A — José (@WR_Spotter_Guy) February 11, 2025 At least a dozen tankers have also been tracked now supporting the second day of Bamboo Eagle 25-1. Morning BAMBOO EAGLE 25-1 sorties are underway off the coast of Baja, California. No less than a dozen tankers are positioning to refuel dozens of fighter aircraft for the exercise. — TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) February 11, 2025 U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry and RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft were also present yesterday. It's interesting to note here that the U.S. Air Force, the RAF, and NATO are in the process of acquiring Wedgetails to succeed their Sentry fleets. An Air Force RC-135V/W Rivet Joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft was also spotted likely supporting Bamboo Eagle 25-1 yesterday. However, Rivet Joints have been recently tracked flying over the Pacific off southern California, as well as elsewhere in the southwestern United States, as part of a surge of U.S. military support to border security operations opposite Mexico. Not visible in the online flight tracking data from yesterday or today are the huge numbers of tactical jets that the tankers and other supporting aircraft were working with. In its announcement about the start of Bamboo Eagle 25-1, the Air Force included pictures of Air Force F-35A and RAF Typhoon FGR4 fighters, as well as Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, taking part in Red Flag 25-1 at Nellis. Red Flag is the U.S. Air Force's premier air combat exercise series and recent iterations have been increasingly focused on operations in the Pacific. This in turn has put new emphasis on the range complexes off the coast of southern California, which offer larger areas in which to train on physically broader and otherwise more complex scenarios, and do so over water. Red Flag is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and the RAF and RAAF, among other key allies, are often participants. Other aircraft, including Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, as well as RAAF Growlers, took part in Red Flag 25-1, which flowed directly into Bamboo Eagle 25-1. 'This is the largest number of aircraft we've deployed for an exercise at Nellis (AFB) since we first attended Red Flag in 1980,' RAAF Group Captain Stewart Seeney said in a statement yesterday. 'These exercises provide a realistic training environment where we can integrate different capabilities and develop our ability to work with key allies and partners. For many of our aviators, deploying on these exercises is a career highlight and is not an experience that can be easily replicated elsewhere.' F-35As from Hill Air Force Base in Utah are also notably operating from Naval Air Station North Island in California as part of the exercise. The Navy facility has been used as a staging point in past iterations of Bamboo Eagle. Air Force units using it for this purpose also have the opportunity to train around still-evolving rapid deployment and related concepts of operations, currently referred to collectively as Agile Combat Employment (ACE), which the service has been working on for years now. ACE has been and continues to be a central focus for Bamboo Eagle exercises, in general. 'We have had the luxury of operating from safe haven bases for many decades, and modern threats have fundamentally changed that reality,' Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Niemi, head of USAFWC also said in a statement. 'Bamboo Eagle is a big part of helping us figure out how to manage those threats, and training together with our allies improves our ability to face those threats as a unified team.' Other branches of the U.S. military, especially the U.S. Marine Corps, have been developing similar concepts of operations all centered heavily on ways to quickly deploy and redeploy forces throughout forward areas to upend enemy targeting cycles. Concerns about access to established bases, especially in the context of a potential future high-end fight in the Pacific, have been particular drivers of these efforts. There are growing calls for the U.S. military to do more to physically harden bases in the Pacific, along with other defensive improvements, which you can read more about here. The prospect of a major conflict with China in the Pacific, where bases on the ground may be few and far between, has also been contributing to concerns about overall aerial refueling capacity, as well as the vulnerability of existing tankers. What has been seen from Bamboo Eagle 25-1 already underscores the critical importance of aerial refueling, especially for supporting shorter-legged tactical jets. The Air Force is in the process of refining requirements for new stealth tankers and has also been exploring more novel options for increasing aerial refueling capacity. The Navy and Marine Corps, which have the added planning consideration of expeditionary aviation operations from carriers and other big deck ships, are also acutely aware of the issues at play. The Navy is planning to add MQ-25 Stingray drone tankers to its carrier air wings in the coming years and there is also interest in new options for extending the ranges of existing tactical jets. Private contractors, which can provide aerial refueling support for non-combat missions and help free up organic U.S. military tankers in the process, are another steadily growing part of the equation. There is significant uncertainty around future defense spending plans under President Donald Trump's new administration, especially when it comes to Air Force modernization priorities like stealth tankers and other next-generation aircraft that were already facing affordability concerns. Bamboo Eagle 25-1 also comes ahead of Air Force plans to stage a massive air combat exercise across reperetantive operating areas in the Pacific this summer, which you can read more about here. Dubbed REFORPAC, the exercise is expected to last some two weeks, days of which will be spent just getting forces to and from operating locations, underscoring the basic geographical challenges the region presents. At least some units taking part in REFORPAC are expected to go almost straight from that exercise into another iteration of Bamboo Eagle, as well. Bamboo Eagle exercises themselves only look set to continue expanding in scale and scope as important parts of broader preparations for a future major Pacific fight. Contact the author: joe@
